Law enforcement officers in Washington will face different standards for incidents involving deadly force now that Initiative 940 has reportedly passed with 60% of the vote statewide. In King County, support exceeded 70%, reports the Seattle Times.
Passage of the measure means that prosecutors will no longer have to prove law enforcement officers acted with “evil intent” — or so-called “malice” — when considering whether to file criminal charges such as manslaughter. Washington is the only state with such restrictive language.
I-940 also requires de-escalation and mental-health training for police; requires officers to administer first aid to a victim of deadly force; and requires independent investigations into the use of deadly force.
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