Washington’s police pursuit rules are putting you in danger. Mayors want them fixed | Opinion

State and local governments have a shared responsibility to keep our communities safe. Part of the state’s responsibility is to provide adequate resources and tools to local jurisdictions. Local jurisdictions are charged with providing essential public safety services with the resources provided, both state and local.

Unintended consequences stemming from recent changes to state laws have made it harder for local jurisdictions to meet their responsibility to keep communities safe.

We have experienced open drug use, increases in the number of vehicles stolen, increased property crime, increased eluding from police, and an overall disregard for public safety. These are not unique to any one city or town. It is happening everywhere in Washington.

As local leaders, we have a duty and obligation to speak up for our residents. That is why 16 Pierce County mayors joined together to ask the State Legislature to take renewed action in 2024. We need sufficient legal tools to address auto theft and property crime. This includes increased state funding to support regional enforcement and prosecution efforts.

The Legislature made some strides to enhance public safety during the 2023 Legislative session. But a closer examination of crime data reveals more work is needed to ensure the safety and well-being of our cities.

Many of our communities have seen a surge in juvenile crime. Specific to Lakewood, we experienced a dramatic spike in the number of crimes committed by juveniles.

Our data shows an increase by 114% in juvenile suspects committing assaults, robberies and vehicle thefts, compared to the five-year average, according to a presentation given by Lakewood Police Chief Patrick Smith. This is unacceptable.

We asked the State Legislature to amend the law to allow a parent or guardian to consent for a juvenile to be interviewed by police. Current law requires an attorney be present. Talking with juveniles in a less formal setting allows officers to hear from youth and potentially prevent future threats. Recently a 13-year-old student in Lakewood had a gun at school, according to a round-up of police reports presented by Smith. Police could not interview the student to learn why they had the gun, if they were a continued threat, or if anyone else was involved. The ability to know this is critical to protect students and staff. Without this knowledge, the lives of others are needlessly endangered.

Police reform bills passed by the State Legislature in 2021 were well-intentioned. At the same time, we must recognize the data and address some of the unintended consequences of these bills.

For example, all cities and towns have experienced a significant increase in the number of individuals/drivers eluding law enforcement. This spike is evident in statistics we collected since the law took effect in 2021. We know the increase is because people are aware law enforcement can’t pursue them. Data also shows vehicle thefts have an impact on other crimes like property crimes, robberies, illegal gun possession, drugs, assaults, and more. These are surging throughout our region and state.

After the new pursuit law took effect, the number of people in Lakewood eluding police increased by 920%, jumping from roughly two eluding incidents a month to 25 incidents a month, according to Smith’s presentation.

Many cities and towns — Lakewood included — already had restrictive pursuit policies in place before the Legislature got involved. These policies weighed community safety with the underlying reason for the pursuit.

The state’s public safety goal to limit pursuits was well-intended, but the data proves it has not made our communities safer.

In light of this unintentional result, we as mayors asked the State Legislature to make further refinements to the pursuit policy to allow police to pursue stolen vehicles.

Before the pursuit law took effect, Lakewood averaged 31 motor vehicle thefts a month. After the law, that average more than doubled to 68 per month, according to Smith’s presentation. We believe this increase is a direct result of people knowing that law enforcement cannot pursue them for stealing a car. Absent accountability, the thieves often use the stolen vehicles in other crimes.

Given the significant increase in crimes we’re seeing across our communities — large and small — at the local level we are committed to voicing our concerns in Olympia to see further changes.

We have a shared goal: To make our communities safer. Now is the time to make the changes necessary to make it happen.

This story was originally published November 27, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Washington’s police pursuit rules are putting you in danger. Mayors want them fixed | Opinion."