Edmonds rep's bill would try to stop police from lying in interrogations
OLYMPIA — Victims of false confessions that lead to wrongful convictions, like Ted Bradford, want to prohibit police from using deceptive tactics during interrogations, and they have the backing of some lawmakers.
“It was the worst experience of my life,” said Bradford, Washington’s first DNA exoneree, when recalling his 1996 interrogation when he was accused of sexual assault. “I knew I was innocent … no matter how many times I told them over and over, I didn’t do this.”
House Bill 1062, sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, aims to make defendants’ statements inadmissible in court if police use deceptive tactics during interrogations to get those statements. Nine states have passed similar laws, but they only apply to juveniles. The bill has received two hearings in the House this legislative session.
Advocates say this legislation, aside from keeping innocent people out of prison, is also about building trust between the public and law enforcement. Some in law enforcement argue that deception is not coercion and taking away this tactic decreases their effectiveness in convicting people and solving cases.
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