Officers would confiscate cars from police evaders under proposed bill
Feb 18, 2025, 10:25 AM
Police in the process of impounding a car. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Some state lawmakers, including a former police officer, want to crack down on people who try to run from police.
State Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, a former state trooper and Snohomish County sheriff, is sponsoring a bill under which someone who tries to elude officers could have his or her car seized.
“Senate Bill 5333 sends a clear message that eluding a police vehicle is something we take seriously,” Lovick said. “I think that this legislation will help deter the crime of eluding a police vehicle, reducing instances where an innocent bystander and law enforcement officers are placed in danger.”
Flee from police? You could lose your car under proposed bill
David Trieweiler, with the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, disagrees.
“We have known this to be generally false for at least a decade,” he said. “This will be the sixth bill and change to the law to increase the punishment or make it easier to prosecute this crime during my legal career starting in 1979, yet here we are again, saying that if we only make the punishment harsher, the crime will diminish.”
Trieweiler also said the bill would make it too complicated for someone to try to get their car back. Because of that, it would be too expensive for someone to contest the seizure of their vehicle.
The bill is up for a committee vote on Thursday.
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