By Cathy Logg
Herald Writer
State legislators hope to put the brakes on people who flee from police and end up in vehicle pursuits.
Senate Bill 6687 would more than quadruple the standard penalty for a first offense from a maximum of 60 days in jail to nine months.
"It’s a crime of violence," Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart said of felony eluding.
"What we have found is that no matter who is in the pursuit, they’re all going way too fast and endangering everybody’s life. The pursuit is ridiculous in the first place. Someone’s going to get hurt."
When juveniles are behind the wheel, it’s even worse, Bart said.
"They feel like they’re bulletproof. They think nothing bad is going to happen to them. They’re overconfident. They think they can do things in cars that maybe you or I wouldn’t try."
The bill comes after several deaths recently as a direct result of people fleeing from police, in some instances killing innocent people not involved in the chase. That’s part of what motivated Sen. Jeanine Long, R-Mill Creek, who urged Sen. Larry Sheahan, R-Spokane, to be the bill’s primary sponsor.
"I think stopping when law enforcement says you should stop is basic," Long said Friday. "It’s important particularly for young people to understand that we’re a nation of laws and there are consequences when you violate them."
Sheahan and Long introduced the bill, which was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday and now goes to the Rules Committee.
The number of pursuits in Snohomish County is increasing fast, Bart said. It’s also tied to the increase in stolen cars, because many of the cars involved in pursuits are stolen.
Pursuits typically start from a traffic stop, and drivers flee "for silly reasons, like they don’t have a driver’s license, they have a small misdemeanor warrant, or to us an insignificant thing that starts the pursuit," he said.
Many pursuits are called off because the person fleeing is driving so dangerously authorities say it’s not worth the risk.
"Why chase this person over a silly thing?" Bart said. "In a stolen car, we’re going to keep after them unless their driving is so bad, then we’ll pull the pursuit."
In the worst cases from 2000, 2001 and so far this year — those that involved the use of force — 11 resulted in accidents, with minor injuries sustained in two of them. All but two of the 23 pursuits involving use of force occurred on county roads; two were on I-5.
The use of force means either an officer pulled a gun, used spike strips or resorted to a pursuit immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver, in which an officer bumps the rear of a suspect’s car to force it into a spin and stop the pursuit.
"It’s very effective," Bart said. "I wish we’d had it when I was on the road. We’d just ram them, and then the sheriff would get upset. We’d push them into a ditch. But there was a real danger of people getting hurt, and the sheriff got upset when we wrecked the cars. (PIT) is a safer way to stop the pursuit."
Of the 23 pursuits that involved the use of force, one involved spike strips, four involved speeds of 40 mph or less, and two involved speeds over 40 mph, according to sheriff’s statistics. Of those, 13 involved chases of five or fewer miles, and nine pursuits were longer than five miles.
Under the bill, a driver who tries to flee a pursuing police vehicle would lose his or her driver’s license for two years and could receive nine months in jail on a first offense. Those with a prior criminal history could get a stiffer sentence.
The bill also revises the penalty for willful disregard for the lives or property of others. Drivers whose conduct meets that standard could be charged with a higher-level felony and face a maximum of 10 years in prison. Current law allows for a maximum of five years.
You can call Herald Writer Cathy Logg at 425-339-3437 or send e-mail to logg@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
