In creating an independent statewide task force to review policing, Gov. Jay Inslee has taken an important first step. But lawmakers at the state and federal level must put their words into action.
The death of George Floyd — after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes — has triggered national outrage and widespread protests that must lead to a national reckoning over how we provide public safety, particularly in communities of color. Inslee has announced a task force, Democrats in Congress have introduced a sweeping Justice in Policing Act and activists have called for defunding police departments. While none of those approaches is a panacea, elements of each can be used to better protect the public.
Inslee’s independent group will be tasked with examining the use of force in Washington, as well as the possibility of a new agency to oversee investigations into that use. As Floyd’s death has become a national rallying point, the death of Manuel Ellis in March while restrained by Tacoma police is a reminder that the issue also is a local one.
Inslee has outlined specific issues to be addressed: Creating an independent investigative unit to oversee police, rethinking the use of force and restricting chokeholds, and legally requiring officers to report misconduct.
Legislation introduced this week in Congress would ban chokeholds at the federal level. It also would revise federal law on “qualified immunity,” which courts have said gives broad immunity from lawsuits for police misconduct; ban no-knock warrants in federal drug cases; and establish a national registry of misconduct by law enforcement officers.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, wrote last week on Twitter, “It’s not enough for us to put out words that aren’t connected to deeds.” This week, a spokesman said she is reviewing the specifics of the new proposal.
Meanwhile, advocates throughout the country are advocating for “defunding the police.” While some would take the radical measure of abolishing police departments, a more pragmatic approach is redirecting some funding from police departments toward social programs. As Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., leader of the Black Congressional Caucus, explained: “Part of that cry is a desire for there to be significant higher investment in communities looking at why police are needed, what happens, what are the root causes of the problems in communities.”
Another suggestion might be to reduce the national defense budget, which is $721 billion for fiscal year 2020, and invest that in communities.
Reforming police departments is a daunting task. While Congress can pass laws governing federal law enforcement and influencing local departments, there are about 18,000 separate law enforcement agencies in the United States. Meanwhile, communities keep asking police to do more and more, requiring officers to be social workers, mental health experts and arbitrators of domestic disputes while putting their own safety at risk.
Most officers are dedicated servants, and public policy must be adjusted to better train them and help them do their jobs while demanding accountability for the few who violate their oath.
That must be the goal of Inslee’s task force and lawmakers who take up its recommendations. Desiring to hold law enforcement accountable is not an anti-police stance; it is a position necessary to protect the majority of officers who faithfully serve the public and to better allow them to engage with that public.
