In an effort to respond to officers’ need for brief, easy to read updates on new case law and legal changes, the Law Enforcement Digests (LED) is transitioning to a monthly LED Online Training format. Select court rulings are summarized briefly, arranged by topic, and focused on how the legal rulings may impact current law enforcement practices. The initial format is a click through pdf file intended to be easily used by individual officers or in a group roll call briefing. Each cited case includes a hyperlinked title for those who wish to read the court’s full opinion.

At the bottom of this webpage, you will find essential links to key case law reviews and references from Washington State prosecutors and law enforcement. The materials contained in the LED Online Training document are for training purposes. All officers should continue to consult with their department's legal advisor for guidance and policy as it relates to their particular agency.

The monthly Law Enforcement Digests (LED) are available on the Acadis platform, so those who complete the LED will earn training hours, one training hour for each LED completed. Please get in touch with your training officer if you want this training assigned to you.

For general inquiries regarding LED content, please email cjtcled@cjtc.wa.gov.

LED Issues

2025 LED Issues
2024 LED Issues
2023 LED Issues
2022 LED Issues
2021 LED Issues
2020 LED Issues
2019 LED Issues
2018 LED Issues
2017 LED Issues
2016 LED Issues
2015 LED Issues
2014  LED Issues
2013 LED Issues
2012 LED Issues
2011 LED Issues
2010 LED Issues
2009 LED Issues

 

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Special Topics

Confessions, 2025 – A Guide for Police & Prosecutors

  • Based on original work by Pamela B. Loginsky, Sr. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Pierce County.
  • Edited and updated for 2025 by WAPA staff.

Law Enforcement Legal Update Outline 

  • Cases on arrest, search, seizure, and other topical areas of interest to law enforcement officers; plus a chronology of independent grounds rulings under Article I, Section 7 of the Washington Constitution.
  • By John R. Wasberg (Retired Senior Counsel, Office of the Washington State Attorney General)
  • This article will be updated at least once each year. It was last updated July 1, 2026.

Initiation of Contact Rules Under Fifth Amendment

  • By John R. Wasberg (Retired Senior Counsel, Office of the Washington State Attorney General)
  • This article will be updated at least once each year. It was last updated July 1, 2026.

Eyewitness Identification Procedures: Legal and Practical Aspects

  • By John R. Wasberg (Retired Senior Counsel, Office of the Washington State Attorney General)
  • This article will be updated at least once each year. It was last updated July 1, 2026.

Confessions, Search, Seizure and Arrest: A Guide for Police Officers and Prosecutors May 2015

  • By Pamela B. Loginsky, Staff Attorney, Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys