Washington police say drivers aren’t stopping for them

The Washington State Patrol says drivers are increasingly refusing to stop for troopers - and other law enforcement agencies also say this is becoming a common occurrence.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington State Patrol says drivers are increasingly refusing to stop for troopers - and other law enforcement agencies also say this is becoming a common occurrence.

The Northwest News Network reports that from January 1 to May 17 of this year, the agency logged 934 failure-to-yield incidents.

While the patrol didn’t track this in the past, veteran troopers say there’s been a dramatic uptick.

Steve Strachan, the executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, connects the increase in failures-to-yield to passage last year of House Bill 1054, a sweeping police tactics law that barred high-speed pursuits except in limited circumstances.

Backers of the measure Advocates for police reform opposed the change said police pursuits were too dangerous.