Police pursuit bill passes Washington Senate, now heads to House committee
Lawmakers voted to pass Senate Bill 5352 with an approved amendment , which aims to restore police pursuits in Washington state. The bill is now being referred to the Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee in the state House, which will have a few weeks to have a bill hearing and decide to vote on the legislation.
Senate Bill 5352's companion bill, House Bill 1363, did not advance off the House floor.
House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon called the legislation a "really sensitive issue" on both sides of the aisle. "We have really intense feelings on both sides of this issue but we will be looking for a way to balance those concerns in a way that maximizes safety," said Fitzgibbon.
The amended bill adds vehicular assault and certain domestic violence offenses to the list of crimes for which police are authorized to pursue. The standard for vehicular pursuit for serious sex offenses is also lowered from probable cause to reasonable suspicion the same standard used under the current law for drunken driving, according to the Washington State Senate Democrats.
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