Bill passed WA Senate that would improve police communication on missing, murdered Inigenous women

A bill passed the Washington state Senate on Friday that would improve police communication and collaboration on missing and murdered Native American women and people, announced Senator Nikki Torres in a news release on Friday.

Torres’ bill would implement recommendations from the Washington state Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People task force. The force produced an interim report in August 2022.

“Crimes against Indigenous people, especially women, and children, have continued to plague our state and our nation,” said Torres. “Despite making up only 2% percent of our population, 136 indigenous people in our state have been identified as missing by the Washington State Patrol. That’s as of January. This is unacceptable.”

SB 5477 is part of the Legislature’s efforts to find the root cause of a shockingly large number of Native Americans who have turned up missing or murdered in Washington, said the release.

A 2021 report from the National Congress of American Indians said that Native American women face murder rates almost three times those of non-Native women, with 80% or more having experienced violence.

Torres’ bill would extend the MMIWP task force through June 30, 2025. It would be required to develop more recommendations for collaboration and coordination between law-enforcement agencies and social and health services. It would also improve communication and transparency with family members in cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women and people.

The bill would also require law enforcement agencies to enter a missing-person case into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System if a missing person has not been found within 30 days of the report, or if an investigation suspects criminal activity to be the cause of the disappearance.

SB 5477 now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

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