Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

Bellingham Police Department

Use of Force Policy Disclaimer

The Use of Force Policy and accompanying information below are provided as-is by the law enforcement agency

Agency's use-of-force policy is consistent with the AGO model policy:
No
Why agency's use-of force policy departs from the AGO model policy:
I feel our agency's policy does NOT depart from the AGO model policy with respects to the laws of the State of Washington, accountability of our agency to our community, and best practices. That being said, our agency's policy adheres to the applicable laws and best practices for general authority law enforcement agencies in Washington State and keeps its focus to that. In our opinion, the AGO model policy drifts from what is specified/required in law and goes into other topics/perspectives, sometimes expanding what is written in law.

So in some ways our agency's policy departs from the model policy if that makes sense.
How agency's use-of-force policy is consistent with RCW 10.120.020:
Our agency's policy is consistent with RCW 10.120.020 by listing verbatim the applicable laws and giving contextual basis for our personnel.
Date policy last updated: