BILL REQ. #:  S-0194.1 

Read first time 01/16/2003.   Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

     AN ACT Relating to vehicular pursuit by law enforcement officers; adding new sections to chapter 43.101 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature intends to improve the safety of law enforcement officers and the public by providing consistent education and training for officers in the matter of vehicle pursuit. The legislature recognizes there are a multitude of factors which enter into the determination of pursuit and intends that the criminal justice training commission be given the responsibility of identifying those factors and developing appropriate standards for training of law enforcement officers in this area.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 43.101 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By December 1, 2003, the Washington state criminal justice training commission, the Washington state patrol, the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs, and organizations representing state and local law enforcement officers shall develop a written model policy on vehicular pursuits.
     (2) The model policy must meet all of the following minimum standards:
     (a) Provide for supervisory control, if available, of the pursuit;
     (b) Provide procedures for designating the primary pursuit vehicle and for determining the total number of vehicles to be permitted to participate at one time in the pursuit;
     (c) Provide procedures for coordinating operations with other jurisdictions; and
     (d) Provide guidelines for determining when the interests of public safety and effective law enforcement justify a vehicular pursuit and when a vehicular pursuit should not be initiated or should be terminated.
     (3) By June 1, 2004, every state, county, and municipal law enforcement agency shall adopt and implement a written vehicular pursuit policy. The policy adopted may, but need not, be the model policy developed under subsections (1) and (2) of this section. However, any policy adopted must address the minimum requirements specified in subsection (2) of this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 43.101 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By June 30, 2006, every full-time law enforcement officer employed by a state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency shall have been trained on vehicular pursuits. Every new full-time law enforcement officer employed by a state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency after June 30, 2006, also shall be trained, within six months of employment, on vehicular pursuits.
     (2) Nothing in this act requires training on vehicular pursuit of any law enforcement officer who is employed in a state, county, or city law enforcement agency on the effective date of this act beyond that which he or she has received prior to the effective date of this act.