A police source said that Seattle has banned the pursuit of police vehicles as of Wednesday, except for officers with specific departmental training.
What are the details of this?
A source from the Seattle Police Department told the station that officers are not allowed to pursue unless they have been trained in the Pursuit Intervention Technique or Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (aka PIT Technique), while working for the department.
A source told KOMO as well that a pursuit also had to meet all requirements of the department.
The station reported that the police had provided a written statement.
Seattle Police Department has been working to understand and comply with new legislative restrictions since the passage of Washington State Senate Bill 5352, while also complying. SPD has been in consultation with other agencies and the Criminal Justice Training Commission as well as the City Attorney’s Office, to ensure SPD’s pursuit policies are consistent with the law and that SPD officers receive the training and equipment they need to pursue under the new standard.
KOMO reported that the new Seattle police policy comes after the Democrat Washington Governor. Jay Inslee has rolled back some requirements for police vehicle pursuit.
According to the station, the state adopted a controversial police pursuit policy during the nationwide protests that followed the death of George Floyd. KOMO reported that police in Washington State no longer require probable cause for a pursuit. Instead, they only need a reasonable suspicion that a driver in a car has committed or is committing a criminal act.
Diaz, who had been serving as interim chief from 2020 to January, was sworn-in as chief.
Carmen Best, Seattle’s first African-American police chief, was attacked by “aggressive” protesters that year after she denounced the “mob rules” during Black Lives Matter rallies. She resigned from her position in 2020 just hours after the city council voted to reduce the budget of the police department by $3 million.
