Summary

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn released a statement Monday in response to the passage of SB 5352, a bill that would lower the threshold for vehicular pursuit.

Story

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn released the following statement in response to the passage of SB 5352, a bill that would lower the threshold for vehicular pursuit: 

“The state Legislature made the right decision to protect public safety by restoring our police’s ability to pursue suspects. After restrictions on police pursuit were put in place in 2020, incidents of suspects evading law enforcement almost tripled in King County — an alarming trend that put our communities at great risk. This legislation is the first step in reversing that trend.” 

In King County, incidents of suspects eluding the police have nearly tripled from 168 incidents in 2020 to 518 in 2022, according to data provided by the King County Sheriff’s Office. 

The newly passed bill, once signed into law, would lower the threshold for a pursuit from probable cause – actual knowledge of the crime – to a reasonable suspicion by the officer that a crime has been or is being committed. Even then, pursuit would only be allowed in cases of violent or sexual crimes, vehicular assault, escape offenses, driving under the influence, or domestic violence assault.