{"id":2222120,"date":"2024-04-16T09:03:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T13:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-law-enforcement-org-weighs-in-on-upcoming-changes-to-pursuit-law\/"},"modified":"2024-04-16T09:06:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T13:06:40","slug":"washington-law-enforcement-org-weighs-in-on-upcoming-changes-to-pursuit-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/washington-law-enforcement-org-weighs-in-on-upcoming-changes-to-pursuit-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington law enforcement organization shares insights on proposed changes to pursuit legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwashington-law-enforcement-org-weighs-in-on-upcoming-changes-to-pursuit-law%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2222120&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Law enforcement agencies in Washington state will face\u200c fewer restrictions on pursuing fleeing suspects starting June, post\u200d a legislative change allowing police to chase suspects with reasonable suspicion of law violations. The \u2062move\u200b follows pleas to reconsider post-George Floyd reforms. However, concerns \u200bremain regarding potential risks associated \u2063with pursuits, emphasizing the \u200bneed for careful policy implementation across agencies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>(The Center Square)\u00a0\u2013 In less than two months, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-governor-encourages-people-to-call-police-on-neighbors-violating-covid-orders\/\" title=\"Oregon Governor Encourages People To Call Police On Neighbors Violating COVID Orders\">law enforcement agencies<\/a> across Washington state will have a less restrictive set of rules when it comes to vehicle pursuits of fleeing suspects.<\/p>\n<p>The Washington State Legislature this session loosened restrictions on law enforcement pursuits in the form of passing Initiative 2113 to allow police to pursue any driver if they have reasonable suspicion that they have violated the law.<\/p>\n<p>Police agencies across the state had pleaded with lawmakers to reconsider restrictions placed on law enforcement in the wake of reforms that followed the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and the subsequent movement to defund police. <\/p>\n<p>In 2021, the state Legislature passed a bill that was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee that\u00a0required that the fleeing person pose an \u201cimminent threat\u201d of harming someone as the threshold for police to engage in a vehicle pursuit.<\/p>\n<p>It will now be up to individual agencies in Washington to set the policies and procedures for pursuits, just as it was before the 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/RCW\/default.aspx?cite=10.116.060\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>law<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Steven Strachan, executive director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waspc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Washington Association of Sheriff\u2019s and Police Chiefs<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0said the new law, which goes into effect in June, won\u2019t result in things being fixed overnight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a transition and the phrase I\u2019ve been using is it\u2019s going to take some time to put the toothpaste back in the tube,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve all seen the unintended consequences of the law change in 2021 and the incredibly restrictive bright lines on police pursuits, which created a sense of impunity out there.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The same thinking applies to people choosing to flee law enforcement. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnytime you\u2019re talking about human behavior and decision making on the fly, that\u2019s going to take time to change,\u201d Strachan said.<\/p>\n<p>Those who spoke against I-2113 argue innocent lives are lost in police pursuits and they fear those numbers will go up with loosened restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>In February 2023, The Center Square reported on a controversial study by Dr. Martina Morris that critics contend inflated overall fatality numbers in police pursuits. The study was subsequently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/washington\/article_73a8593a-a33b-11ed-8487-b3bef885f1db.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>taken down<\/strong><\/a> from the website hosting the study. <\/p>\n<p>Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue voted against I-2113.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe initiative would permit a chase for any violation of law,\u201d she said. \u201cThat includes an expired tab, a broken taillight, loud music, any infraction whatsoever could allow law enforcement to engage in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-ufc-champion-charged-with-attempted-murder-of-alleged-child-molester\/\" title=\"Former UFC Champion Charged With Attempted Murder Of Alleged Child Molester\">high speed chase<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Strachan disagrees with the assertion police will give chase without careful consideration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to remember there is still a balancing test and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-investigating-voter-registration-group-run-by-democrat-raphael-warnock\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary Of State Investigating Voter Registration Group Run By Democrat Raphael Warnock\">law enforcement officers<\/a> are still going to use their discretion to make sure the safety of the entire public is paramount,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>WSPAC will push hard in the next legislative session for a bill that would strengthen penalties and consequences for people who choose to flee, Strachan said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/app.leg.wa.gov\/billsummary?BillNumber=6200&#038;Year=2023&#038;Initiative=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Senate Bill 6200<\/strong><\/a>, which WASPAC helped craft,\u00a0was introduced with bipartisan support this session, but it died in the House. <\/p>\n<p>The bill, according to Strachan, also established mandatory monitoring for both juveniles and adults who flee, impoundment of the vehicle, and greater use of technology.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt includes fixed license plate reader systems and something called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.starchase.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Star Chase<\/strong><\/a> which is like an air tag attached to the vehicle so you can track the car and then also air support like helicopters and drones so we can get better at locating, arresting and prosecuting people who flee from the police,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>Strachan added that the biggest frustration for law enforcement in recent years has been a lack of consequences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, if you have greater sentencing, monitoring, technology; that\u2019s going to massively change that equation,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve created greater flexibility for pursuits yes, but we would also like to see 6200 passed, to provide for significant consequences for people who choose to flee.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In under two months, Washington law enforcement agencies will operate under less stringent rules for pursuing fleeing suspects. The Washington State Legislature revised pursuit regulations with the passing of Initiative 2113 this session, granting police more flexibility in conducting pursuits<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2222121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/police-lights-photo-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2222120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/police-lights-photo-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2222120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2222121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2222120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2222120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2222120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}