Washington Initiative 2113, Remove Certain Restrictions on Police Vehicular Pursuits Initiative (2024)

Washington I-2113
Election date November 5, 2024
Topic Law enforcement
Status Approved by the legislature
Type State statute	Origin Citizens

The Washington Vehicular Pursuits of Peace Officers Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 5, 2024. The initiative was approved by the legislature.

Overview

How did Initiative 2113 change requirements for police vehicular pursuits?

See also: Text of measure

This initiative removed certain restrictions on police officers' vehicular pursuits.

Prior to the adoption of Initiative 2113, a police officer could engage in a vehicular pursuit if:

• there is reasonable suspicion to believe that a person in the vehicle is committing or has committed a violent offense, a sex offense, a vehicular assault offense, a domestic violence offense, an escape, or driving under the influence;
• the pursuit is necessary to identify and apprehend the person; and
• the person poses a serious risk of harm to others and the safety risks of failing to apprehend the person are greater than the safety risks of the pursuit.

The initiative changed the law to allow vehicular pursuits if:

• there is a reasonable suspicion that a person has violated the law;
• the pursuit is necessary to identify and apprehend the person; and
• the person poses a threat to the safety of others and the safety risks of failing to apprehend the person are greater than the safety risks of the pursuit.

Requirements for pursuit under current law	Requirements for pursuit under I-2113
there is reasonable suspicion to believe that a person in the vehicle is committing or has committed a violent offense, a sex offense, a vehicular assault offense, a domestic violence offense, an escape, or driving under the influence	there is a reasonable suspicion that a person has violated the law
the person poses a serious risk of harm to others and the safety risks of failing to apprehend the person are greater than the safety risks of the pursuit	the person poses a threat to the safety of others and the safety risks of failing to apprehend the person are greater than the safety risks of the pursuit

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for the initiative is below:

“

Initiative Measure No. 2113 concerns vehicular pursuits by peace officers. This measure would remove certain restrictions on vehicular pursuits, allowing them upon conditions including an officer’s reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law and poses a threat to the safety of others. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary for the initiative is below:

“

This measure would remove certain restrictions on when peace officers may engage in vehicular pursuits. Such pursuits would be allowed when the officer has a reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law, pursuit is necessary to identify or apprehend the person, the person poses a threat to the safety of others, those safety risks are greater than those of the pursuit, and a supervisor authorizes the pursuit.

”

Full text

The full text of the measure can be read below.

Support

Let's Go Washington sponsored the initiative.

Supporters

Officials

• State Rep. Jim Walsh (R)

Organizations

• Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs

Individuals

• Brian Heywood - Founder of Let's Go Washington

Arguments

• Brian Heywood: "During the 2023 legislative session lawmakers removed a couple of the restrictions, but most remain in place and criminals are still able to flee police, even if the officer sees them committing a crime. We have handcuffed our police officers so much they can’t do their job. We also don’t have enough police officers, partially due to the restrictions politicians have placed on law enforcement. Washington is dead last for the number of police officers we have per capita. Those who remain are still not able to pursue or arrest suspected criminals. This has led to very bad outcomes. Thousands of innocent citizens have been hurt and have become preventable crime victims. I-2113 would return the ability for police to pursue criminals if they have the “reasonable suspicion” that a crime had been committed and that public safety is at risk."

Opposition

Stop Greed, sponsored by the Permanent Defense PAC, led the campaign in opposition to the initiative, as well as the five other initiatives sponsored by Let's Go Washington targeting the 2024 ballot.

Opponents

Political Parties

• Democratic Party of Washington

Organizations

• ACLU of Washington
• Northwest Progressive Institute
• Permanent Defense
• Washington Coalition for Police Accountability

Arguments

• ACLU of Washington: "People are gathering signatures on petitions to qualify six initiatives for the November 2024 ballot. One of these initiatives takes aim at laws protecting Washingtonians from dangerous, high-speed police pursuits – the second leading cause of deaths from police activities. Another seeks to erode the trusted relationship between students, their teachers, and their health care providers, putting students, and their personal information, at risk."
• Washington Coalition for Police Accountability: "Pursuits are appropriate in some circumstances, such as when they can effectively address or prevent violent crime. However, pursuits are not the right tactic for offenses such as shoplifting, broken tail lights, and theft. Why? Because high-speed vehicular pursuits put everyone – officers, uninvolved bystanders, drivers, and passengers – at risk of serious injury and death. Recovering stolen property is not worth risking a human life; there are other, safer options for solving such crimes. After Washington adopted a pursuit policy in 2021, pursuit-related fatalities in the state dropped by half. Law enforcement officers continue to use pursuits, in a safer manner, and fewer people are getting killed. This is why we should keep the current law. Initiative 2113 seeks to drag the State backward, allowing pursuits for any infraction, which makes the streets more dangerous for all of us. Our current pursuit policy saves lives – unrestricted pursuits just don’t make sense."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Washington ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through January 31, 2024.

