Should Washington change the law on police use of deadly force?
Deborah Wang speaks with Jeff Robinson, about the possibility of changing Washington state law that protects law enforcement officers involved in a deadly shooting. The law currently states that police officers can only be convicted of the shooting if it is proved they acted with "malice" and with a lack of "good faith." Those are the most protective standards in the country. Robinson believes the law unfairly shields police from prosecution. Robinson is deputy legal director and director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality at the ACLU.
Wang also spoke with Craig Bulkley, president of the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, about why he believes the law should stay the way it is written. Bulkley, who is also a law enforcement officer in Spokane, says there is no evidence that police are hiding behind the word "malice."
A legislative task force is expected to make a recommendation on how the state law should be changed.
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Deborah Wang
Contributing Reporter, Editor, & Host
Deborah is a contributing reporter, editor and host at KUOW. Since joining the staff in 2005, Deborah has done everything from political reporting to podcast hosting and is now serving as Interim News Director. She is an award–winning radio and television journalist whose career spans more than three decades.
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Matt Martin
Podcast Producer
Matt Martin is a podcast producer who has worked on many different show for KUOW. He pitched and created THE WILD with Chris Morgan, a rich and experiential podcast about ecology and conservation. Matt also produced the Seattle music history podcast Let the Kids Dance and the award-winning Ghost Herd. Before moving to the on-demand side of the station, Matt worked as a producer on The Record, KUOW's local news show. He has also worked as a general assignment reporter and host for public radio stations in upstate New York and rural Alaska. Matt got his start in media as an intern with StoryCorps and Aljazeera America.
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