Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Law

Washington state changed how it handles police misconduct. Here's how it's going

Auburn Police Officer Jeffrey Nelson, center, attends closing arguments at Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, Wash. Thursday, June 20, 2024.
Erika Schultz
/
Pool Photo via The Seattle Times
Auburn Police Officer Jeffrey Nelson, center, attends closing arguments in Kent, Wash. Thursday, June 20, 2024. The jury found Nelson guilty of murder, a first in Washington. He may, or may not, be decertified before his criminal case is fully resolved.

When a police officer does something wrong, one option is decertification – taking away their badge and gun, for good.

Washington is one of more than 20 states that have created, or strengthened, paths to decertification. But there are some hurdles.

Journalist Jared Brown reported this story for NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday. He recently completed his Poynter fellowship with KNKX and launched the Pacific Northwest Justice Journal.

Brown joined KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick to discuss how an officer recently lost their badge for excessive force; recent reforms to Washington's decertification policy; and pending decertification cases, including against the officers acquitted of killing Manny Ellis.

Click "Listen" above to hear their conversation.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Jared Brown was a Poynter Media and Journalism Fellow based at KNKX covering the intersections of policing, courts and power with a focus on accountability and solutions.