Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla continues to keep a close eye on state bills in Olympia he supports addressing vehicle pursuits, illegal street racing and drug laws.
“Right now we are in a current state of open lawlessness,” Padilla said during his Feb. 21 Public Safety Report to the City Council about police pursuit laws. “People are not stopping for police.”
The Legislature in 2021 adopted laws that limit when an officer can pursue a vehicle. Basically, officers need probable cause to arrest someone before initiating a pursuit rather than reasonable suspicion. The law was adopted with an intent to reduce the number of police pursuits that result in injuries or even death.
“We want the authority back to pursue if we have reasonable suspicion rather than probable cause,” Padilla said. “We are not looking to get into a lot of pursuits but if criminals know they are not going to be chased they’re going to commit more crime.”
Padilla said the news reports about trucks smashing into buildings and people stealing items from inside are an example of when officers cannot pursue.
“We show up and they’re in a car and drive away, we cannot chase them,” Padilla said.
The chief then gave another example.
“If I witnessed a DV (domestic violence) assault in our parking lot, and the person was able get in a car, I would not be able to pursue by law,” he said.
Padilla hopes House Bill 1363, which remains alive for possible passage, gets approved by the House and the Senate.
The bill is under consideration by the House Committee on Transportation.
Illegal street racing
Senate Bill 5606 could help finally deter illegal street racing in Kent after decades of efforts by police to stop it.
Padilla said the measure would go after organizers of the races, who use the internet and social media to gather racers. He said the bill would allow prosecution no matter where they commit the crime. The bill also includes the impoundment of vehicles used to race.
“A repeat offender would allow us to seize and eventually they would have to forfeit the vehicle, if convicted,” Padilla said.
The bill is in the process of going to the Senate floor for a vote.
Drug laws
Senate Bill 5536 would change when officers can arrest someone in possession of illegal drugs.
After a state Supreme Court ruling in 2021 eliminated the law that made simple drug possession a felony, the Legislature passed a measure that requires officers to refer people to treatment before arresting them if they possess drugs.
Padilla said the law doesn’t compel anyone to seek treatment because there’s no threat of going to jail or in front of a judge. He said crime rates have increased because of the law.
Padilla supports the bill that would allow officers to make arrests and lead to someone having to seek drug treatment rather than volunteering for it.
State money for officers
House Bill 1446, which would have used a portion of the sales tax for the state to fund the hiring of more officers in cities and counties, did not make it out committee.
Padilla said more than 40 jurisdictions supported the measure. He said Washington state continues to have one of the lowest number of officers per every 100,000 residents in the nation.
Washington has the third lowest at approximately 313 officers for every 100,000 people, according to worldpopulationreview.com. Utah is the lowest at 293 officers per every 100,000 people and Oregon the second lowest at 301.
New York has the most officers at 655 for every 100,000 people followed by Maryland at 637 and Louisiana at 614.
Padilla and Mayor Dana Ralph have testified in Olympia in support of the bills.
“It seems like you’ve been living down there,” Padilla said to the mayor and thanking her for the support.
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