CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION supporting Washington Initiative Measure 940 and urging Seattle voters to vote "Yes" on Initiative 940 on the November 6, 2018, general election ballot.
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WHEREAS, the people have a strong interest in reducing police use of force; and
WHEREAS, de-escalation and crisis intervention training does reduce use of force; and
WHEREAS, the goal of Initiative 940 is to decrease the use of deadly force by police in Washington; and
WHEREAS, on March 8, 2018, the Washington State Legislature adopted this initiative as well as House Bill 3003, which modified the initiative, as a compromise between "De-Escalate Washington," community leaders, and law enforcement organizations, but the Washington Supreme Court held that the initiative required a vote of the people; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle is committed to racial and social equity; and
WHEREAS, systemic racism implicates all facets of society, and history has shown deep racial disparities in policy and the criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, numerous reports reflect that black men aged 15 to 34 are significantly overrepresented in police shootings relative to other demographic and age groups; and
WHEREAS, the current standard under Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 9A.16.040 to determine whether a law enforcement officer is criminally liable for using deadly force requires proof of "malice"; and
WHEREAS, Washington is the only state that requires the extremely high "malice" standard for criminal liability in use of deadly force; and
WHEREAS, constitutional, community-based policing should not be confined to Seattle or any one area;
WHEREAS, Washington families deserve improvements to officer training and accountability that will increase community safety;
WHEREAS, Initiative 940 would change the standard for when a law enforcement officer may justifiably use deadly force to a "good faith" standard that has been adopted by other states; and
WHEREAS, I...
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