OLYMPIA — A controversial bill giving police greater ability to undertake pursuits narrowly passed the House early Tuesday, unwinding a central piece of policing reforms passed two years ago.
The measure, Senate Bill 5352, allows a law enforcement officer to initiate a chase with reasonable suspicion a person in a vehicle has committed or is committing a crime covered by the bill.
Current law sets a higher threshold of probable cause for engaging in a pursuit.
It passed 57-40 with 38 Democrats and 19 Republicans in support and 19 Democrats and 21 Republicans opposed. Every member of District 24’s delegation — Sen. Kevin Van De Wege of Port Angeles and Reps. Mike Chapman of Port Angeles and Steve Tharinger of Port Townsend voted for the bill.
The bill now returns to the Senate for final approval, according to KING-5.
Under the bill, the crimes for which a pursuit can be undertaken are limited to a violent offense, a sex offense; domestic violence-related offenses, driving under the influence of alcohol or trying to escape arrest. And it limits vehicular pursuits to situations where the subject of the vehicular pursuit poses a serious risk of harm to others.
This legislation deals with an element of policing reform passed in response to the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other high-profile police killings — reforms aimed at reducing the potential for violence and death in police responses.
It toughened the requirement for when officers could carry out a pursuit. They now need probable cause to arrest someone before initiating a pursuit rather than reasonable suspicion.
Many law enforcement officials and elected city leaders say the revision emboldened suspected criminals to flee crime scenes before authorities question them, because they are confident of not getting pursued. Civic leaders contend it has contributed to a surge in auto thefts and property crimes.
On the other side, those seeking greater police accountability contend communities are safer as fewer innocent bystanders have been injured or killed with the decline in high-speed chases.
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Most of this story is by Jerry Cornfield of the Everett Daily Herald, which is a sister paper to the Peninsula Daily News under Sound Publishing.
