Burien police chief frustrated with state pursuit law

Burien Police Chief Ted Boe didn’t mince words when describing a recent incident where officers witnessed a burglary but legally weren’t allowed to pursue the suspects, according to a social media post from the Burien Police Department.

Boe said he found himself “incredibly frustrated” with the restrictions placed on law enforcement by the Washington State Legislature and 10.116.060, which made pursuits by law enforcement difficult to justify.

“I have no doubt the law is well intended,” Boe said.

The recent angst was brought on by an incident that Boe said occurred Friday morning when two of his officers found two people burglarizing a Burien business and “had to let them drive away.”

Boe said not only are the businesses now out thousands of dollars, but since burglary is not a Class A felony, the officers could not pursue the individuals.

He said the officers did everything they could to arrest them, but the law prevented his officers from using methods such as a Pursuit Immobilization Technique (PIT) or spike strips.

Boe said his officers are trained to use those methods safely, but are legally prevented from doing so.

He said the suspects not only removed all identifying information from their car, they also obscured their faces, making an investigation of this nature extremely difficult.

Boe said it is likely the suspects will never be brought to justice.

He ended his post by saying, “I applaud our officers for doing everything in their power to catch these criminals and feel for the businesses left to pay for the damages.”

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