The state Legislature is moving to ease restrictions on when police can engage in car chases to nab fleeing criminal suspects.
A bipartisan compromise bill approved by the state House this week was praised by supporters as striking a middle ground on the hot-button issue. But it's left critics on both sides of the aisle fuming.
For two years, lawmakers have been under pressure from police and city officials across the state to revisit police-pursuit restrictions they imposed in 2021 to rein in high-speed chases that have killed and injured bystanders.
On Tuesday, the state House passed Senate Bill 5352, which would give police some more discretion to pursue suspects for some serious crimes, but would not go as far as law-enforcement groups have asked.
In a late-night floor debate, the bill drew support and criticism from members of both parties.
Some Republicans bashed the proposal as a halfhearted gesture that failed to adequately address the pursuit law.
"Vehicle pursuit has been one of the most talked about issues this session, really for the last two years since this body passed a no-pursuit policy. And this, this is the best we can come up with? This doesn't do enough. Not even close," said state Rep. Kelly Chambers, R-Puyallup.
Chambers cited the death of 12-year-old Immaculee Goldade, who was killed last year in Pierce County by a man driving a stolen flatbed truck. The man had been previously followed by police, but not detained because of the pursuit law, according to testimony by Goldade's family.
Some Democrats also opposed the bill, saying lawmakers should resist pressure to roll back the pursuit law, which was enacted as part of a package of policing reforms passed in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, the Black man killed by Minneapolis police.
State Rep. Julia Reed, D-Seattle, said the Legislature was reacting to "an incredible campaign of misinformation" while not listening to the needs of communities that demanded protection from dangerous pursuits.
"We are telling them that promises from this chamber to prioritize their safety, that we made less than two years ago, are just checks they can't cash," she said.
The law enacted in 2021 allows police to pursue drivers only if they have probable cause to believe a person in the vehicle has committed a violent or sexual crime, or escaped from jail. It also allows pursuits for reasonable suspicion of DUI. But it bars pursuits for other crimes, such as auto thefts and burglaries.
SB 5352 lowers the threshold for police to engage in chases from "probable cause" to a "reasonable suspicion" of violent and sex crimes. It would also allow pursuits for domestic violence and vehicular assaults and says suspects can be chased if they pose a "serious risk of harm to others" — as opposed to a stricter "imminent threat" standard in the current law.
Police would have to notify superiors before giving chase and consider whether the risks of letting a suspect flee outweigh the risks of pursuit.
State Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Covington, said rolling back hard-won police reforms was a betrayal of Black and brown people "who were not coming home alive" after encounters with law enforcement.
"Black lives matter, Madam Speaker," Entenman said to close out her remarks.
State Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, rose and responded, "All lives matter, Madam Speaker." He also urged a "no" vote, saying the legislation didn't go far enough to protect the public from crime.
Supporters, though, said the bill was a step in the right direction for crime-weary communities.
"I will tell you that in my district, we need police more and more as we are suffering from some of the highest property and violent crime rates in King County," said state Rep. David Hackney, D-Tukwila. "We ask police to make difficult decisions every day, and in order to keep our communities safe, we need to give police the opportunity to make decisions to pursue criminal activity."
The proposal passed the House on a 57-40 vote, with 38 Democrats and 19 Republicans voting for it. Nineteen Democrats and 21 Republicans voted no. It passed the state Senate last month on a similarly divided vote.
Because the House amended the bill — allowing small police departments more leeway on rules about notifying supervisors before launching pursuits — it must return to the Senate for a final agreement.
State Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, a retired former State Patrol trooper and the chief sponsor of SB 5352, said he's been assured the Senate will concur in the amendments, clearing the way for the bill to go to Gov. Jay Inslee.
"No legislation is perfect here in Olympia, and it takes a lot of compromise," Lovick said in an interview. "The beauty of it is we went out and listened to the community ... I think it's going to give the officers the tools to do their jobs to the best of their ability."
Steve Strachan, executive director for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, said in a statement the group is pleased that lawmakers are working to revise the 2021 pursuit law.
"Legislators showed leadership and support for victims of crime. However, there is more work to be done on this important issue in the future," he said, describing SB 5352 as making "incremental improvements."
Inslee has expressed support for changes to the pursuit law, but spokesperson Mike Faulk said the governor has not yet reviewed the bill passed by the House.
"He has been public about his support for reforming the policy in general. He's still encouraging legislators to get a bill to his desk this session," Faulk said in an email.
