H-1097.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1560

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Representatives Lambert, Lovick, Ballasiotes, O'Brien, Mulliken, Sump and Schindler

Read first time 01/29/2001.  Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.

Restricting the use of the terms sheriff and sheriff's posse.

    AN ACT Relating to restricting the use of the terms sheriff and sheriff's posse; and adding new sections to chapter 36.28 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 36.28 RCW to read as follows:

    No person, for an illegal or wrongful purpose, and no association or organization may assume or use the designation "sheriff" or any other title, designation, words, letters, abbreviation, sign, or card intending to indicate that the person, association, or organization is a county sheriff or deputy sheriff or is associated with a county sheriff unless the person, association, or organization is in fact a county sheriff or deputy sheriff or associated with a county sheriff or unless authorized by the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 36.28 RCW to read as follows:

    No person, for an illegal or wrongful purpose, and no group, entity, or association may use the term "sheriff's posse" or in any way represent the person, group, entity, or association as a "sheriff's posse" on any document, publication, brochure, pamphlet, sign, poster, or other written material or placard, including on a computer network web site, bulletin board, or chat room, unless the person, group, entity, or association has the signed written consent from the county sheriff to use the term or represent themselves as a sheriff's posse for a specific purpose.

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