After months of meetings where task force members heard from police, prosecutors, stakeholders, and community members, the Joint Task Force on the Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing voted on 30 recommendations to send to the legislature for its consideration. Of those, 15 recommendation were approved by the task force, including:
- Increased funding for the Criminal Justice Training Center that emphasizes de-escalation and alternatives to arrest and involves members of communities of color in training;
- Establishes civilian oversight of police accountability practices, creates a safe mechanism to submit formal complaints against officers, and mandates statewide collection of data involving use of force including reporting use of deadly force to the Attorney General’s Office;
- Recommends the Legislature fund grants for local law enforcement to equip less lethal weapons and provide financial incentives for law enforcement agencies and jails to receive professional accreditation; and,
- Removes “malice” and “good faith” from the statute when determining whether a law enforcement officer should be charged, and adds a reasonable officer standard in their place.
State Representative Roger Goodman (D – Kirkland), who serves as the task force co-chair and chair of the House Public Safety Committee, helped lead the committee throughout the process.
“This has been a long and difficult process, with some hard and uncomfortable conversations. But it was needed. I’m very proud of the work we’ve done and the problems we’ve identified and look forward to continuing the conversation into the 2017 legislative session,” Goodman said.
Testimony included Seahawks widereciever Doug Baldwin, who’s father is a retired police officer. His testimony garnered media attention on the subject.
The reconmendations will now move on the legislature to be debated and possibly voted on and sent to Gov. Jay Inslee for consideration.
