Legislative District 18

Public safety means ALL citizens being able to live and feel safe in their communities. It means making sure social services are available to the people that need them, and that the correct people are responding to emergencies/crises. Progress is seeing not just police responding to every incident that occurs. Getting a mental health specialist to respond to a mental health crisis, or a housing specialist to respond to a housing/houslessness issue is progress. Seeing counties and cities creating and implementing these types of community services is progress, so that police officers can concentrate on a more specific role and not have to take on so many different pieces that they may not be properly trained to handle.

I would like to work with other legislators to bring a bill that would help fund my above ideas along with the body cams that I mention below. I believe that the state owes it to its citizens to help ensure they are all protected as equally as possible across the zip regardless of zip code. This will allow us to focus on building up safe communities while making sure the rights of citizens are at the forefront of our state’s decisions around policing and community safety.

This fall Clark County will have a small tax increase on the ballot to help pay for body cameras on their sherriffs. I believe that this should be funded by the state, so that the civil rights of all citizens can be held to the same standard. Counties and cities that can afford them shouldn't be the only ones that have them. All Washingtonians, and those that travel to our state, should have the same level of protection and accountability from our officers at all levels.