SB 5935 - DIGEST

(DIGEST AS ENACTED)

Consolidates fire service mobilization responsibilities within the Washington state patrol.

Provides that, because of the possibility of a disaster of unprecedented size and destruction, including acts of domestic terrorism and civil unrest, that requires law enforcement response for the protection of persons or property and preservation of the peace, the need exists to ensure that the state is adequately prepared to respond to such an incident. There is a need to establish a mechanism and a procedure to provide for reimbursement to law enforcement agencies that respond to help others in time of need, and to host law enforcement agencies that experience expenses beyond the resources of the agencies, and generally to protect the public safety, peace, health, lives, and property of the people of Washington.

Declares that it is necessary to: (1) Provide the policy and organizational structure for large-scale mobilization of law enforcement resources in the state, using the incident command system, through creation of the Washington state law enforcement mobilization plan;

(2) Confer upon the chief of the Washington state patrol the powers provided in this chapter;

(3) Provide a means for reimbursement to law enforcement jurisdictions that incur expenses when mobilized by the chief under the Washington state law enforcement mobilization plan; and

(4) Provide for reimbursement of the host law enforcement agency when it has: (a) Exhausted all of its resources; and (b) Invoked its local mutual aid network and exhausted those resources.

Authorizes local law enforcement to request mobilization only in response to an emergency or disaster exceeding the capabilities of available local resources and those available through existing mutual aid agreements. Upon finding that the local jurisdiction has exhausted all available resources, it is the responsibility of the chief to determine whether mobilization is the appropriate response to the emergency or disaster and, if so, to mobilize jurisdictions under the Washington state law enforcement mobilization plan.