Just after midnight (Tuesday morning), lawmakers in the state House of Representatives passed a controversial bill that allows police to pursue suspects on a very limited basis. John Sattgast reports from the state Capitol.
Democrats voting against the bill argued it goes too far. Republicans, such as Puyallup Representative Kelly Chambers, said the measure doesn’t go far enough:
“And this. . . this is the best we can come up with? This doesn’t do enough. Not even close.”
Senate Bill 5352 would lower the “probable cause” standard for police pursuits to “reasonable suspicion” in limited cases involving those suspected of committing a violent crime, a sex offense, domestic violence-related offenses, driving under the influence, and trying to escape arrest.
Battle Ground Republican Greg Cheney reluctantly voted yes:
“It’s better than we have now. But it’s not nearly good enough.”
Goldendale Republican Representative Gina Mosbrucker voted for the bill but said more is needed to ensure police can pursue and capture criminals.
“This is a step forward. It’s a small step forward. It’s too small of a step forward. But at the end of the day, our job is to keep moving forward until we get to something that people agree on.”
The bill passed 57 to 40 with lawmakers from both parties voting yes and no. It now returns to the Senate for further consideration.
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