Washington State Looking For New Way To "Defund" Police, Sheriffs

Anti-Police Pilot Program Running In Pacific County

Anyone who has lived in Washington for more than a few months knows that our state overlords are hellbent on wiping out votings rights and all rights contained in our Bill of Rights. It is happening so fast and furiously this legislative session this writer cannot keep up with it. Below is an edited version of an article that appeared in the Washington State Standard on January 29th.

FERGUSON HATES LOCAL CONTROL

Taking the prosecution of police officers away from local prosecutors has been a dream of Democrats and Black Lives Matter for several years now. The bills they pushed would have put this new prosecutor in the attorney general’s office. The past two years, Democrats in the House have moved bills forward to create this so-called “independent” prosecutor’s office (Jack Smith springs to mind) with no Republican support. But both times the legislation didn’t make it to the Senate floor.

With Bob Ferguson in the governor’s mansion lawmakers eagerly relaunched their push for this prosecutor to be owned by the governor. For the 2025 legislative session Democrats reworked the scheme and placed the prosecutor’s office inside the governor’s office so the governor can oversee the prosecution of police and sheriffs for “use of deadly force.” This is just one part of a broader, longer range plan to prevent voters from electing their own county’s sheriff, so the governor can appoint his own lackey. ARTICLE IS LINKED BELOW

Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, filed a bill, SB 5584, Tuesday to add a statewide prosecutor to an existing & new law enforcement oversight agency within the governor’s office. Ferguson, of course, is chopping at the bit to oversee every little action taken by every single police officer, sheriff or sheriff’s deputy in the course of fulfilling his/her daily duties to protect citizens. Woe to the unfortunate (white) police officer who injures or kills a “person of color.” Ferguson especially hates sheriffs because they are elected by We The People.

ANTI-POLICE GROUPS PUSHING BILL

The anti-police organization, Washington Coalition for Police Accountability, which often partners with Black Lives Matter Seattle, just wants to see the office up and running. It “doesn’t really matter where it’s located,” said the group’s policy expert, Leslie Cushman. Cushman said the coalition believes the independent prosecutor will “improve accountability, and it’ll give some confidence to communities.”

Another big holdup in recent years has been local prosecutors who argued the independent statewide office would take away their authority to investigate these cases. Republicans in the past have agreed. Law enforcement groups have also been opposed.

“This isn’t going to guarantee anybody is going to be prosecuted,” Cushman said. “It’s just guaranteeing greater credibility of the process and maybe some greater transparency.”

NEW ATTORNEY GENERAL WANTS IT

The new attorney general, Democrat Nick Brown, said in an interview earlier this month he thought his office should oversee this new prosecutor.

“There’s been conversations about putting it in the governor’s office or some other independent entity,” Brown said the day he was sworn in. “At least from my vantage point on the outside, over the last couple years, it always made the most sense for me to house that work here.” An attorney general’s office spokesperson said this week staff were reviewing the latest proposal.

Dhingra is optimistic about its chances, but justifying the cost in a difficult budget year could be tough. “Anything with a fiscal note is in trouble this year,” Dhingra said.

Last year’s legislation was expected to cost $9.5 million in the 2025-2027 biennium, and $12.7 million in the next biennium. Previous versions cost much more. Locating the prosecutor within the Office of Independent Investigations could lead to savings.

PACIFIC COUNTY IS PART OF PILOT PROGRAM

This statewide prosecutor would handle roughly 30 cases annually, on average, according to projections last year. The new prosecutor would receive his/her cases from the newly established “independent investigations” office. That agency is just starting to conduct its own inquiries on new cases, launching in December to look into deaths in southwest Washington and the Olympic Peninsula before expanding across the state.^ So far, the investigations office has initiated probes in two cases, in Centralia and Vancouver. The agency is required to finish its inquiries within 120 days.

Currently, such investigations would go to the county prosecutor. If lawmakers pass Senate Bill 5584, the evidence would be forwarded to the independent prosecutor, who would review the case concurrently with the local prosecutor. If both file charges, it would be a judge’s job to decide whose prosecution “will best promote the interests of justice.”

The idea of the state bringing charges against police officers who use deadly force isn’t entirely new. In late 2023, a jury found three officers not guilty of criminal charges in the killing of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma in a case handled by the attorney general. In that case, the Washington State Patrol investigated Ellis’ death and turned its findings over to the attorney general.

^Most crime occurs in King (Seattle) and surrounding counties. Why don’t they start there?