This article was first published by TVW.
OLYMPIA, WA – Washington’s independent office investigating police deadly force incidents plans to name its second region in the coming weeks and pair it with a roadmap for opening the remaining regions statewide.
Office of Independent Investigations Director Roger Rogoff said in an “Inside Olympia” interview with Austin Jenkins that the announcement would come before the end of the year, adding that the agency will also lay out when the final four regions will open after that.
Rogoff defended the mission behind the state’s new approach to police deadly-force investigations, calling the model “a really good idea — even a really divine idea.”
The agency’s balancing act — hiring some former law enforcement officers while guarding independence — is “the magic of the agency,” he said. Rogoff says “transparency is the product,” citing plain-language final reports and the agency’s family and tribal liaison programs as tangible examples.
Since taking the lead in Region 1 last December, the office has handled five fatal-force callouts, completed two investigations (in Vancouver and Centralia), and has three pending (in Poulsbo, Ridgefield and Vancouver). Rogoff says all three will be completed by year’s end, while the office is still reviewing six cases that occurred before it was created.
Rogoff said the statutory goal of issuing reports within 120 days is “aggressive,” citing forensic turnaround times and the work required to write comprehensive summaries. “I think that six months, 180 days, is probably a lot more reasonable,” he said.
The new agency had its capacity tested on May 7, when two fatal cases came in the same night. The office split resources and covered both scenes. Rogoff said he was “incredibly proud of my staff” that night — though he added, “If there had been a third one, we would not have been able to do it.”
Staffing remains the choke point. The Office of Independent Investigations has 66 employees, including 31 investigators. “I think we need over 100 investigators,” Rogoff said — far above the agency’s initial concept. For the upcoming supplemental budget in the 2026 legislative session, Rogoff said they have asked for funding for five more investigators.
Recently, the office opened a new headquarters and evidence facility in Thurston County. Rogoff described the 11,000 square feet of evidence storage space and 9,000 square feet of office space as a major step forward. Meanwhile, a more than 20% budget cut that came in the 2025–27 biennial state budget “slows us down” and hits a new agency harder than an established one.
“Let’s make it work,” is his message to lawmakers. “Let’s finish the job.”
This article was first published by TVW, a media nonprofit that provides comprehensive coverage of state government. TVW broadcasts unedited gavel-to-gavel coverage on statewide cable and at tvw.org, and produces original current affairs and education shows, including Inside Olympia and The Impact. TVW’s mission is to give Washingtonians access to their state government, increase civic access and engagement, and foster an informed citizenry.
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