On October 13, 2011, a group of detectives met at what is now the Blue Steele Coffee Shop on Officers Memorial Drive in Parkland, the site of the horrific murder and devastating loss of four officers from Lakewood PD in 2009. From this place of sorrow and remembrance came forth a powerful force for justice, the Washington Homicide Investigators Association (WHIA). Building on the former Violent Crime Investigators Association (WVCIA), WHIA is a society of Homicide Detectives, Investigators, Prosecutors, Medicolegal Professionals, and others who support our efforts. We thought WHIA members would come from Washington State, but we now have approximately 1,000 members from all over the Great Northwest and across North America, at local, state, national, and federal levels.
The mission of WHIA is to provide training, investigative support, and networking opportunities to everyone involved in homicide investigation, from initial responders through conviction. We present reasonably priced training at high quality facilities. Our Annual Conference consists of cases from all over North America, presented in “lessons learned” format, with a number of subject-related corporate sponsors who display current products and services designed to assist investigations. We also host several Basic Homicide Investigations (BHI) classes each year that give new investigators the tools they need to succeed and experienced ones an updated viewpoint.
WHIA now includes long-standing members who have forged relationships with other agencies, resulting in crimes being solved across venues. We welcome anyone who is interested in learning from others in our collective efforts and common goal to speak for victims who can no longer speak for themselves.
The Executive Board is elected pursuant to our bylaws, and consists of:
President: Det/Sgt. Mike Don, Mount Vernon PD
Vice President: Sgt. Brian Byerley, Bonney Lake PD
Secretary: Det. Al Cruise, Seattle PD
Treasurer: Sgt. Jake Pavlovich, King County SO
Sergeant-at-Arms: Det. Dave Bilyeu, Snohomish County S/O
Administrative Lead: Paula Wesson, Seattle PD
The Advisory Board* consists of:
–Mr. John Neeb, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Ret,. Prosecutors Statewide Rep
–Det/Sgt Stacy Moate, Washington State Patrol, WSP Rep
–Det. Drew Shaw, Yakima PD, Central State Region Rep, Election Committee Chair
–Sgt. Keith Linderman, Whatcom County S/O, North Sound Region Rep
–Det. Brian Cestnik, Spokane PD, Spokane Region Rep
-Det/Sgt. Andy Zwaschka, Seattle PD, Conference/Training Planning and Operations Advisor
–Det. Pete Erickson, Mercer Island PD, Ret., Conference/Training Planning and Operations Advisor, Conference Vendor Coordinator
–Det/Sgt Heather Vance, Kent PD, South King County Region Rep
–Senior Investigator Marty Hill, Washington Attorney Generals Office HITS, AGO Rep
–Det/Sgt. Zac Storment, Spokane PD, Spokane Region Rep
-Mr. Scott O’Toole, King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, Ret., Conference Planning and Training Advisor.
-Det. John Free, King County Sheriff’s Office, Conference/Training Planning and Operations Advisor.
-First President Emeritus, and Founding President Bob Vallor, Seattle PD, Ret.
-President Emeritus, Chief Criminal Investigator Marv Skeen, WA AGO HITS Unit, Ret, RIP
*Advisory Board members are appointed at the sole discretion of the Executive Board Go to our CONTACT US page for contact information