Multiple committees registered to support and oppose the six initiatives proposed by Let's Go Washington targeting the 2024 ballot in Washington. Because the committees were registered to support and/or oppose multiple initiatives, it is not possible to distinguish funds spent on each individual initiative.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$16,071,240.11	$1,367,857.73	$17,439,097.84	$13,752,922.21	$15,120,779.94
Oppose	$14,484.84	$603.16	$15,088.00	$25,159.56	$25,762.72
Total	$16,085,724.95	$1,368,460.89	$17,454,185.84	$13,778,081.77	$15,146,542.66

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of Initiative 2113.

Committees in support of Initiative 2113
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Let's Go Washington	$16,071,240.11	$1,367,857.73	$17,439,097.84	$13,752,922.21	$15,120,779.94
Total	$16,071,240.11	$1,367,857.73	$17,439,097.84	$13,752,922.21	$15,120,779.94

Donors

Donors to the support campaign were as follows:

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Brian Heywood	$5,176,000.00	$1,231,347.40	$6,407,347.40
BIAW Member Services Corporation	$500,000.00	$0.00	$500,000.00
Lawrence Hughes	$400,000.00	$0.00	$400,000.00
Kemper Holdings, LLC	$350,000.00	$0.00	$350,000.00
Phil Scott	$250,000.00	$0.00	$250,000.00

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to Initiative 2113.

Committees in opposition to Initiative 2113
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Stop Greed	$12,628.00	$603.16	$13,231.16	$12,121.52	$12,724.68
Safer Streets for All	$1,856.84	$0.00	$1,856.84	$13,038.04	$13,038.04
Total	$14,484.84	$603.16	$15,088.00	$25,159.56	$25,762.72

Donors

Donors to the opposition campaign were as follows:

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Polls

See also: 2024 ballot measure polls

Are you aware of a poll on this ballot measure that should be included below? You can share ballot measure polls, along with source links, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Washington Initiative 2113, Remove Certain Restrictions on Police Vehicular Pursuits Initiative (2024)
Poll	Dates	Sample size	Margin of error	Support	Oppose	Undecided

Crosscut Elway	12/26/2023-12/28/2023	403 RV	± 5%	66%	25%	9%
	Question: "The following are some proposals that the legislature is expected to discuss in the coming weeks. As I read each of these items, please indicate whether you Favor, Strongly Favor, Oppose or Strongly oppose each one. ... Eliminate some restrictions on when police can pursue criminal suspects in cars."

Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters.

Background

Vehicular pursuits in Washington

Vehicular pursuits are attempts by uniformed peace officers (police officers) in a vehicle with emergency lights and sirens to stop a moving vehicle that is resisting or ignoring the attempts to be stopped.

2021 bill restricting vehicular pursuit requirements

In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed House Bill 1054, which banned vehicular pursuits for lower-level crimes such as theft. HB 1054 provided that police could only engage in vehicular pursuits when they had probable cause to believe that a person in the vehicle is involved in a violent offense, sexual offense, or an escape, or when there is reasonable suspicion (a lesser threshold than probable cause) that the driver is driving under the influence. Under the law, pursuits needed to be necessary to identify or apprehend the person and the person poses an "imminent threat to the safety of others and the safety risks of failing to apprehend or identify the person are considered greater than the safety risks of the vehicular pursuit."

2023 bill expanding vehicular pursuit requirements

In 2023, the Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill 5352 to expand when an officer may engage in a vehicular pursuit to lower the threshold from probable cause to reasonable suspicion that a person in the vehicle has committed or is committing a violent offense, sexual offense, a vehicular assault offense, or a domestic assault. The bill also provided that pursuits can occur when there is a serious risk of harm to others (rather than an imminent threat to safety of others.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Washington

The state process

In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify an indirectly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the Legislature in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for indirect initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the regular session at which their proposal would be presented to lawmakers. Signatures must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.

The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2024 ballot:

• Signatures: 324,516 valid signatures
• Deadline: December 29, 2023

The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified to appear before the legislature. If the legislature does not approve the measure, it is certified to appear on the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.

Details about this initiative

• Jim Walsh filed the initiative on May 25, 2023. Ballot language was issued for it on June 7, 2023.
• Sponsors reported submitting 434,594 signatures to the secretary of state's office on December 14, 2023.
• On January 11, 2024, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs certified that enough valid signatures were submitted and that the initiative was certified to the legislature. In a random sample of 3% of submitted signatures, it was determined that 81.14% of the submitted signatures were valid, indicating that 352,629 signatures were valid.
• The Washington State Legislature approved the initiative on March 4, 2024, by a vote of 26-23 in the Senate and 77-20 in the House.

See also

2024 measures

• 2024 ballot measures
• Law enforcement on the ballot
• 2024 petition deadlines

Washington

• Washington ballot measures
• Washington initiative laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls
• Ballot measure signature costs

External links

• Initiatives to the Legislature
• Initiative 2113 full text