SEATTLE — From hate crimes to mental health treatment, the King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion is highlighting what she sees as legislative priorities during the current session. The session ends on April 23. Manion has a list of legislative changes that she says are desperately needed to bring greater accountability for crimes impacting King County.
As the battle continues over which bills will make it through in Olympia, hate crimes are part of the conversation. According to the crime in Washington report from 2021, a total 592 hate crimes were reported and that was an increase of 26% from 2020.
"If it is based in hate, if it's based in bias, I don't think we can stand for that,” said Manion.
Manion says in order for a crime to be considered a hate crime that her office can prosecute, it must involve physical injury or harm to property.
"If someone came to another person and spit in their face because of race, ethnicity, gender bias or gender expression, we couldn't charge that as a hate crime,” said Manion.
Manion says that is a loophole that would be closed if Senate Bill 5623 passes. She is also calling for a crackdown on catalytic converter thefts by enacting Senate Bill 5740.
"If we tamp down on the organizations that buy stolen catalytic converters, we dry up the demand. That's an effective way of tackling this crime,” Manion said.
King County has 80 people charged with felony crimes who have been deemed incompetent to stand trial, according to Manion.
"Right now the wait to get a competency bed at Western State hospital is over 10 months long,” said Manion.
Manion opposes Senate Bill 5440 which is an act that relates to providing timely competency evaluations.
"The situation of having individuals be in jail nine months to a year awaiting restoration is simply unconscionable,” said Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, during a public hearing about Senate Bill 5440. “It is critical that we pass some kind of competency restoration bill this session.
The bill would require a court to determine if a competency evaluation is required, requires jails to allow access by clinical intervention specialists to provide direct services and consultations for defendents awaiting competency restoriation and requires courts do dismiss non-felony charges and refer defendents for services in a diversion program if the defendent is agreeable to receiving those services out in the community.
"Currently, DSHS owns that responsibility. I think prosecutors around the state see this as a way of DSHS shirking its responsibility. And shifting the cost and the responsibility to counties,” said Manion.