With 12 New Laws, Washington State Joins Movement To Overhaul Policing
By Austin Jenkins - N3
May 18, 2021
Calling it a “moral mandate,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a dozen bills into law on Tuesday that backers hope will improve policing in the state, reduce the use of deadly force and ensure that when deadly encounters do occur, the investigations are thorough and independent.
“These bills are all going to work in coordination with one another to create a system of accountability and integrity stronger than anywhere else in the nation,” Inslee said in remarks before he signed the bills.
Noah Riffe/Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Calling it a moral mandate, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a dozen bills into law on Tuesday that backers hope will improve policing in the state, reduce the use of deadly force and ensure that when deadly encounters do occur, the investigations are thorough and independent. These bills are all going to work in coordination with one another to create a system of accountability and integrity stronger than anywhere else in the nation, Inslee said in remarks before he signed the bills.
The legislature passed the police accountability measures in response to sweeping calls, nationally and locally, to reform policing following the killings of Black Americans like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In Washington, the death of Manuel Ellis at the hands of Tacoma police in March 2020 also galvanized reform efforts.
The bills also create an independent office to review the use of deadly force by police, make it easier to decertify police for bad acts, and require officers to use “reasonable care,” including exhausting de-escalation tactics, in carrying out their duties. The use of tear gas and car chases are restricted and it s easier to sue officers when they inflict injury.
“As of noon today, we will have the best, most comprehensive, most transparent, most effective police accountability laws in the United States,” Inslee, a Democrat, said before signing the bills.
Floyd s killing last May and the protests that followed prompted a wave of police reforms in dozens of states, from changes in use-of-force policies to greater accountability for officers. But few if any matched the scope of the changes being adopted in Washington.
Calling it a "moral mandate," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a dozen bills into law on Tuesday that backers hope will improve