It is the intent of the legislature to combat crimes that relate to stealing, embezzling, or obtaining by fraud, false pretenses, or other illegal means of retail merchandise for the purpose of reselling the items or for reentering the items into commerce.
The Washington state organized retail theft task force is established.
The Washington state patrol shall administer the task force as provided in this section.
The Washington state patrol shall collaborate with law enforcement agencies, retailers, and scrap metal dealers to identify products that are most frequently targeted for theft and establish the most effective methods for deterring organized retail theft.
The task force is comprised of members as provided in this subsection.
The president of the senate shall appoint one member to the task force from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate.
The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member to the task force from each of the two largest caucuses in the house of representatives.
The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives jointly shall appoint the following members:
(A) One member representing the Washington state patrol;
(B) One member representing the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs;
(C) One member representing the Washington association of prosecuting attorneys;
(D) One member representing the office of public defense;
(E) One member representing the superior court judges' association;
(F) One member representing the district and municipal court judges' association;
(G) One member representing the association of Washington cities;
(H) One member representing the office of the attorney general;
(I) One member representing the scrap metal recycling industry;
(J) One member representing the Washington organized retail crime association; and
(K) One member representing the online and technology industry.
The legislative membership shall convene the initial meeting of the task force no later than September 1, 2022.
The membership of the task force shall choose the task force's cochairs, which must include one legislator and one nonlegislative member.
The task force shall review state laws related to organized retail theft. The task force shall develop recommendations for the purpose of:
Deterring the occurrence of organized retail theft;
Developing tools to identify and recover stolen goods; and
Lowering costs to victims of theft.
The task force may develop recommendations related to:
The maintenance and accessibility of law enforcement organized retail theft;
The traceability of payments related to transactions involving organized retail theft; and
Identifying and working with online marketplaces and third-party sellers to reduce opportunities for resale of stolen goods.
The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature by October 1, 2023.
The Washington state patrol shall administer and provide staff support and facilitation services to the task force. The Washington state patrol may, when deemed necessary by the task force, contract with one or more appropriate consultants to provide data analysis, research, and other services to the task force for the purposes provided in subsections (5) and (6) of this section.
Legislative members of the task force shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, governmental entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to chapter 43.03 RCW.
The Washington state patrol shall make any educational information resulting from the task force available to law enforcement agencies and retailers and is encouraged to publicize the task force to the general public.
The Washington state patrol shall provide a report on the task force to the governor and appropriate committees of the legislature by October 1, 2023. The report must describe the progress, results, and any findings of the task force and the outcome of any criminal investigation into the thefts.
This section expires November 1, 2023.