Republican leaders call for special session to "fix" police reform laws

OLYMPIA, Wash.-- New police reform laws have left some officers feeling hamstrung to do their jobs.

Now, some republican leaders are urgently calling for a special session.

"We've had a number of incidents on the west side this year where they were unable to pursue people that were leaving the scene of serious crimes including murder," said House Republican leader J.T. Wilcox.

Not just on the west side, here at home we’ve already seen some of the consequences of the new police reform laws that went into effect last month.

On July 26th, a pursuit with a knife wielding woman lasted over an hour. Police say this was due to them not being able to use their most effective less lethal option.

"Crime doesn't stop, people’s lives don’t stop, the longer we wait for clarification, the longer were hampered in providing that public service that the citizens require of us,” Kennewick Police Officer Jason Kiel said.

Kiel says police really need clarification on what is deemed as use of force.

"Force in the simplest manner is unwanted touching, so by simply placing our hands on someone that could be considered force,” said Kiel.

Rep. Wilcox believes the democratic majority rushed these reforms, which he says make it harder for police to function and unclear when they're able to respond.

"And I think it was done in a climate of vilifying police and the crazy thing is none of us questioned that this system can be improved. The police don't question that this system can be improved. But it doesn’t have to be torn down to do that and we don’t have to have tragic victims as a result,” said Wilcox.

He says there is a way he believes this can be fixed.

Some Republican leaders are trying to put together a special session.

Wilcox says there are two ways to make this happen, the governor could call for one, which he sees as unlikely. Or two thirds of the legislature could call for one.

"That's never happened in the history of the state of Washington. But for something like this where we can clarify, the amendments already exist,” said Wilcox.

Rep. Wilcox says he believes these fixes can be made in a matter of weeks.

He says Republicans have already proposed amendments to the current legislation.

Now it's down to whether they will get a special session.