Most Washington police officers have yet to complete required deescalation and cultural awareness training, according to a new state audit.

Why it matters: The training is required by Initiative 940, a police accountability law Washington voters approved in 2018.

• The law's stated intent is to reduce officer uses of force and improve trust between police and communities.

By the numbers: Only 14% of new officers and 16% of veteran officers had finished the mandatory 40 hours of continuing training as of last May, the most recent data analyzed by the State Auditor's Office shows.

• New officers must complete the training within three years of graduating from the police academy, while officers who graduated before May 2020 have until 2028 to comply.

What they're saying: "We found that, for the most part, officers in the state are not meeting the requirements established in state law," according to the audit, which was released last month.

• At the current rate, about half of all officers will not complete the required patrol tactics training by 2028, the audit states.

Catch up quick: The training includes 24 hours of patrol tactics lessons, plus 16 hours of cultural awareness courses.

• The cultural courses are mostly online and self-guided, covering topics such as mass incarceration and the intersection of race and policing.

Zoom in: Seattle's completion rates are stronger than the statewide average, though the department still has gaps.

• About 93% of Seattle police officers had completed the required patrol tactics training as of last year, department spokesperson Patrick Michaud told Axios. SPD offered the three-day course through its own training division.
• But only 534 of the department's 969 sworn officers — about 55% — had completed one or more cultural awareness courses, Michaud said. He did not specify how many officers had fully completed that requirement.

What's next: The audit recommends the Legislature convene a working group to address compliance and clarify consequences for agencies and officers that don't meet the requirements.

• The group should also explore funding options to help agencies send officers to training, the audit says.

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Amazon is pushing deeper into "instant retail" with a new 30-minute delivery service, escalating its speed race with Walmart, Target and delivery apps.

Driving the news: Amazon said this week it's expanding "Amazon Now," offering thousands of groceries, household essentials and other items across dozens of U.S. cities.

• The service is widely available here and in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and Philadelphia, with expansion underway in cities including Austin, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Orlando, Oklahoma City and Phoenix.

The big picture: The push reflects a broader shift toward "instant commerce," where retailers and delivery platforms increasingly aim to get an item to shoppers faster than they could go get it themselves.

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🗳️ Opponents of Washington's newly passed income tax announced yesterday that they'll try to repeal the tax through a citizen ballot measure this November.

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• But somehow I hadn't ever ordered their beef rib pho (pictured above) until this past weekend.

🍲 Go try it if eating meat off giant rib bones sounds like your idea of a perfect lunch.