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FACT BRIEF

Will Washington state police reforms prevent officers from chasing a violent suspect?

By Alexis Tereszcuk
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NO

Contrary to the claims in a social media post, a series of new laws do not prohibit police officers in Washington state from pursuing a violent criminal if the officers did not witness the crime themselves. Nor do the new laws prohibit police from making "welfare checks" on individuals, as the post claims.

The post floats theoretical situations in which law enforcement officers in the state supposedly will be restricted from some duties.

One made-up situation was that police could not chase a suspected child abductor unless officers witnessed the crime.

The language in the legislation, HB 1054, contradicts that claim, saying officers can "engage in a vehicular pursuit" for a suspect if there is "probable cause" for violent offenses or sex offense.

The legislation also does not prohibit officers from making welfare checks, according to one state legislator.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
NPR With 12 New Laws, Washington State Joins Movement To Overhaul Policing
Washington State Legislature Text of House Bill 1054
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.