COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN/RETALIATORY POLICING

Kimberly Bliss

Assistant Director, Certification

Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission

(206) 835-7305

kimberly.bliss@cjtc.wa.gov

Dear Ms. Bliss, 

You need to be informed of an apparent communication breakdown by CJTC investigator Catey Avaava, who was assigned to my three certification complaints against Blaine and Ferndale officers for retaliatory policing: 

2026-0000039, P-20260125-0002, and P-20260126-0002.

On Monday, June 8, I conversed with CJTC community liaison, Lauren Caputo-Allen, via email about the rumor in Blaine that my complaints had all been dismissed. Today, June 9, Kari Mar, publisher of The Northern Light news, emailed me for a comment on the Criminal Justice Training Commission declining to investigate my certification complaints. I told her I had yet to receive an email copy of the CJTC Investigation Report, so I could not respond. 

As I understand CJTC procedures, the CJTC investigator assigned to each complaint must 1) examine all documents submitted, 2) interview each complainant as well as defendant officers, and 3) email an Investigation Report to the complainant, responding to the issues raised by the complainant, and legally justifying the final decision. As with the orchestrated Ferndale Police Report that defamed me for "disrupting governance" and led to my CJTC complaints, the CJTC investigator has thus far failed to interview me, which I am told is required CJTC procedure, prior to a decision. The CJTC community liaison confirmed that a complaint cannot be declined or concluded without interviewing the complainant.

Although no Investigation Report has been sent to me by Ms. Avaava, apparently Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon again defamed me yesterday evening at the Blaine City Council meeting, saying the CJTC had declined to investigate my complaints. On March 6, 2026, Ms. Avaava opened an investigation of my complaints. On March 23, 2026, Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon held a rally at the Blaine City Council meeting to support Blaine Police Department, again defaming me for speaking out against self-inurement by three Blaine public officials, which has been ignored by our county prosecutor for two years. As my 1st and 14th Amendment rights to free speech and equal protection under the law are at stake, I urge you to investigate the conduct of Ms. Avaava for compliance with CJTC procedures, and if necessary, to replace her and start anew.

Like the infamous Ferndale Report, a CJTC Investigation Report that lacked an interview of the complainant would presumably be doomed to failure in federal court. Your prompt attention to this apparent travesty of injustice is appreciated. FYI, Since November 4, 2025, I have been under a civil protection order from Whatcom District Court, due to being the victim of a death threat by a convicted violent felon, who was supported on his Facebook death threat video by Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward. Steward and Blaine Chief of Police Rodger Funk voluntarily attended the court hearing to show support for the felon who spent 30 months in prison for two drive-by shootings. Having police officers show up on my doorstep to intimidate me, on Chief Funks instructions, has turned Blaine into a police state. I would hope that this criminal enterprise masquerading as a municipality would concern the CJTC.