L&I law enforcement

AN ACT Relating to explicitly listing the department of labor and 1
industries in the definition of limited authority Washington law 2
enforcement agency while not granting new enforcement authority; and 3
amending RCW 10.93.020. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
Sec. 1. RCW 10.93.020 and 2024 c 319 s 2 are each amended to 6
read as follows: 7
As used in this chapter, the following terms have the meanings 8
indicated unless the context clearly requires otherwise.9
(1) "Agency with primary territorial jurisdiction" means a city 10
or town police agency which has responsibility for police activity 11
within its boundaries; or a county police or sheriff's department 12
which has responsibility with regard to police activity in the 13
unincorporated areas within the county boundaries; or a statutorily 14
authorized port district police agency or four-year state college or 15
university police agency which has responsibility for police activity 16
within the statutorily authorized enforcement boundaries of the port 17
district, state college, or university. 18
(2) "Federal peace officer" means any employee or agent of the 19
United States government who has the authority to carry firearms and 20
Z-0005.3
SENATE BILL 5209
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Lovick, Holy, Conway, Dhingra, and Nobles; by request of
Department of Labor & Industries
Prefiled 01/09/25. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on Law & Justice.
p. 1 SB 5209
make warrantless arrests and whose duties involve the enforcement of 1
criminal laws of the United States. 2
(3) "General authority Washington law enforcement agency" means 3
any agency, department, or division of a municipal corporation, 4
political subdivision, or other unit of local government of this 5
state, and any agency, department, or division of state government, 6
having as its primary function the detection and apprehension of 7
persons committing infractions or violating the traffic or criminal 8
laws in general, as distinguished from a limited authority Washington 9
law enforcement agency, and any other unit of government expressly 10
designated by statute as a general authority Washington law 11
enforcement agency. The Washington state patrol and the department of 12
fish and wildlife are general authority Washington law enforcement 13
agencies. 14
(4) "General authority Washington peace officer" means any fully 15
compensated and elected, appointed, or employed officer of a general 16
authority Washington law enforcement agency who is commissioned to 17
enforce the criminal laws of the state of Washington generally.18
(5) "Limited authority Washington law enforcement agency" means 19
any agency, political subdivision, or unit of local government of 20
this state, and any agency, department, or division of state 21
government, having as one of its functions the apprehension or 22
detection of persons committing infractions or violating the traffic 23
or criminal laws relating to limited subject areas, including , but 24
not limited to, the state departments of natural resources and social 25
and health services, the state gambling commission, the state lottery 26
commission, the state parks and recreation commission, the state 27
utilities and transportation commission, the state liquor and 28
cannabis board, the office of the insurance commissioner, the state 29
department of corrections, ((and)) the office of independent 30
investigations, and the state department of labor and industries.31
(6) "Limited authority Washington peace officer" means any fully 32
compensated officer of a limited authority Washington law enforcement 33
agency empowered by that agency to detect or apprehend violators of 34
the laws in some or all of the limited subject areas for which that 35
agency is responsible. A limited authority Washington peace officer 36
may be a specially commissioned Washington peace officer if otherwise 37
qualified for such status under this chapter. 38
(7) "Mutual law enforcement assistance" includes, but is not 39
limited to, one or more law enforcement agencies aiding or assisting 40
p. 2 SB 5209
one or more other such agencies through loans or exchanges of 1
personnel or of material resources, for law enforcement purposes.2
(8) "Primary commissioning agency" means (a) the employing agency 3
in the case of a general authority Washington peace officer, a 4
limited authority Washington peace officer, a tribal peace officer 5
from a federally recognized tribe, or a federal peace officer, and 6
(b) the commissioning agency in the case of a specially commissioned 7
Washington peace officer (i) who is performing functions within the 8
course and scope of the special commission and (ii) who is not also a 9
general authority Washington peace officer, a limited authority 10
Washington peace officer, a tribal peace officer from a federally 11
recognized tribe, or a federal peace officer. 12
(9) "Primary function of an agency" means that function to which 13
greater than fifty percent of the agency's resources are allocated.14
(10) "Reserve officer" means any person who does not serve as a 15
regularly employed, fully compensated peace officer of this state, 16
but who, when called by an agency into active service, is fully 17
commissioned on the same basis as regularly employed, fully 18
compensated officers to enforce the criminal laws of this state.19
(11) "Specially commissioned Washington peace officer," for the 20
purposes of this chapter, means any officer, whether part-time or 21
full-time, compensated or not, commissioned by a general authority 22
Washington law enforcement agency to enforce some or all of the 23
criminal laws of the state of Washington, who does not qualify under 24
this chapter as a general authority Washington peace officer for that 25
commissioning agency, specifically including reserve peace officers, 26
and specially commissioned full-time, fully compensated peace 27
officers duly commissioned by the states of Oregon or Idaho or any 28
such peace officer commissioned by a unit of local government of 29
Oregon or Idaho. 30
--- END ---
p. 3 SB 5209