"The law in this state makes it virtually impossible to charge police officers with murder when they unjustly kill."

That is a lie.

Did Ansel lie out of malice?
Or just because he is an ignorant little bitch?

873 criminalizes errors made in good faith.

That is all one needs to know to realize it is a maliciously bad idea.

Officers are seldom charged with crimes because they seldom act “without good faith belief that the act was justified” and prosecutors know it.
Baltimore is an excellent example of what happens when emotion and political agenda poison the decisions of prosecutors.

Community-Police trust is a two way street;
criminalizing honest errors of officers as 873 does will be one HUGE step AWAY from rebuilding the working relationship between police and the community

So, this statue seeks to remove this clause "without malice and with a good faith belief":

Initiative Measure No. 873, filed May 20, 2016

AN ACT Relating to the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer or peace officer; amending RCW 9A.16.040; and creating a new section. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON: NEW SECTION.

Sec. 1. (1) Washington state has the most regressive laws in the United States regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers. Under the current law, it is impossible to prosecute a law enforcement officer in a use of deadly force crime.

(2) RCW 9A.16.040

(3) states that an officer who acts without malice cannot be held criminally liable. However, malice is a state of mind, and cannot be proven. Therefore, the statute as it exists provides a foolproof shield against prosecution of an officer regardless of the circumstances in which deadly force is used.

(3) This act petitions to remove the “without malice and with a good faith belief” clause in the statute.

So, given that the state of the defendant (the officer) , the mental state of malice, can only be determined by subjective testimony and perhaps video, what's to prevent a jury from sending an cop who contend's he/she was not malice from going to jail?

Moreover, given this clause, good people might change their minds from pursuing a career in law enforcement.

NO on 873.

Under the current law, an officer can only be convicted if prosecutors can prove that the officer acted with malice and that the officer didn’t have a sincere belief that he or she was acting within the law.
If passed, I-873 will remove the “malice” and “without good faith belief that the act was justified” elements of the current law.

In other words, 873 will allow officers who acted with a good faith belief that their actions were justified to be charged with murder.

Congressman Adam Smith claims I-873 will be one step in helping rebuild the working relationship between police and the community.

But charging police officers with murder just to appease howling mobs is poor policy.

Rapist/heroin pusher is a notoriously dangerous vocation. I hope Che Taylor had good life insurance.

The way you constantly whiteknite for that poor, opressed drug-dealing rapist raises serious doubts about your judgement Ansel, you spiteful little dickhead. Go masturbate to Emma Goldman.

This is a good initiative. Good article Ansel and your standing in the good company of the City Attorney, City Council Members, Mayor and Congressman Smith.
The initiative makes it only possible to charge an officer after an egregious unjustified shooting. John T. Williams did not deserve to be shot and police officers need to at the very least THINK before they pull their gun. Hey, if this initiative makes police think before they take a life, ...well maybe that's a good thing and something they should have been doing all along.

@1 through @8 reported trolls. The inmates are taking over the asylum.

10

reported?!?...
oh my.

careful there, Sport.
if you continue to be such a complaining whiny buttsore bitch the Slog tech stooges will delete your account.