New State Law BANS Police From Protecting the Public

Washington state drivers are now refusing to pull over when asked by police after the state approved a law to constrain police officers.

The Northwest News Network has recorded over 1,000 failure-to-yield incidents this year and patrol officers have described a drastic increase in motorists driving away from traffic stops refusing to pull over, speeding away in stolen cars in some circumstances.

Washington House Bill 1054 was signed into law last year by Governor Jay Inslee (D.) and now bans police from pursuing traffic violators in their vehicles unless the officer is given permission by a supervisor, the individual is suspected to be under the influence of a substance, has committed a violent offense, is causing immediate danger, or must be identified.

“Something’s changed. People are not stopping right now,” a Washington State Patrol sergeant told the Associated Press. “It’s happening three to five times a shift on some nights and then a couple times a week on day shift.”

This shift has steadily grown as elected officials pushed laws to restrict what’s known as traditional policing tactics involving the use of force in addition to the duty to intervene in cases of officer misconduct.

Many of these reforms came in response to the killing of George Floyd in May 2020.

The AP reported that Washington State lawmakers and law enforcement leaders have criticized the bill due to it severely limiting the efforts of law enforcement to preserve public safety.

However, Democratic state lawmakers, specifically its chief sponsor, have asserted that he doesn’t “think quests in a 21st century policing body are required.”

Currently, Washington crime data is not yet available. Although it’s important to note that homicides in that state were up 46% in 2020, something that is a strong indicator of crime tendency.

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