Whatcom prosecutor Richey, 23 others appointed to Gov. Inslee’s policing task force
Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Richey is one of two dozen leaders Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed to a task force that will make recommendations about policing.
“We must listen to the voices of impacted communities and families to hear their experiences with policing,” Inslee said in a press release Monday, June 22. “This work will inform legislation and help chart a path towards addressing some of these systemic and extremely harmful practices and policies that have impacted communities of color for generations.”
Richey was elected prosecutor in November 2019 after David McEachran, who had been county prosecutor for nearly 47 years, retired. Richey ran on a platform of reforming the criminal justice system, where he said he would reshape practices within the prosecutor’s office he’s been part of for more than two decades and begin a program that partners with law enforcement to divert people to treatment rather than jail. Richey’s law enforcement assisted diversion, or LEAD, program is currently hiring staff.
Richey was selected for the task force as a representative for the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, he said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald. Richey said the director of the association asked Richey if he would be willing to serve on the task force.
“I’m honored to be selected to represent WAPA. I’m hopeful my experience in evaluating investigations will be meaningful,” Richey said.
The task force will make recommendations for legislation about independent investigations of use of force, the governor’s office said. It will start meeting next month, and will continue meeting into the fall.
“The governor’s task force is a part of a coordinated effort with legislators to provide a comprehensive set of reforms,” the press release said. “Task force members will provide insight and feedback, review I-940 structure and investigative protocol, other independent investigation models, and provide input that will help inform legislation for the upcoming legislative session.”
Inslee called for the task force to “rethink policing and public safety,” earlier this month.
I-940 was passed by Washington voters in November 2018, redefining laws about police who use deadly force in the line of duty. Richey, as prosecutor, determined that Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Bellingham Police Department officers acted appropriately when they shot and wounded a man in Arroyo Park in December 2018. Sheriff’s deputies were involved in a separate incident where they shot at a suspect, but missed, and Richey determined those deputies also acted appropriately. Richey said he has also made one other evaluation in a deadly force case from Snohomish County that was sent to Whatcom due to a potential conflict of interest.
Richey said since he was elected, he’s required the people who work in his office to attend trainings on implicit bias. Since George Floyd’s death, he has also been meeting with community members to discuss how the criminal justice system impacts people of color, Richey said.
“These are conversations we have to have if we’re going to make the right changes. I could guess what needs to be changed, but I might be wrong. If we’re working toward any sort of change, we have to have some lengthy conversations to find out what’s important to people of color,” Richey said.
The press release Monday also listed the following people appointed to the task force:
Emma Catague, Community Police Commission, and Filipino Community Center, Seattle.
Jordan Chaney, owner, Poet Jordan, Benton and Franklin Counties.
Livio De La Cruz, board member, Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County.
Chris Jordan, Fab-5, Tacoma.
Monisha Harrell, chair, Equal Rights Washington, Seattle.
Jay Hollingsworth, John T. Williams Organizing Committee, Seattle.
Sanetta Hunter, community advocate, Federal Way.
Katrina Johnson, Charleena Lyles’ cousin and family spokesperson; Families Are The Frontline, Seattle.
Reverend Walter J. Kendricks, Morning Star Baptist Church; commissioner, Washington State Commission on African American Affairs, Spokane.
Teri Rogers Kemp, attorney, Seattle.
Ben Krauss, PhD., principal, Adaptive Training Solutions, Spokane.
Darrell Lowe, chief, Redmond Police Department.
Nina Martinez, board chair, Latino Civic Alliance, King County.
Brian Moreno, commissioner, Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Pasco.
Kimberly Mosolf, Disability Rights Washington, Seattle.
Tyus Reed, Spanaway.
Tim Reynon, Puyallup Tribal Council Member.
Puao Savusa, City of Seattle Office of Police Accountability.
James Schrimpsher, chief, Algona Police Department; Vice President of Washington State Fraternal Order of Police.
Andre Taylor, founder/executive director, Not This Time, Seattle.
Teresa Taylor, executive director, Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs.
Spike Unruh, president, Washington State Patrol Troopers Association.
Waldo Waldron-Ramsey, NAACP, Seattle.
The number of deadly force cases Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey has reviewed was corrected on June 24, 2020.
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
