Bill to fix ‘police reform’ laws is step in right direction to improve public safety

By Sens. Jeff Holy, Mike Padden and Shelly Short

Last year’s legislative session in Olympia was disappointing in several ways, but there was no other major issue in which majority Democrats did more damage to Washington than public safety.

During the 2021 session, the majority party in the House and Senate passed “police-reform” bills, despite our warnings that they would negatively affect law enforcement’s ability to keep people and communities safe.

When these anti-pursuit, anti-arrest crime laws took effect a few months later, our predictions that crime would rise sadly came true. Clearly, criminals figured out officers couldn’t respond to 911 calls and other situations like they could just a year ago. They realized officers could no longer apply the standard of “reasonable suspicion” when responding to an incident.

News stories quickly surfaced across the state about how police officers and others in law enforcement could not pursue and detain suspects because of these new laws. Frustrations were felt by law-enforcement officers in our region, whose feelings came to a boil last summer when many gathered in Spokane to express their concerns.

Many people across Washington feel less safe today as a result of the new restrictions on law enforcement, which have clearly backfired. Statistics show that public safety has already spiraled downward. Preliminary data show Seattle reporting nearly 1,000 more violent crimes than in 2020. In King County, the reported number of gunshot victims – including victims of shootings involving criminal gangs – has doubled from just four years earlier, reaching an all-time high.

At a time when crime rates are escalating, traffic stops are declining. This decrease doesn’t mean drivers are doing a better job of following traffic laws. Sadly, this drop in traffic stops should predictably result in more drivers breaking the law without facing consequences, which will mean more accidents and more deaths and injuries on our roads.

After hearing constituents’ concerns, our Senate Republican colleagues made it a priority this session to restore and enhance public safety by improving or even repealing the bills passed by the majority last year.

On Feb. 9, the Senate took a major step toward fixing some of the damage created by the passage of last year’s “police reform” laws when it voted 31-18 to pass Senate Bill 5919. That legislation would restore some of the public-safety tools lost by law-enforcement agencies last year. All Republican senators voted in favor of the bill, as did several Democrats.

SB 5919 would not resolve all of the public-safety concerns created by the majority’s actions this past year. But thanks to Republican-proposed floor amendments that were passed by the Senate, this measure is now stronger and would restore some of the tools that law-enforcement officers need to keep communities safe. These floor amendments include allowing officers to pursue a suspect vehicle if they have reasonable suspicion.

SB 5919 now is before the House of Representatives. We hope our House colleagues will at least accept and pass the version of the bill that was approved by the Senate.

After seeing the passage of laws that seem to be pro-crime and anti-public safety, it’s time to swing the pendulum back toward letting law-enforcement officers do their jobs effectively so our communities can be safer.

Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, serves the 6th Legislative District. Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, serves the 4th Legislative District. Sen. Shelly Short, R-Addy, serves the 7th Legislative District.