Mutual Aid Agreements In 1985, the Legislature passed Chapter 10.93 of the Revised Code of Washington, referred to as Washington mutual aid peace officer powers act of 1985 . The intent of this chapter was to remove barriers that existed for agencies to provide mutual aid to one another. The chapter allowed general authority peace officers to conduct law enforcement in other jurisdictions with the following enumerated circumstances: 1. Upon the prior written consent of the sheriff or chief of police in whose primary territorial jurisdiction the exercise of the powers occurs; 2. In response to an emergency involving an immediate threat to human life or property; 3. In response to a request for assistance pursuant to a mutual law enforcement assistance agreement with the agency of primary territorial jurisdiction or in response to the request of a peace officer with enforcement authority; 4. When the officer is transporting a prisoner; During this time, agencies would have to fill out an MOU for every agency that could come to their area to conduct law enforcement in the above situations. To remove this cumbersome task, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) created an online template that could be used and stored on the their website, giving other agencies the authority and ability to give mutual aid. CWUPD has participated in this agreement since its conception. Our department recently signed an updated form and that is located on WASPC’s website for all state agencies to view 6 . All state universities’ agreements are posted online as well. In addition to WASPC MOUs for mutual aid, we also have a mutual aid agreement with the Ellensburg Police Department, Kittitas County Sheriff’s Department, Cle-Elum Police Department and the Kittitas Police Department. This agreement outlines mutual aid that is beyond the scope of WASPC’s agreements. These local MOUs are currently in the process of revision and will only have current chiefs and the current sheriff’s signatures on the form. Mutual aid is a critical source of support for Washington State police departments and takes many forms. For example, in early October, Eastern Washington University’s assistant chief passed away. Four of our officers and our chief went to EWU to police the football game so their officers could attend the funeral of their departed assistant chief. During the fake shooter incident in February, the Ellensburg Police Department provided mutual aid by initiating and assisting in the investigation to determine the source of the 911 calls. On March 28, 2019, EWUPD and WSUPD each sent two officers to police our campus for 10 hours while our officers attended the funeral of Deputy Ryan Thompson. Mutual aid is continuous and is repetitively used during large and small events. Most weekends include utilizing mutual aid agreements among local agencies during a call or a case. Kittitas County is truly fortunate to have a cohesive team of law enforcement. 5. When the officer is executing an arrest warrant or search warrant; or 6. When the officer is in fresh pursuit, as defined in RCW 10.93.120.
6 https://www.waspc.org/police-officers-powers-act
Page 11 of 12
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online