Inmate wrote mother complaining that Sgt. filed “bullsht” infractions. Mail room opened letter (correct), laughed and forwarded copy to Sgt. Sgt was furious and gave inmate 10 days cell-confinement. Inmate grieved and coordinator denied action was error, then admitted during grievance appeal that rules did not permit mailroom personnel sharing letter with custody. Court dismissed Monell but found 1st violation (“egregious” was the term judge used.
57 y.o. man in diabetic crisis in prison denied medical care and instead restrained for fourteen minutes with deputies on his back until unresponsive and dead; survived by daughter.
30 y.o. emotionally disturbed man killed by SWAT sniper on his front porch, while grasping his 7 y.o. son. Decedent’s mother had called police after they argued and he had slapped a cell phone out of her hand. SWAT arrived with Bearcat; 4 hour standoff ensued; Decedent was drunk and belligerent inside the home with his son. Decedent finally agreed to give up son on front porch. Swat team exploded a flash bang in the home, and when Decedent grabbed for his son, sniper shot him. Survived by son and Decedent’s parents.
No lasting physical injuries. High functioning autistic young woman in pretrial detention. Client was tiny (110 lbs) but had boisterous and unfiltered personality that repeatedly triggered jailors. Tort claim alleged multiple deployments of restraint chair as punishment and for double the manufacturer’s recommended time limit. One hair hold attack where jailer slammed her to concrete floor while cuffed behind back. Just bruises and small tooth chip. Alleged jail has practice of “assembling a team” to place detainees in the chair. This team attack triggers panic in high functioning autism.
WA HB 1726 and HB 2037 would roll back last year’s restrictions and protections addressing the use of force by peace officers, which the state passed to reduce police violence. This bill would expand instances in which officers can use physical force, including in situations where it would not be constitutional, such as the right to use physical force when stopping an individual from fleeing an investigative stop.
WA HB 1202 or the Peace Officer Accountability Act (POAA) eliminates obstacles to civil liability for law enforcement officers who engage in misconduct by creating a new legal path to hold officers accountable. The POAA also makes departments liable for bad hiring, inadequate training, and negligent disciplining. Additionally, the POAA expands access to justice by allowing attorney’s fee and cost recovery if the victim wins their lawsuit, and it allows the Attorney General’s office to investigate and bring a lawsuit to address patterns of wrongdoing by officers and departments.