State investigating Auburn trainer for sexual harassment, extremism

Sgt. Tyler Christian, who trained convicted murderer Jeffrey Nelson, preaches "Killology" and has a history of getting hands-on with male and female officers alike.

The state police certification body is currently investigating a complaint against Auburn police firearms trainer Sgt. Tyler Christian, alleging that he sexually harassed officers and promoted right-wing extremism on the blog of his private business. The complaint to the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission is supported by a substantial cache of documents, including video, internal and external investigation files, and Christian’s online writings.

In his blogs and social media posts, Christian displays an obsession with violence, often linking to gory scenes. His writing echoes that of “Warrior Cop” trainer David Grossman, who teaches officers to kill without hesitation or remorse. For example, using one of Grossman’s favorite metaphors, Christian wrote in a now-deleted post: “The mantle of the Sheepdog is heavy and comes with great responsibility.”

Sgt. Christian has been with the department since 2002 and worked as a trainer for most of that time. One of his students was Officer Jeffrey Nelson, the first cop to be convicted of murder under I-940. Nelson killed three people and seriously injured several others in his 12 years on the job. Christian testified at Nelson’s trial that Auburn’s training went “above and beyond.”

Groping Investigations

Christian was also investigated twice for separate incidents in 2022. In one instance, a male officer claimed that Christian put his finger between his bare cheeks while they were in the locker room. The officer confronted Christian, who said something to the effect of “I didn’t know how else to do it.”

An investigation by Lakewood police and an outside law firm ended in “inconclusive” findings. Bafflingly, the external investigators argued that they couldn’t prove that Christian put his finger there intentionally because the officer was standing up, not bending over:

If Officer [Victim] had been bent over, I likely would have presumed that Sergeant [Christian] saw an opportunity to intentionally engage in childish, harassing conduct in violation of the policy. But with Officer [Victim] standing up straight, such motivation is not as apparent.

However, the officer felt violated and lost sleep over the incident. The alternative explanation — that Christian was trying to get his attention — made even less sense. Why not tap his shoulder?

Later that year, a female officer accused Christian of groping her after he reached into her back pocket without her permission to grab medical gloves during a shooting response. This investigation, again, was inconclusive.

A review of the body-worn video showed Christian grabbing at the gloves with his left hand, using his fingers in a tweezers-like motion, but his right hand, only partially visible, was moving consistently with what she felt.

She initially didn’t want to report the incident to other officers or her chain of command, fearing she would be perceived as a female officer who causes trouble. Nevertheless, she decided to speak up after learning that another officer was actively trying to keep a woman he was training away from Christian.

When she finally spoke up, other senior officers said they “weren’t surprised.”

In WACJTC’s Jurisdiction?

Most of these incidents occurred a few years ago and have already undergone internal and external investigations that did not substantiate the allegations — at least on paper— so it’s curious that the WACJTC is initiating another investigation.

Technically, the commission is empowered to initiate decertification investigations independent of departments, but it rarely does. Most are launched after an officer is terminated, criminally convicted, or found to have committed a serious ethical violation. Otherwise, complaints are kicked down to the agencies to handle.

In this case, the WACJTC may be taking over because Christian is an instructor.