Issue Spotlight: WADEPS Data Confirms Washington's Officers Use Force Rarely, Safely, and Only When Necessary

Last year, Washington launched the Washington State Data Exchange for Public Safety (WADEPS) –  a first-in-the-nation, statewide database that tracks every reportable use-of-force incident across roughly 300 law enforcement agencies. WACOPS was a proud collaborator in building this tool, because we have always believed that transparency builds trust and that an honest look at the data would confirm what we have long known: that across Washington, force is used rarely, is applied as safely and professionally as possible, and only when it is truly necessary.  

The first several months of data bear that out. Reportable force is exceptionally rare, occurring in fewer than five hundredths of one percent of all calls for service. And, in encounters when force is used, they are overwhelmingly resolved without serious injury.

The data makes clear that when officers do act, they are responding to genuine danger. In roughly 84% of incidents, the subject was actively resisting, fleeing, or threatening, and in more than a third of incidents, the subject was armed or believed to be armed. Moreover, in 10% of incidents where force was necessary, officers themselves were injured in the process.

This is the portrait of a profession exercising remarkable judgement and restraint under fast-moving, ever-changing, highly dangerous conditions – and doing so while critically short-staffed. As the legislature weighs further changes to how policing is governed, we urge lawmakers to utilize the evidence in the WADEPS dashboard and work with our team to ensure that any proposals include the full scope of perspectives and a strong understanding of our profession.

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Public Safety by the Numbers

0.04%

That is how often Washington law enforcement officers used reportable force, measured as a share of all calls for service in the WADEPS database. Put simply, in more than 99.9% of the times an officer was called to respond, no reportable force was used at all. And of the rare incidents that did involve force, over 90% resulted in no injury or minor injury only – even when there was significant risk to the officer.

Check Out the Data

WACOPS in Action: Advocating for Washington's Officers in DC

During National Police Week, WACOPS leadership was invited to brief the Blue Dog Coalition – a caucus of pragmatic, bipartisan-minded Democrats in the U.S. House – on the HELPER Act. If passed, this bill would help officers afford to live in the communities they serve through zero-down-payment home loan assistance, directly addressing one of the most persistent barriers to recruitment and retention. Shortly after this briefing, we were proud to see the Coalition endorse this important legislation. While WACOPS' advocacy is primarily focused in Olympia, moments like this reflect our commitment to representing Washington's officers wherever decisions affecting them are made. We are grateful to Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez for the invitation to have a seat at this table, and are encouraged to see bipartisan support building for the practical, common-sense solutions our departments need.

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Meet Our Team: Stacy Roark, Government Relations Committee Chair

Stacy Roark chairs the WACOPS Government Relations Committee, the group of elected board members who serve as the organization's frontline advocates in Olympia – attending meetings with legislators, participating in hearings, and translating the realities of the profession into policy. He brings to that role the perspective of a career officer with roughly three decades of law enforcement service at the Spokane Police Department, including work on the department's Behavioral Health Unit as a trained crisis negotiator co-deployed alongside a mental health professional to respond to people in crisis. That first-hand experience offers legislators a credible, on-the-ground voice on what officers actually encounter and what support they need to serve their communities well. He can be reached at wacopsgrc@gmail.com.