How Washington's police pursuit law is about to change

• But those who opposed rolling back the rules argue that police car chases too often hurt or kill civilians, while also endangering officers.

Catch up quick: Under existing law, Washington police can initiate a car chase only when a fleeing person is suspected of certain crimes — a violent offense, sex offense, domestic violence assault, vehicular assault, driving under the influence or escaping from prison or jail.

• Vehicle chases for lower-level crimes, such as property theft, are banned.

The latest: The new law approved this month by Washington's Legislature, I-2113, will allow cops to once again pursue any driver if they have reasonable suspicion that they have violated the law.

• The revised policy — which came to the Legislature in the form of a Republican-backed citizen initiative — takes effect in early June.

What they're saying: "I believe this change will help law enforcement be more effective," state Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen), who sponsored I-2113 and chairs the state Republican Party, said during a public hearing last month.

The other side: "Allowing pursuits for any infraction makes the streets more dangerous," Sonia Joseph of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability said during last month's hearing.

The fine print: Even under the new initiative, police will only be able to start a car pursuit if the risks of letting a person go are deemed greater than the risks of chasing them, and the person fleeing is deemed a "threat to the safety of others."

That's a lower standard than under the 2021 law, which required that the fleeing person pose an "imminent threat" of harming someone.

• It's also lower than the amended standard lawmakers adopted last year, which required a "serious risk of harm to others."

The big picture: The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a national think tank, recommends that police chase fleeing suspects only in cases of violent crimes and when there is an "imminent threat" of a suspect committing another violent offense.

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identified 455 fatal crashes involving police vehicle pursuits in 2020, according to a 2023 PERF study paid for by the NHTSA and the Department of Justice.

What's next: Both the Seattle Police Department and the King County Sheriff's Office are reviewing their vehicle pursuit procedures in light of I-2113's passage, they told Axios in written statements.

Yes, but: SPD doesn't plan to roll back its rules to the degree I-2113 allows, SPD general counsel Rebecca Boatright wrote.

• "SPD's policies are and will remain more restrictive than state law," Boatright wrote, noting "the inherent risk of any pursuit."