The state of Washington enacted new police reforms that will allow criminals to run from crime scenes without police intervention.
New police reforms in Washington state are forcing officers to let suspects flee crime scenes, even those who are suspected of committing a violent crime.
Washington’s Democratic Governor Jay Inslee signed a dozen police reform bills in May, some of which went into effect last week. Inslee claimed that “we have a moral mandate to uproot systemic racism in our society.”
The new reforms require that police officers have “probable cause” for detaining violent criminals, rather than “reasonable suspicion.” Officers can also detain suspects if the person presents an “imminent threat.” Officers can ask a suspect to stop and be detained, but they cannot use any force unless “probable cause” is present.
Cops are also required to “least amount of physical force necessary” when detaining suspects, rather than “reasonable force.”
"A man was found down in the parking lot and was pronounced dead at the scene. A K-9 unit came to the scene, but no track for the suspect was done because of new police accountability laws that went into effect in Washington this week."https://t.co/WJT8l0bFvl
— Washington State GOP (@WAGOP) July 30, 2021
"To be candid, majority Democrats saw and took an opportunity to force legislation through, during a virtual session, against the advice of officers, prosecutors and the public-safety community." – State Sen. Perry Dozier
— Washington State GOP (@WAGOP) August 2, 2021
Violent crime has already reportedly risen in the state of Washington. Assaults on police officers have increased almost 7% since 2019. Murders have also risen almost 67% since 2016, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.
If Democrats continue defunding police and impeding their ability to do their jobs, Americans will become less and less safe from violent crime. As progressives claim to be “anti-racist” with their police reform efforts, they are actually doing more harm than good to a lot of Americans.