Power grab in session now….
Washington State Legislative ALERT OPPOSE – BEFORE 12:30pm on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 WA ATTORNEY GENERAL BROAD PLAN TO TAKE FULL CONTROL OVER LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION: Sign in, vote “CON” (oppose), and submit your testimony in OPPOSITION. Sign in “CON” – app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifier/ Submit written testimony in OPPOSITION – app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifier/ SB 5066 – to grant state authority over local law enforcement. This bill would grant WA Attorney General authority to investigate and charge local law enforcement. The WA Attorney General does NOT have blanket authority to investigate and charge. The Washington constitution says the WA Attorney General must be delegated specific duties by the legislature. This bill does that in spades. It not only grants the WA Attorney General the authority to investigate and charge local law enforcement criminally, but it also grants civil authority. Criminal charges must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, whereas civil charges only need to be proven by a preponderance of the evidence (51% likely). SB 5066 is part of a larger move to take over local law enforcement. – Grants a permanent authority. – Gives WA Attorney General the authority to initiate investigations on its own initiative as opposed to acting on a complaint. – This is ripe for political abuse. – The State Patrol and other state agencies are excluded. – The provision to prosecute civil actions is a gross abuse of power. – To add insult to injury, an emergency clause has been added to the bill.
“Democrats want to destroy Washington State”
Democrats want independent prosecutor to handle cases where police use deadly force
Washington Democrats are trying again to give the state additional power to prosecute cases when police use deadly force.
Currently, those investigations would go to the county prosecutor. But if lawmakers pass Senate Bill 5584, the evidence would be forwarded to the independent prosecutor, who would review the case concurrently with the local prosecutor.
f both file charges, it would be a judge’s job to decide whose prosecution “will best promote the interests of justice.”
The idea of the state bringing charges against police officers who use deadly force isn’t entirely new.
In late 2023, a jury found three officers not guilty of criminal charges in the killing of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma in a case handled by the attorney general. In that case, the Washington State Patrol investigated Ellis’ death and turned its findings over to the attorney general.
Democrats can never be trusted
But the bill looks a bit different this time around compared to past years.
The previous version made the Office of Independent Prosecutions a division in the attorney general’s office.
But then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson argued that prosecuting these cases could be a conflict of interest for the attorney general’s office. The agency serves as legal counsel for state law enforcement, including the Washington State Patrol.
Former Gov. Jay Inslee raised similar concerns about conflict of interest if the office was housed under the governor.
“We were without options,” said Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, the prime sponsor of past legislation to create the office.
But now with a new administration in town, lawmakers plan to relaunch their push for the independent prosecutor, this time in the governor’s office.
Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, filed a bill Tuesday to add a statewide prosecutor to an existing law enforcement oversight agency.
Proponents say it makes sense to place the prosecutor under the governor’s jurisdiction, as part of the Office of Independent Investigations lawmakers created in 2021. The agency would be renamed the Office of Independent Investigations and Prosecutions.
Ferguson, now governor, also prefers placing the prosecutor in his office.
Still, supporters of the measure should expect similar pushback as in past years from county prosecutors who say a statewide counterpart usurps their authority.
The new attorney general, Nick Brown, said in an interview earlier this month he thought his office should oversee the independent prosecutor.
“There’s been conversations about putting it in the governor’s office or some other independent entity,” Brown said the day he was sworn in. “At least from my vantage point on the outside, over the last couple years, it always made the most sense for me to house that work here.”
An attorney general’s office spokesperson said this week staff were reviewing the latest proposal.
The past two years, Democrats in the state House have moved a bill forward to create the independent prosecutor’s office with no Republican support. But both times the legislation didn’t make it to the Senate floor.
Dhingra is optimistic about its chances, but justifying the cost in a difficult budget year could be tough.
“Anything with a fiscal note is in trouble this year,” Dhingra said.
Last year’s legislation was expected to cost $9.5 million in the 2025-2027 biennium, and $12.7 million in the next biennium. Previous versions cost much more. Locating the prosecutor within the Office of Independent Investigations could lead to even more savings.
Adding the independent prosecutor is a priority for police accountability advocates. They also want to authorize the attorney general to investigate local police for violating state law. A committee hearing on that legislation, Senate Bill 5066, is set for Thursday.
Third time around
The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability just wants to see the office up and running. It “doesn’t really matter where it’s located,” said the group’s policy expert, Leslie Cushman.
Cushman said the coalition believes the independent prosecutor will “improve accountability, and it’ll give some confidence to communities.”
Another big holdup in recent years has been local prosecutors who argued the independent statewide office would take away their authority to investigate these cases.
Republicans in the past have agreed. Law enforcement groups have also been opposed.
But supporters say local prosecutors work too closely with law enforcement, giving their decisions in cases of deadly force an air of bias.
“This isn’t going to guarantee anybody is going to be prosecuted,” Cushman said. “It’s just guaranteeing greater credibility of the process and maybe some greater transparency.”
How it could work
The statewide prosecutor could see a rough average of 30 cases annually, according to projections last year.
The prosecutor would handle cases from the independent investigations office. The agency is just starting to conduct its own inquiries on new cases, launching in December to look into deaths in southwest Washington and the Olympic Peninsula before expanding across the state.
So far, the investigations office has initiated probes in two cases, in Centralia and Vancouver. The agency is required to finish its inquiries within 120 days.
Sheriff
Sheriff
Robert R. Snaza
“PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH PROFESSIONAL SERVICE”
Welcome to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Our vision at the LCSO is to be committed to excellence in being a trusted, respected, and professional public safety agency. Being a committed community partner, providing professional service to enhance the safety, security, and quality of life in Lewis County is our mission.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce our partnership with Public Safety Testing for our entry-level Deputy and Corrections Deputy employment application and testing needs. Lateral applicants are encouraged to apply directly with the agency by contacting our Background Investigator at 360-740-1350.
CLICK BELOW TO BE DIRECTED TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY TESTING (PST) WEBSITE:
Corrections Deputy: https://www.publicsafetytesting.com/departments/lewis-county-sheriffs-office/LCSO-CO-Deputy
Deputy Sheriff: https://www.publicsafetytesting.com/departments/lewis-county-sheriffs-office/LCSO-Deputy
For questions, contact a recruiter at lcsorecruitment@lewiscountywa.gov.
