by
Tim Gruver, The Center Square
| April 23, 2021 10:30 AM
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Washington state Democrats wanted to ban tear gas and police chokeholds in 2021, but a bill intended to do both may fall short of what they promised voters.
In December, Washington Democrats pledged to pass a long list of police reforms that Black Lives Matter activists marched for last summer in Seattle and elsewhere. This session, a public database on the use of force, de-escalation training, and a more comprehensive duty to intervene law make up most of the bills the party will have succeeded in passing this year.
House Bill 1054 stood out when introduced in January as the most ambitious effort to reshape policing statewide. Introduced by state Rep. Jesse Johnson, D-Federal Way, the bill banned police from using tear gas and military-grade weapons ranging from grenades and armored vehicles to .50 caliber guns and riot munition launchers. It also sought to end no-knock warrants, the use of police dogs to catch fleeing suspects, and pursuits like the one that took the life of Giovonn Joseph-McDade of Auburn in 2017.