How police reform efforts in the Legislature faltered this year

Police accountability advocates saw nearly every major police reform bill introduced in the Legislature lapse this year.

The policies that failed would have created more accountability for instances of police use of force, reduced violent interactions between the public and police, and worked to change the culture of policing, advocates say.

But four years after the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement began and three years after the Washington Legislature passed sweeping police reform policies, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said the political climate simply isn’t ripe for police reform, particularly due to the public’s perception that crime is on the rise.

“With big political movements, oftentimes, you’ll see a pendulum swing back in the other direction,” said Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, whose ban on hog-tying after the death of Manny Ellis was one of the few police reform measures to pass this session.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/03/19/how-police-reform-efforts-in-the-legislature-faltered-this-year/