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Committee reviews bill to ban possession of realistic officer badges and insignia
Summary
HB 2165 would make possessing realistic law-enforcement badges, insignia or items that identify a person as a peace officer a gross misdemeanor. The governor's office backed the measure as a gap-filler to existing impersonation laws; stakeholders urged clearer definitions and alignment with RCW criminal-impersonation statutes.
House Bill 2165, presented to the House Community Safety Committee on Jan. 13, 2026, would create a standalone crime of false identification as a peace officer, a gross misdemeanor punishable where a person knowingly possesses or provides realistic badges, documents or other items that identify a person as a commissioned peace officer when they are not.
Corey Patton, committee staff, explained the bill’s two primary modes of commission: possessing or…
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