(The Center Square) – Washington state Rep. Sam Low, R-Lake Stevens, is backing House Bill 1086 aimed at cracking down on “chop shops,” illegal operations that disassemble stolen automobiles for the purpose of selling them as parts.
“Car thefts are out of control,” Low told The Center Square. “Washington is one of the leading states in the nation for car theft and these chop shops are in plain sight. The idea is putting more teeth in, making sure officers when they recognize them, are able to confiscate this stuff.”
Low said he’s been working closely with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in drafting the legislation, noting current law makes it difficult to hold chop shop owners accountable.
“The reality is there are no teeth in current law,” he explained. “They can do it over and over again because it’s just a misdemeanor, so this is gonna step it up a couple of levels so people understand the seriousness of it.”
According to the Puget Sound Regional Auto Theft Task Force, 26,351 vehicles were reported stolen statewide for the first 11 months of 2024, a 30% decrease from 2023 but still the third-highest rate per capita in the country.
PSRATTF recommends steering wheel locks, especially for owners of vulnerable Hyundai and Kia models. The organization also suggests leaving a GPS tracker, such as an Air Tag or Tile, in vehicles so they can be tracked if stolen.
Low’s bill increases penalties for those found with stolen vehicles and vehicle parts and requires offenders to pay restitution to victims.
“People get found with stolen car parts and they are able to plead this stuff down, so they just get a slap on the wrist,” he observed.
Low is backing another bill concerning juvenile access to an attorney.
“What my bill says is if there’s gang violence involved, it lets police question them right away, not having to wait for somebody to show up,” he said in reference to House Bill 1053.
Current state law mandates access to an attorney before a juvenile can waive their constitutional rights during custodial interrogations, detentions based on probable cause, or requests for consent to search.
“My bill says when it’s known gang violence – gang on gang – there’s immediate questioning by police to get to the bottom of it right away,” Low noted. “What happens now is these kids are told not to talk, so nothing happens, and they go back into their neighborhoods.”
Low said police have told him current law ties their hands and makes it impossible to get timely information from juveniles that could help solve serious crimes.
Low said he’s hopeful that a majority of Democrats will at least allow public hearings on both bills.
“We need to let the public at least have a chance to come up and testify and share their story,” he said. “Tens of thousands of people are having their car stolen, and tens of thousands of people are fearful of gang violence, and they should be heard.”
HB 1086 has been referred to the House Committee on Community Safety, but no hearing date has been set.
HB 1053 has been referred to the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee, and no date has been set for a potential hearing.
The Center Square emailed the committee chairs to whom the bills had been referred but did not receive a response by the time of publication.