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Community meetings set as OII expands use of force investigations into Pierce County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Community meetings set as OII expands use of force investigations into Pierce County

Tumwater, Wash. – The Washington State Office of Independent Investigations (OII) is holding two community meetings as it prepares to expand its operations into Pierce County on May 01, 2026. The meetings will include an in-person open house and a virtual option.

In-person open house

  • When: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, April 02, 2026
  • Where: Tacoma Mall Office Building, 4301 S. Pine St., Suite 200

Virtual community meeting

The purpose of the meetings are to provide community members a chance to meet OII staff, including investigators, and learn more about how the agency operates and upholds its mission to conduct fair, thorough, transparent, and competent investigations.

Since OII began investigating use of deadly force incidents on December 01, 2024, the agency has responded to eight fatal incidents, completing three of these investigations.

OII has six regions statewide based on the average number of fatal use of deadly force cases annually in each area. It began by responding to incidents in Region 1 – South, which includes 12 counties in Southwest Washington and the Olympic Peninsula.

Beginning on May 01, 2026, OII will expand to begin investigating incidents in Region 2 – Pierce, which includes all of Pierce County.

OII has been establishing statewide operations in phases to effectively manage its available resources, including staffing. Currently, the agency has 31 investigators throughout the state.

In addition to investigators, OII has a Family Liaison Program to ensure ongoing communication with the family of the deceased, a Tribal Relations Program to maintain meaningful government to government relations with sovereign Tribes in Washington state and a Community Liaison Program to establish communication with local community groups.

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The Legislature created OII in 2021 to conduct independent and unbiased investigations of deadly use of force by law enforcement. The 11-member OII Advisory Board reviews and provides input on agency policies. Web view – News and Updates | OII
 
For media inquiries, contact Hector Castro, Director of Communications and Community Relations, at hector.castro@oii.wa.gov or 360-870-8115.