A Washington state sheriff sounded the alarm on a Democrat-backed law that bars police officers from certain vehicular chases after two children were tragically killed by a suspect driving more than 100 mph.
Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss why he believes the law is flawed and how the measure's opposition has garnered bipartisan support for change as crime continues to surge.
"I've been doing this, I'm going on 27 years… have never seen anything like it in my day and age," he told Ashley Strohmier on Tuesday. "I like to think in western Washington state we did a pretty good job prior to this legislation of managing our police pursuits, but when the politicians in Olympia got involved and changed the way we do business, it's just not working out."
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"You don't have to be a rocket scientist actually, to figure it out," he continued. "When you tell the criminal element ahead of time that there is a whole list of crimes that we cannot chase you for, the criminal element is going to take advantage of that, and that's what we are seeing in Washington state."
The suspect, Keith A. Goings, was seen traveling at 111 miles per hour on Interstate 90, but law enforcement was unable to pursue him because speeding alone is not enough probable cause to do so under the law.
Goings reportedly crashed into a car carrying three young children and one 23-year-old. Two of the young children were killed in the crash.
The law, which has garnered scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle, prohibits officials from chasing vehicles on the run unless there is suspicion the individual has committed and is going to commit a violent offense.
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Officials say the driver is suspected of a DUI, but because that was not determined until after the crash, they were unable to pursue.
While Fortney admitted officers should not engage in just any vehicular chase, he called for change, reiterating the need for officer discretion in these types of situations.
"It's kind of come full circle now," Fortney said. "There has to be a balance, I think… We heard as the police, we heard the legislature loud and clear, they don't want us chasing for anything and everything, and I think that's probably appropriate in this day and age."
"We're [a] heavily populated county, that makes sense to me. But you can't take away the discretion from the officer deputy on the street," he continued. "We have to be able to make those calls in real time based on our training experience."
According to KHQ in Spokane, there were 934 drivers who refused to pull over between January and May 2022.
But despite the dismal numbers, Fortney remains hopeful change is on the horizon.
"I'm going to remain optimistic," Fortney said. "The good news on this is that there is bipartisan support to change this legislation. Everyone from the chair of the Law and Justice Committee, who is a Democrat, to our governor, who is a Democrat, has said something needs to change."
"There are a couple people just standing fast, and unfortunately, the way our government is made up, one or two people can stand in the way of bipartisan legislation," he continued. "I hope it doesn't come to that… It's well past time that we have to start prioritizing victims of crime in Washington state and not prioritizing criminals, and that's exactly what we've been doing."
