Legislature Convenes For Four-Word Fix Of Law Quick Rewrite For Background Checks Expected In Special Session Today

Washington lawmakers convene today for what they say will be one of the shortest and simplest emergency sessions in state history - to expressly authorize police to run background checks when they pull someone over for a traffic infraction.

Officers call it one of the most important law-enforcement tools at their disposal, but the state Supreme Court ruled three weeks ago that it has never been explicitly authorized by state law.

So Gov. Gary Locke has called his first-ever special session to approve a four-word fix, adding “check for outstanding warrants” to the actions an officer can take after stopping a motorist or jaywalker.

“I think it is a matter of public safety for the citizens of the state of Washington, as well as for the safety of our officers, to know who they are dealing with,” the governor said in calling the one-day session.

At Locke’s direction, the State Patrol has continued to conduct the background checks while waiting for the Legislature to act. Virtually all city and county officers are following the patrol’s lead.

Leaders of both houses and both parties expect near-unanimity on HB3902.

“There may be some who are concerned about an invasion of rights, but I don’t see much problem with this,” said House Speaker Clyde Ballard, R-East Wenatchee.

“I think the comfort level is pretty high,” said House Republican Caucus Chairman Eric Robertson, R-Buckley. “People understand that this is a huge public safety issue and an officer safety issue and that it is really needed.”

“This could well be the shortest session on record,” said the Legislature’s informal historian, Senate Democratic Leader Sid Snyder of Long Beach.

The state has had several one-day sessions, but this one should be history in two or three hours, leaders figure.

The session convenes at 3:30 p.m., with a minimum of ceremony.

The measure starts in the House, and the Senate is expected to add its blessings. The governor, who is traveling in Spokane, Bellingham, Seattle and Vancouver, expects to return to the Capitol in time to sign the bill before the day is out.

The warrant checks involve a state trooper or city or county officer punching the person’s name and date of birth into a computer or radioing headquarters so someone else can do so. The officer quickly gets a readout of the motorist’s driving and vehicle information, drunken-driving history and whether the person has outstanding arrest warrants.

The warrants cover everything from fairly minor misdemeanors to the most serious felonies.

State Patrol Chief Annette Sandberg and local law-enforcement officials say it is the single most important way they have of serving the warrants. Some agencies report serving 75 percent of all warrants this way.

They note that the tool has been used to trip up the likes of Ted Bundy and Timothy McVeigh.