Initiative 940, Deadly force
Election Results
| Option | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,834,579 | 59.60% |
| No | 1,243,316 | 40.40% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Measure
Washington’s law says police officers can’t be held criminally liable in deadly force incidents unless they act with malice. I-940 would remove malice as a requirement in order to charge an officer involved in a deadly force incident. Instead, an officer would be protected against prosecution if deadly force met both objective and subjective good-faith tests. An objective good-faith test means the officer believed deadly force was necessary to prevent death or serious harm to himself or someone else. A subjective test means the officer believed there was a lawful purpose and it was warranted under the circumstances.
Complete Coverage
New conduct code, changes to deadly force law pass House
Without a single dissenting vote, the House on Thursday agreed to changes to the use of deadly force law voters approved in November and approved a new code of conduct for its members.
Opponents, supporters of deadly force law, I-940, agree with proposed changes
House panel hears no opposition to changes to deadly force initiative, I-940, that voters approved last November.
Both sides of I-940 campaign to back changes next year
Backers and foes of a successful ballot measure with new standards on the use of lethal force by police said Monday they will work together to get improvements they both support through next year’s Legislature.
Voters back changes to deadly force standards in I-940
Law enforcement officers in Washington will face different standards for incidents involving deadly force.
Jay Fleming: Support Initiative 940 to better train police and save lives
Recently, in an editorial on Initiative 940 (“Vote no on the gun initiatives,” Oct. 17, 2018), this newspaper made the case that our men and women in blue put their lives on the line every day. As a former Lincoln County deputy sheriff and Spokane Police Department undercover narcotics operative, I agree. Unfortunately, that’s about the only thing in the editorial I agree with. As a career law enforcement officer, I’m asking you to dismiss the scare tactics and vote “Yes” on Initiative 940. It will improve training for all officers in Washington and help save lives.
Brace for an ad onslaught as big money pours into initiative campaigns
Millions of dollars pour into initiative campaigns, fueling ads on television, the internet and in the mailbox.
Opponents and supporters of Washington Initiative 940 on deadly force were allies, and could be again
Initiative 940 will pit once and possibly future allies against each other this fall.
Deadly force initiative, I-940, headed to Washington ballot without proposed changes
Initiative 940, which changes the rules for reviewing cases of the police use of deadly force, must go on the November ballot, a divided Washington Supreme Court rules.
Will voters have 1, 2 or no “deadly force” measure on November ballot?
Washington Supreme Court to decide whether an initiative on the police use of deadly force must go on the November ballot by itself, with an alternative version, or not at all.
Supreme Court to review deadly force initiative
The Washington Supreme Court sets hearing on whether voters should vote on an initiative that would change state laws on police use of deadly force.
I-940 should go on the ballot, but not the changes, judge rules
Initiative 940 should go on the November ballot, but not the changes the Legislature approved, a Thurston County Superior Court judge ruled Friday
Eyman sues over Legislature’s changes to I-940
Initiative activist Tim Eyman challenges legislative maneuver that changes Initiative 940 without putting it on the ballot.
Spin Control: How I-940 could become law with changes already on the books
How the Legislature undid parts of Initiative 940 before it becomes law.
Deadly force initiative moves forward in Washington legislature
Legislature could pass deadly force initiative and a bill to change a day later.