New Washington state law increases data access for use of audits into investigations of police use of deadly force

The State Auditor's Office is the first in the nation to routinely audit investigations of police use of deadly force by comparing them to state rules and professional best practices. This past week, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation to give auditors greater access to information in that work.

The Legislature previously approved HB1179, authorizing the State Auditor's Office to access specific law enforcement data – criminal history records not associated with a conviction – as part of a use of deadly force investigation audit.

State Auditor Pat McCarthy joined the bill's sponsor, Rep. Bill Ramos, Sen. Manka Dhingra and other supporters at the bill signing.

To learn more about these audits and how they fit into the context of law enforcement accountability, visit our About Use of Deadly Force Audits page. The most recent reports include three Southwest Washington investigations:

Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team – William Abbe Case
Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team – Jenoah Donald Case
Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team – Irving Diaz-Rodriguez Case

If you'd like to receive email notifications when our Office publishes new audit reports including those related to investigations of police use of deadly force, email our webmaster.