Washington State’s Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) voted 14-4 in favor of applying provisions to Senate Bill 5051 (SB 5051) on March 30. The new provisions voted on by the CJTC meant that the circumstances in decertification of police can be applied to all past misconduct, resulting in law enforcement officers losing their badges.
SB 5051 is a proposed measure to allow for oversight of law enforcement officers to prevent misconduct and police brutality.
“[SB 5051] is meant to provide more accountability for police officers, prevent the use of force to the extent that’s possible, and provide avenues for reporting when there is misconduct,” Ann Frost, assistant teaching professor with the law, societies and justice department, said. “One of the things that is good and important is that there is some oversight from outside of the police department, because it’s hard to get police departments to police themselves.”