Legislators will consider several police reform bills this week impacting officer conduct, use of force, and the hiring process.

SB 5066, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra (D–Redmond), passed through the Senate Law and Justice Committee with an amendment. The amendment clarifies that an officer must be on-duty and identifiable as a police officer in order for the “duty to intervene” to apply. The amendment also eliminates “acts in violation of the public’s trust” from the definition of wrongdoing. SB 5066 received a public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Monday, February 1. AWC supports this bill and recognizes that more input from stakeholders is needed.

SB 5094, sponsored by Sen. Mike Padden (R–Spokane Valley) and Sen. Jeff Holy (R–Spokane), would require the Criminal Justice Training Commission, Washington State Patrol, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, and other organizations to develop a written model policy on the use of vascular neck restraints by December 1, 2021. Law enforcement agencies would be required to adopt a vascular neck restraint policy by June 1, 2022. Additionally, law enforcement agencies would be required to have 50 percent of their officers properly trained and certified in the use of vascular neck restraints.

HB 1262, sponsored by Rep. Brad Klippert (R–Kennewick) and Rep. Rob Chase (R–Liberty Lake), would add an eye-based truth verification test to the recruitment process of law enforcement and corrections officers. The test measures the credibility of an individual through analysis of physiological responses of the eye such as pupil diameter, eye movement, blinks, and fixations.

Dates to remember

SB 5094 is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Tuesday, February 2 at 10:30 am.

HB 1262 is scheduled for public hearing in the House Public Safety Committee on Friday, February 5 at 10 am.