By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – A police pursuit initiative was overwhelmingly passed in Olympia on Monday that restores the authority of police officers to engage in a pursuit when there is reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law.

The new law amends the controversial restrictions passed by the legislature in 2021 that increased the threshold for evidence required for a police pursuit. Those restrictions were almost universally condemned by our state’s law enforcement agencies, who blamed the changes for an increase in crimes, especially car thefts.

State Representative Mike Chapman of Port Angeles voted in favor of the new law.

“Departments have policies in place, and have had for decades. Because my law enforcement career goes back to the 90s, but we still had supervisory approval needed, supervisory oversight. So I never did think that we needed to put laws in place, we just needed to ask the department’s to follow their policy, which the vast majority of them do. And all of our agencies on the North Olympic Peninsula have police pursuit policies in place, and follow them, and didn’t need state law to make that decision more difficult. So, we’re back to, kind of, square one, where we were, and I think that’s a good thing.”

Clallam County Sheriff Brian King issued a statement last week in support of the restored law, saying, “I remain committed to granting our law enforcement officers the discretion they need to analyze the situation, balance the risks of the pursuit against the risks of letting an offender drive away, and ultimately act in the best interest of public safety.”

But he said he doesn’t want that to be the only option law officers have to apprehend those who commit crimes. Sheriff King is asking the legislature to also approve additional technology that would empower a deputy’s decision not to chase. Tools that would help them better monitor fleeing suspects, use photo enforcement cameras with a warrant, give them access to Rapid DNA analysis, to name a few.

Initiative 2113 needed and got a majority of votes on both the House and Senate floors. And unlike bills, initiatives to the legislature do not require a governor’s signature and are veto-proof.

It becomes law in 90 days.

(Photo: Rep. Mike Chapman supports speaks on the House floor)