OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington has announced that it will be taking a closer look at investigations into the use of deadly force by law enforcement.
The State’s Auditor’s Office (SAO) will run audits into investigations going back to January 2020, comparing them against rules and best practices established by the state Criminal Justice Training Commission.
State Auditor Pat McCarthy says this will provide Washingtonians more access to understand how the process works.
“We want to increase trust in government, that’s a goal of ours,” she said. “I think everyone wants the system to work, and they want to see that it’s working, and we provide that outside, independent, objective set of eyes to do that.”
Two audits have already been completed, one involving Sean Howell, who died on May 15, 2020, after being forcibly restrained while in custody at the Kitsap County Jail, and the other that involved David J. Pruitte, who was killed by a Kitsap County deputy on August 4, 2020.
The county prosecutor declined to pursue criminal charges in both cases.
McCarthy says the audits don’t determine if the officers were justified in using deadly force, but she hopes agencies will take the SAO's advice on how to improve.
“We look at the facts as they are presented to us, and we opine on that if you will,” McCarthy said. “There are best practices out there, and we’re encouraging them to follow those rules and procedures if they need to.”
The audits are available to the public and can be found on the State Auditor’s Office website. The office has also created a page that explains how deadly force investigation audits are conducted.