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, and 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 helped get KUOW's listener based podcast SoundQs off the ground before then heading on to pitch and create THE WILD with Chris Morgan, a sound rich and experiential podcast about ecology and conservation.
More stories from Matt Martin »
