Bill to study state’s deadly force law moves to governor’s desk

The state House passed a bill Thursday forming a task force to study how law enforcement uses deadly force. The bill will move to the governor’s desk for approval.

House Bill 2908 is sponsored by Sen. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, and passed out of the house with a 97-0 vote.

“This is a historic moment,” said Karen Johnson, co-founder of the Black Alliance of Thurston County. “The important thing here is that we’re starting a conversation. People will be heard.”

The bill had previously passed out of the House unanimously, and was amended in the Senate Law and Justice Committee before being approved.

The measure was inspired in part by the Black Alliance of Thurston County, a group that formed in the wake of an officer-involved shooting in May. Two young, black men were shot by a police officer on Olympia’s west side after they allegedly tried to steal beer from a nearby supermarket. The officer reported that he believed the men were about to assault him with their skateboards.

In Washington, police officers can’t be convicted of using unnecessary force unless a prosecutor can prove they acted with malice.

Johnson and other group members lobbied the Members of Color caucus for changes to the state’s deadly force statute prior to the start of session. Multiple bills were introduced as a result, including HB 2908 and another measure — House Bill 2907 — that would have changed the deadly force statute. HB 2907 died in the House Public Safety Committee.

Ryu said in January that she believed a task force was the best way to address changes to Washington’s deadly force statute. She said that while many people acknowledge the statute is defective, there should be a discussion before it is changed.

She said Thursday that the Senate’s amendments preserve that mission, and urged her fellow representatives to approve the bill.

“This bill still allows us to gather together quite a few community members and law enforcement who are very concerned about the issue,” Ryu said.

If signed by the governor, the bill would create a task force made up of representatives from the Legislature, law enforcement groups and diversity groups. Members of the task force would recommend best practices to reduce the number of violent interactions between law enforcement officers and the public. They would also examine training for police officers, and explore tools officers can use instead of deadly force.

Johnson said she hopes that the task force will propose a change to the state’s deadly force law.

The group would meet four times in 2016 and deliver recommendations at the end of the year.

The task force would have representatives from each of the Legislature’s caucuses, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, the Washington State Patrol, the Criminal Justice Training Commission, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, three defense attorney groups, Disability Rights of Washington, the Washington State Association of Counties, the Association of Washington Cities, the ACLU, the NAACP, One America, the Black Alliance of Thurston County, and the state commissions on Hispanic, Asian Pacific American, African American and Indian affairs.

The task force would cost the state about $5,000. Gov. Jay Inslee has 20 days to sign the bill into law.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Bill to study state’s deadly force law moves to governor’s desk."