(The Center Square) – Washington state lawmakers admit they don’t have all the answers for out-of-control crime wreaking havoc on communities.
But solutions vary greatly from either side of the political aisle.
Senator John Braun R- said last week, “Republicans may not have all the answers, but we have get how bad it is.”
“It’s the wild west out here to a certain extent,” he continued. “I mean we have laws but we’re not enforcing them.”
“We’ve put significant restrictions on the tools that police have used to enforce our laws and pursuit of course is center in that and I do remain hopeful that the majority will see that they’ve gone onto the wrong path and here’s a bill that we should ultimately vote on.”
Rep. Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, weighed in as well.
“Republicans oppose gun violence,” he said, “but we want to solve it by going after the perpetrators of gun violence and the guns that are used in crimes.”
He added, “Too many of the proposals we see from the other side, affect far too many law-abiding citizens who haven’t done anything wrong.”
GOP leaders have been fighting to find middle ground on bills that were passed three years ago that many argue have contributed to local crime.
In 2021, lawmakers tightened the circumstances around which law enforcement officers can engage in police pursuits. Public momentum for the changes came from the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.
Law enforcement across the state have pushed back on the restrictions, citing a huge increase in crime they allege is the result of lax police enforcement and restrictions on pursuit rules that have crippled their ability to protect communities.
An initiative filed to the Legislature has yet to receive a scheduled hearing date.
Initiative 2113 would allow law enforcement pursuits when police officers have “a reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law” in instances where “pursuit is necessary to identify or apprehend the person, the person poses a threat to the safety of others, those safety risks are greater than those of the pursuit, and a supervisor authorizes the pursuit.”
