Washington State Handcuffs Its Police | Eastern North Carolina Now

Jason Rantz writes for the Federalist about the likely consequences of new anti-police measures in one West Coast state.

ENCNow
Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the John Locke Foundation. The author of this post is Mitch Kokai.

    Jason Rantz writes for the Federalist about the likely consequences of new anti-police measures in one West Coast state.

  • Washington state just reimagined policing with sweeping so-called "police accountability" bills that went into effect this week. Led by anti-police activists enabled by allies in the Democrat-controlled legislature, the consequences of these dramatic changes will be worse than you can imagine. And Democrats don't seem to care.
  • Police use of force is now strictly limited. Car chases and tear gas are almost entirely banned. Chokeholds are now forbidden, requiring officers to use more lethal tools at their disposal. Some bills even conflict with others.
  • "The challenge is - I'm going to be very frank - the laws were written very poorly, and the combination of them all at the same time has led to there being conflicts in clarity and in what was intended versus what was written," Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla told ABC News.
  • HB 1310 dictates only three scenarios where officers may use force. The most significant shift mandates officers can only use force when "probable cause" exists for an arrest.
  • Before the changes, "reasonable suspicion" was the standard. That is, police lack concrete evidence for an arrest but there is a reasonable suspicion to temporarily detain the suspect because officers think they committed a crime. The bar for probable cause is much higher because it requires some kind of concrete evidence (eyewitness affirmation, a confession, discovery of a warrant if the suspect gives his name, etc.).
  • The instances when police can use force are now to make an arrest, prevent an escape, or protect against an imminent threat of bodily injury to the peace officer, another person, or the person against whom force is being used.
  • HB 1054 severely restricts vehicle pursuits. Police cannot pursue suspects in vehicles unless there's probable cause to believe that the suspect "committed or is committing a violent offense or sex offense."

Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published )
Enter Your Comment ( text only please )




John Locke Foundation: Prudent Policy / Impeccable Research - Volume DCCII John Locke Foundation Guest Editorial, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics Green Energy CEO Pushes Congress To Boost His Bottom Line


HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics

"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a foolish man, full of foolish and vapid ideas," former Governor Chris Christie complained.
Bureaucrats believe they set policy for spending taxpayer dollars usurping the directions of elected officials.
would allow civil lawsuit against judge if released criminal causes harm
"This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations."

HbAD1

Charlie Kirk, 31 years of age, who was renowned as one of the most important and influential college speakers /Leaders in many decades; founder of Turning Point USA, has been shot dead at Utah Valley University.
The Trump administration took actions against Harvard related to the anti-Israel protests that roiled its campus.
In remembrance of the day that will forever seer the concept of 'evil' in our minds, let's look back at that fateful morning, exactly 11 years ago today to that series of horrific events which unfolded before our unbelieving eyes......

HbAD2

faced 25 years in prison for "misgendering" a leftie tranny politician
illegal alien "asylum seeker" migrants are a crime wave on both sides of the Atlantic
It was a clear beautiful, royal blue sky day on Wall Street. The S & P futures were up markedly, awaiting a positive open, as I turn to get my first cup of coffee. I return to CNBC to get the morning business news, when I notice that the S & P futures are falling, and they're falling fast.
conservative youth leader was victim of political assassination
Harvard University is once again sending its students on delegations to China

HbAD3

 
Back to Top