WASHINGTON, USA — Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Wednesday a bill that lowers the threshold for police officers to engage in high-speed pursuits of suspects.
Senate Bill 5352 passed with a vote of 26-22 with one lawmaker absent. The bill lowers the threshold for police to pursue a suspect from probable cause to reasonable suspicion, but only for limited crimes: violent offense, sex offense, or an escape; or DUI, vehicular assault, domestic violence assault in the first, second, third, or fourth-degree offense.
Another change: the current law allows pursuits only if the person poses an "imminent threat," while this proposal allows pursuits if a person poses a "serious risk of harm to others."
Senate Republican Leader John Braun called the legislation a “half-step in the right direction.” A statement points out that the 26-22 shows there are mixed feelings about the bill. Braun voted against the bill because it is “simply not enough.”
“As I’ve said before, SB 5352 is only a half-step in the right direction. And, while I appreciate that the majority allowed a pursuit-reform bill to pass the Legislature, I am disappointed that certain legislators, through their own hubris, posed such an enormous barrier to improving public safety,” the statement from Braun reads, in part.
In 2021, Washington state law increased the threshold for evidence required for a police pursuit while limiting the types of crimes that can result in chases.
The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability helped get the 2021 law passed.
The organization's spokesperson, Leslie Cushman, said the law got “scapegoated” by law enforcement who blamed a rise in crime on the 2021 law.
Democratic Rep. Roger Goodman said legislators wanted to find a balance between the risks of letting someone speed away from police versus the risks of a high-speed chase.
He said allowing pursuits for property crimes, as some legislators proposed, would result in "mayhem and death."
Following approval from the state House, the Washington State Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs released a statement saying it was pleased with the legislation to address the 2021 law. However, “there is more work to be done on this important issue in the future,” the organization wrote.