wa-law.org > bill > 2023-24 > SB 6009 > Original Bill
The legislature finds it is imperative that our criminal justice systems, including the law enforcement profession, must secure public trust and ensure accountability. In order to do so, the legislature finds that it is important to discontinue practices and tactics that dehumanize and create unnecessary risk of harm and/or death to the people they serve. Additionally, it is important that law enforcement is using up-to-date tactics that come with adequate training from the criminal justice training commission to ensure continuity and oversight in the standards applied across the profession. This includes tactics that comply with the model use of force policies put forward by our state's attorney general.
The legislature finds that, in the quest to ensure that all communities are and feel safe, it is important to take guidance from published model policies, comport with statewide standards and training on restraint tactics, and prohibit hog-tying and other similar tactics that are inhumane, outdated, and have led to the unnecessary loss of human life.
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
A peace officer is prohibited from:
Hog-tying a person; or
Assisting in putting a person into a hog-tie.
Any identifiable on-duty peace officer who witnesses another peace officer engaging or attempting to engage in the hog-tying of another person has a duty to intervene when in a position to do so to end the hog-tie or attempted hog-tie, or to prevent the further use of hog-tying, and shall report such wrongdoing as provided under RCW 10.93.190.
A peace officer shall also render aid at the earliest safe opportunity in accordance with RCW 36.28A.445, to any person injured as a result of the hog-tie.
This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.