Why drivers in this state are free to speed away from patrol cops without fear of being caught

Drivers in Washington State are free to speed away from patrol cops without fear of being caught - a luxury that will soon change when a new state law goes into effect.

A controversial state law enacted in July 2021 restricted police officers from chasing suspects, which led to nearly 8,000 incidents of drivers fleeing law enforcement. 

But the chase will resume on Thursday when cops in the state will have the authority to pull over suspected criminals after agencies saw a significant increase in fleeing drivers over the past three years. 

'We've had three years now where the word is out: "The cops can't chase you,"' said Chris Loftis, communications director at the Washington State Patrol. 'Well, I think you're going to see people surprised when the cops do chase you.' 

He added: 'We're hopeful that we're going to change driving behavior for the good, for the better.'

On Thursday, police agencies in the state will now have the authority to pull over suspected criminals three years after agencies saw a significant increase in fleeing drivers

In July 2021, Washington lawmakers passed legislation that required certain criteria be met in order for a police pursuit.

The 2021 laws were based on the argument that police chases did more harm than good, and could lead to accidents. The legislation also noted that people of color were targeted - mostly for low-level infractions, King5 News reported. 

Between July 26, 2021, and March 31 of this year, drivers fled from troopers 7,941 times, according to Washington State Patrol.

In 2020, Washington State Patrol conducted 1,689 pursuits - that number dropped significantly when the 2021 law started.

Due to the law, troopers were not legally able to pursue the drivers who took off because the suspected crimes did not meet the strict criteria for police chases set by the Washington State Legislature. 

Before the 2021 restriction, agencies did not track the number of motorists that did not pull over for police since lights and sirens would automatically force a driver to stop. But that changed after the controversial state law went into effect.

Loftis explained that word of the state's 'no-chase' policy spread quickly among criminals, and that was when the agency began documenting it.

'I saw a spike. Actually, it was more like a rocket,' he said. 'It went from a number so low that we didn't need to code it to something in the thousands that first year.'

In 2023, state patrol had the highest number of drivers fleeing

He also told the news outlet that cops 'lost the number of potential negative effects of pursuits, but we also then increased the number of times that people involved in criminal activity got away from us.'

During the three year period, 2023 was the highest number of fleeing incidents at a staggering 3,337. 

Partly due to these figures, lawmakers lowered the threshold for police to pursue a suspect from probable cause to reasonable suspicion for limited crimes.

These limited crimes were considered to be violent offense, sex offense, or an escape, DUI, vehicular assault, and domestic violence assault in the first, second, third, or fourth-degree offense.

Loftis said car thefts, smash and grabs and various property crimes increased during this period.

'People were just ignoring the lights. They were just ignoring the sirens,' Loftis said.

In March, the state's House voted 77-20 to pass Initiative 2113. The initiative then passed the state Senate with a vote of 36-13.

Initiative 2113 will restore the authority of a police officer to chase a driver, when there is reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law

Agencies are gearing up for the change.

According to the Lakewood Police Department, drivers fled from the cops 727 times between July 2021 and March 31 of 2024, city data shows.

'It was just way off the charts, and we had never seen that before,' said Assistant Lakewood Police Chief John Unfred.

'Those are people who are escaping justice. Once they take off, it's hard to figure out who they are – who's behind the wheel.'

He noted that many of the drivers feeling the officers after the 2021 law changed were suspected of stealing cars.

'We have the suspect literally right there in front of us, and there's nothing we can do about it,' he said. 'It emboldened them.'

Later this week, when the new law goes into effect, Unfred said 'we are going to revert our policy essentially back to what it was before the 2021 law change.' But, he said, they will also be mindful of what the officers will do. 

Before 2021, he said his department averaged nine pursuits every four months, and was 'already pretty restrictive.'

He added: 'We didn't chase everything.' 

Both agencies - Lakewood PD and Washington State Patrol - will tread carefully and require officers to weigh the value of a police chance with the potential danger to the public.

Loftis added: 'We've always tried to find that balance of, 'Where does the risk exceed the reward of catching this person?'

Unfred said his department has already seen a shift in criminal behavior since the law was amended.

He said, in part: 'I think the word is already out there with the suspects that the law has changed, and you have to be careful.'