With the majority of Washington’s new police reform laws taking effect later this month, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has promised to update its constituency within the next few weeks about the differences they may notice in how deputies provide service and interact with the public.
“Although there are still questions to be answered about implementing these new laws, we think it’s important to share with our citizens what we know currently about how these laws will influence the way we deliver public safety services moving forward,” said the sheriff’s office in a news release.
Of the 12 bills reforming law enforcement policies and oversight that Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law on May 18, 11 go into effect on June 25. The last, which requires juveniles to be given access to attorneys when they’re contacted by law enforcement, takes effect Jan. 1, 2022.
The police reform laws passed this legislative session were developed largely as a response to the murder of George Floyd during a Minneapolis police arrest that prompted protests in Washington and all over the country demanding police reform nationwide.
The state police reform laws taking effect June 25 are:
• HB 1267, which creates a new office to conduct competent, unbiased investigations of police use of excessive force.
• HB 1088, concerning potential impeachment disclosures.
• HB 1089, concerning compliance audits of requirements relating to peace officers.
• HB 1054, establishing requirements for tactics and equipment used by peace officers.
• HB 1223, requiring officers to electronically record interrogations if the subject is a juvenile or if the interrogation relates to a felony crime.
• HB 1310, concerning permissible uses of force by law enforcement and correctional officers.
• SB 5051, concerning state oversight and accountability of peace officers and corrections officers.
• SB 5066, concerning peace officers’ duty to intervene when another peace officer is engaging or attempting to engage in excessive force.
• SB 5259, concerning law enforcement data collection.
• SB 5263, concerning defenses in personal injury and wrongful death actions.
• SB 5353, creating a partnership model that facilitates community engagement with law enforcement.
Also going into effect July 25 is legislation passed in response to the State v. Blake Supreme Court decision, which ruled the state’s felony drug possession law unconstitutional since it punished violators regardless of whether they knew they were in possession of controlled substances.
The replacement law criminalizes possession of a controlled substance as a gross misdemeanor — not a Class C felony like it was under the original law — and prioritizes behavioral health prevention, treatment and related services for individuals using or possessing controlled substances, counterfeit substances and legend drugs.
While the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office stated these new laws “will profoundly impact policing across Washington,” it said the office “will adapt to the new changes and look forward to the ongoing positive interactions with our community as we go about providing our best in public safety services.”
The public is encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office at 360-740-1476 if they have any questions about how the office is adapting to the new laws.
“For the members of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, our communities and citizens are the lenses through which we view our profession. We make it a point to partner with the people who live, work, and/or raise families in Lewis County to create an overall safe living environment. While we may change the methods we use to deliver our services, our commitment to our communities and citizens, and doing our part to keep them safe, will not waver,” said the sheriff’s office in a news release.
