AG Ferguson, Sen. Nobles bill to create a statewide database of police use-of-force incidents passes state senate with bipartisan support

OLYMPIA — On Monday afternoon, by an overwhelmingly bipartisan 46-2 vote, state senators passed a bill SB5259 Attorney General Bob Ferguson requested to create a database of police use-of-force incidents so the public, policymakers, researchers and law enforcement can access the data. 

Currently in Washington state, there is no central repository for use-of-force data.

State Sen. T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest, sponsored the bill. Rep. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, has a similar bill in the state House of Representatives. 

The legislation builds on a report to the Legislature that Ferguson released in June 2020 recommending that the state create a centralized, publicly accessible website with information about these incidents.

Read more here