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Articles written by Juan Morfin


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  • Appropriate use of force for law enforcement debated

    Juan Morfin, Washington State Journal|Feb 16, 2022

    The amount of force a police officer uses must be “proportional and reasonable,” a bill approved recently by the State Senate says. The bill also specifies officers will also be allowed to engage in vehicular pursuits as long as there is “reasonable suspicion” when making a traffic stop. The Senate voted 31-18 on Senate Bill 5919 on Feb. 9 with a handful of Republicans joining the majority Democrats. The bill cleans up language adopted last year on the use of force that many in the law enforcement community said was confusing and contradictory....

  • Police restraint gets clarification in House bill

    Juan Morfin, Washington State Journal|Feb 9, 2022

    Mental health victims and juveniles can be restrained by law enforcement when responding to requests for assistance from crisis responders. That is the thrust of House Bill 1735, which passed the state House with a 90-5 vote and is now under consideration in the Senate. The bill is intended to end confusion caused by the adoption of last year’s House Bill 1310 which prevented crisis responders from receiving police assistance in detaining or transporting people. “We’re talking about hands-on…whether law enforcement can physically interac...