OLYMPIA, Wash — A bill that would lower the threshold required for law enforcement in Washington state to engage in a vehicle pursuit passed the Senate on Wednesday.
The approval by the Senate follows the House rejecting a vote on a similar bill earlier this week.
Senate Bill 5352 would allow a police officer to engage in a pursuit if they have "reasonable suspicion" a person has committed or is committing a violent or sexual crime, domestic violence cases, escape, and driving under the influence.
The requirements that a pursuit must be necessary in order to identify or take a person into custody, that a suspect must pose an serious risk of harm to other people's safety and an officer having to receive authorization from a supervisor would be eliminated from state law. Instead, officers would have to notify a supervisor of a pursuit.
Shortly before the Senate took up the issue, more than 100 people demanding a vote on the issue rallied on the state Capitol steps.
Amber Goldade spoke about the 2022 death of her daughter, Immaculee Goldade. The 12-year-old was hit and killed by a driver of truck that had been stolen in Pierce County.
Amber Goldade said her daughter would still be alive had police had a chance to pursue and arrest the driver before he caused the deadly wreck.
"Let the police do their jobs," said Goldade, "I have suffered horrendously and I will suffer until my dying day because police were not able pursue a known criminal caught with a stolen vehicle."
Additional requirements of the bill include:
- Other law enforcement agencies or surrounding jurisdictions impacted by the pursuit are notified.
- The pursuing officer must be able to communicate with others and the dispatch agency.
- There must be a plan to end the pursuit as soon as it's practical.
- The officer must have completed an emergency vehicle operator's course, updated emergency vehicle operator training in the past two years and be certified in at least one pursuit intervention technique, such as spike strips or other deflation devices.
The bill now moves to the House.
If approved, the bill would change the existing law, passed in 2021, that only allows for the pursuit of DUI suspects with reasonable suspicion and only allows for pursuits with probable cause for violent, sexual and escape charges.