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House committee hears bill to expand Office of Independent Investigations' jurisdiction and clarify records rules
Summary
Lawmakers and the Office of Independent Investigations told the House Community Safety Committee that House Bill 2508 would broaden OII's jurisdiction, require earlier agency notification for some uses of force and in-custody deaths, allow OII access to EMS/fire records with privacy limits, and exempt investigative files from public release until referral to a prosecutor; concerns focused on the scope of privacy exemptions and operational readiness.
The Washington State House Community Safety Committee heard testimony Jan. 27 on House Bill 2508, a proposal to sharpen and expand the authority of the Office of Independent Investigations (OII) in use-of-force reviews.
Corey Patton, staff to the committee, summarized four principal changes in the bill: expanding OII’s jurisdiction to include prior deadly-force incidents and other uses of force that may have contributed to a death; requiring involved agencies to notify OII immediately about force that may have caused death or serious injury and about in-custody deaths; giving OII access to response records from fire, rescue and ambulance providers (with limited health-data exceptions); and exempting OII investigative records from public…
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