“There is no profession under greater scrutiny, and no group of technical experts more adept at training and transforming the way they perform their duties than Washington’s peace officers,” said Teresa C. Taylor, executive director of the Washington Council of Police & Sheriffs. Her union represents officers and deputies in Washington state, which last month expanded the number of situations which can result in an officer losing accreditation.
The accreditation crackdown has emerged as a way to bypass the logjam in Congress over changing policing to address the racial justice uproar since the killing of George Floyd a year ago.
Washington State Enacts Police Reform a Year After George Floydâs Death
Gov. Jay Inslee signed 12 bills into law that include bans on chokeholds and no-knock warrants, making Washington the latest state to pass sweeping police reforms.
Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington shaking hands with State Representative Jesse Johnson after signing legislation on police accountability.Credit.Tony Overman/The News Tribune, via Associated Press
May 19, 2021, 6:23 p.m. ET
Washington became the latest state to enact sweeping police reforms in response to the police killing of George Floyd with the adoption this week of 12 new laws that ban chokeholds, require officers to announce their presence before raiding a home and call for the use of exhaustive de-escalation techniques before resorting to force.