Washington State Law Results in Death of Two Children

By Jackson Kincaid

In Brief:

The state of Washington passed a law banning police chases due to speeding alone. This policy has now left two children dead after an offender crashed into their car at the excess of 110mph.

The Background: 

The law passed by Washington state reads: “Peace officers may not engage in vehicular pursuit unless there is probable cause to believe that the person in the vehicle has committed or is committing a violent offense, sex offense, or an escape offense.”

Snohomish Country Sheriff told Fox: "I've been doing this, I'm going on 27 years … have never seen anything like it in my day and age. 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."

The suspect, Keith Goings, was clocked going over 90mph, but according to the new law, speed was not a valid cause for pursuit. Only after the children, as well as a 23-year-old, were dead was it determined he is suspected of DUI. 

According to KHQ in Spokane, there were 934 drivers who refused to pull over between January and May 2022.

Notable Quotes: 

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist actually to figure it out. 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." – Adam Fortney, Snohomish County Sheriff