Police pursuit law initiative signatures certified

An initiative that will amend Washington’s police pursuit law and allow officers to “engage in a pursuit when there is a reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law” has been certified and presented to the Legislature, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said Jan. 12.

Currently, a police officer can pursue a vehicle if there is reasonable suspicion that the person in the vehicle is committing or has committed a violent offense, a sex offense, a vehicular assault, domestic violence, has escaped or is driving under the influence.

The pursuit must also be necessary to apprehend the person and the person must pose a serious risk of harm to others and that risk or harm is greater than the risk of pursuit.

I-2113 will change the law to allow police pursuit of vehicles if there is reasonable suspicion that the person has violated the law, the pursuit is necessary to apprehend that person and the person poses a threat to

safety to others that is greater than the risk of pursuit.

The Legislature has until March 7 to approve the initiative. If it rejects or takes no action on the measure, Hobbs will place I-2113 on the ballot for the next general election.

Mason County Undersheriff Travis Adams said Mason County, along with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, supports the initiative. Adams told the Journal the first change to state police pursuit laws, enacted by the legislature in 2021, was “a restrictive checklist. If this … then that …”

The law was modified in 2023 to remove “probable cause” and insert “reasonable suspicion” to pursue suspects of certain crimes.

I-2113 will allow local decision making, Adams said, and removes a “one size fits all.”

It may be appropriate to pursue a suspect in rural Mason County in the middle of the night on deserted roads, but not in the afternoon when school is letting out, Adams said.

“Great news for the people of Washington: Initiative 2113, aimed at restoring reasonable police pursuits of criminals and suspects, has been officially certified. We can take practical steps to combat rising crime rates and make our neighborhoods safe again,” Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, who sponsored the initiative, said.

The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement that the current law prevents deaths from “unnecessary, high-speed police pursuits” and opposes the initiative.

Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, said in a post on the social media site X that he was on the House floor when he got the news I-2113 qualified with verified signatures.

“I thought oh yeah baby, let’s GOOOO!!! You have no idea how happy that made me!” Couture wrote.

More than 400,000 people signed in support of the initiative.

Couture files bill tying public defense funding to officer numbers

Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, has introduced a bill that will increase funds for public defenders if counties meet minimum police staffing ratios. The proposed legislation, introduced Jan. 14, requires $200 million per year for indigent defense.

The funding is based on population and criminal cases filed in each county and can only be used if counties meet new minimum law enforcement requirements. If the county does not meet these requirements, it must spend its funding allotment on hiring more officers until the ratio is met.

“My big concern – and the big impact this has on public safety – is that if counties can’t provide the constitutionally required public defense of a criminal suspect, or if that public defense cannot be provided in a timely manner, the courts must order the release of those suspect. That means criminals are just being released back on the street without jail time and without being held accountable, and that puts the public at risk,” Couture said in a statement about the proposed bill.

By the end of fiscal year 2025, Couture hopes to achieve a rate of 1.50 officers per thousand of population, up for the current 1.12, he said.

“My bill will help ensure the funding is there for Washington to boost law enforcement staffing,” Couture said.