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Calling it a moral mandate, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a dozen bills into law on Tuesday that backers hope will improve policing in the state, reduce the use of deadly force and ensure that when deadly encounters do occur, the investigations are thorough and independent. These bills are all going to work in coordination with one another to create a system of accountability and integrity stronger than anywhere else in the nation, Inslee said in remarks before he signed the bills.
The legislature passed the police accountability measures in response to sweeping calls, nationally and locally, to reform policing following the killings of Black Americans like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In Washington, the death of Manuel Ellis at the hands of Tacoma police in March 2020 also galvanized reform efforts.
The bills also create an independent office to review the use of deadly force by police, make it easier to decertify police for bad acts, and require officers to use “reasonable care,” including exhausting de-escalation tactics, in carrying out their duties. The use of tear gas and car chases are restricted and it s easier to sue officers when they inflict injury.
“As of noon today, we will have the best, most comprehensive, most transparent, most effective police accountability laws in the United States,” Inslee, a Democrat, said before signing the bills.
Floyd s killing last May and the protests that followed prompted a wave of police reforms in dozens of states, from changes in use-of-force policies to greater accountability for officers. But few if any matched the scope of the changes being adopted in Washington.
Calling it a "moral mandate," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a dozen bills into law on Tuesday that backers hope will improve
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs sweeping police reform measures By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press
Published: May 18, 2021, 2:59pm
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5 Photos Washington Gov. Jay Inslee throws two thumbs up after completing the signing of 12 bills about police accountability during ceremonies at the Eastside Community Center in Tacoma, Wash., on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. (Tony Overman/The News Tribune via AP) Photo Gallery
SEATTLE Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed one of the nation’s most ambitious packages of police accountability legislation, prompted by last year’s outcry for racial justice following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people at the hands of police.
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May 18, 2021 2:45 PM Erin Robinson
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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs a bill into law, Wednesday, May 12, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash., that prohibits openly carrying guns and other weapons at the state Capitol and protests statewide.
SEATTLE (AP) Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed one of the nation’s most ambitious packages of police accountability legislation, prompted by last year’s outcry for racial justice following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people at the hands of police.
The dozen bills Inslee signed include outright bans on police use of chokeholds, neck restraints and no-knock warrants such as the one that helped lead to Taylor’s killing in Louisville, Kentucky.