State House Passes Bill Allowing Increased ‘Use of Force’ by Police

Some Democratic lawmakers in Olympia are starting to see the impact of laws that were passed last year, and went into effect last July because crime rates have been skyrocketing.

BILL PASSES HOUSE THAT WOULD INCREASE OFFICER'S CAPABILITIES

 House Bill (HB) 1735 modifies, among other things, the amounts of force an officer can utilize in dealing with a suspect and/or crime.

The bill states, among other things:

(this bill)..."Expands the authority for a peace officer to use physical force, subject to the requirement to exercise reasonable care, in additional specific circumstances."

 "...Provides that the standard for use of force by peace officers does not limit or restrict a peace officer's authority or responsibility to perform lifesaving measures or perform community caretaking functions to protect health and safety, and does not prevent a peace officer from responding to requests for assistance or service by specified individuals and members of the public ."

It's not a complete rollback of the dozen or so laws that have severely crippled Law Enforcement in our state, but it's important. Some Democratic lawmakers are realizing what's happened with our crime rates.

The bill, which was sponsored by Democratic House Rep Jesse Johnson of Federal Way, passed the House by a vote of 90 to 6.