Moses Lake Police Chief Happy with New Changes to Policing Laws

The Moses Lake Police Chief is happy with new changes to police reform laws passed last year by the state legislature.

Chief Kevin Fuhr told KPQ news partner i FIBER ONE his department is in a much better place than last year.

The new law (HB 2037) signed by Governor Jay Inslee last week makes clear police can use force to stop people from fleeing when they're temporarily detained for investigation.

Fuhr told i FIBER ONE the new change is much more important than the ability to initiate a police chase, which was not reestablished this year.

The law passed last year (HB 1310) restricted the use of force to when police had Probable Cause to make an arrest instead the lower threshold on Reasonable Suspicion to act.

Officers and Sheriff's deputies still do not have the less restrictive standard back in order to chase fleeing suspects. 

The more far-reaching language passed the state Senate this year, but failed to get approval in the House during the final week of the legislative session.

Many Republican lawmakers voted against the new changes in the final days of the session because the Reasonable Suspicion standard as not fully reinstated.