SEATTLE — Supporters of a police pursuit initiative announced Thursday it has received enough signatures for the 2024 ballot.
Initiative 2113 would amend the state's controversial police pursuit law by restoring the authority of a police officer to engage in a pursuit when there is reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law.
Let’s Go Washington announced Thursday that more than 400,000 Washingtonians signed I-2113. 324,516 verified signatures are needed to qualify for the November ballot. Let’s Go Washington is a Political Action Committee sponsored by Brian Heywood, a wealthy Republican donor.
Amber Goldade, who lost her 12-year-old daughter Immaculee to a man driving a stolen truck in 2022, spoke out in support of the initiative.
“Police were only able to watch as the man who would strike my daughter in a stolen truck sped away,” Goldade said. “They could have stopped him long before he got behind the wheel that day if our laws hadn’t handcuffed the police response to his crimes. I’m fighting to stop this happening to more families.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU) campaigned against the initiative, asking people to decline to sign I-2113. According to the ACLU, the initiative aims at a 2021 law protecting Washingtonians from “dangerous, high-speed police pursuits,” the second leading cause of death from police activities.
Let’s Go Washington cited Seattle Police Crime Dashboard data and highlighted a 42% rise in car thefts in Seattle since 2021, attributing the rise to the police pursuit law.
In 2021 state lawmakers passed legislation that increased the threshold for evidence required for a police pursuit. In 2023 lawmakers lowered the threshold for police to pursue a suspect from probable cause to reasonable suspicion for limited crimes. The limited crimes include violent offense, sex offense, or an escape; or DUI, vehicular assault, and domestic violence assault in the first, second, third, or fourth-degree offense.
The Washington Coalition for Police Accountability said it opposes I-2113, because the current law "is not broken," and it worried the initiative would increase risk for bystanders in police chases.
"The truth is, I-2113 is dangerous. It is an extreme rollback of a common sense law," an organization spokesperson said in a statement. "It will allow officers to use this high-risk tactic for expired tabs, trespass, graffiti, and any traffic infraction such as failure to signal. It is just way too broad."