Law

Government
**Law**

Stories about law and politics in the Pacific Northwest, with many from KNKX’s Law and Justice reporter, Paula Wissel.

Latest Episodes:

Group Raises Money To Bail Moms Out Of Jail For Mother's Day May 09, 2018

Show notes

When you think of Mother’s Day, you probably don’t think of someone sitting in jail. But the Northwest Community Bail Fund is hoping you will this year. As part of a national effort, called 2018 Mama’s Day Bailout, the Seattle based nonprofit is trying to raise $10,000 for moms who are in jail awaiting trial because they can't afford bail.

Cost Of Investigating Child Pornography Puts Police Unit In Funding Pinch Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

When Seattle Police Capt. Mike Edwards says his department isn’t for everyone, he means it. “It takes a very special person to do this work and they can only do it for so long,” Edwards said of the state's Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

Judge Says Trump Administration Must Prove Transgender Ban Is Not Based On Prejudice Apr 17, 2018

Show notes

A federal judge in Seattle says the Trump administration still has to prove its ban on transgender troops is constitutional. The judge says people who are transgender can continue serving for now.

DNA leads to cold case suspect sketches from 1987 slayings Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Authorities in Washington state on Wednesday released composite sketches based on DNA evidence of a suspect in an unsolved, 30-year-old double slaying of a young Canadian couple.

Does A Foreign Worker Program Verge On 'Indentured Servitude'? A Debate Simmers In Washington State Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

More than 18,000 foreign workers, most of them from Mexico, traveled legally to Washington last year to labor on the state's farms, largely in the apple, pear, and cherry industries. Recent high-profile lawsuits have thrust the state into a debate about the benefits and shortcomings of the H-2A visa program, which allows farmers to import temporary workers from other countries to make up for labor shortages at home.

Lawsuit: Northwest Detention Center Guard Punched Detainee Over Hunger Strike Feb 23, 2018

Show notes

A guard punched a detainee at a Tacoma detention center for immigrants facing deportation in retaliation for a hunger strike, a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington claims.

Reward raised, New Attention On US Prosecutor's 2001 Slaying Feb 22, 2018

Show notes

SEATTLE (AP) — Sixteen years after federal prosecutor Thomas Wales was shot to death in his Seattle home, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Wednesday the unsolved case remains a top priority of the Justice Department.

State Lawmakers Hear Testimony For Police Accountability And Training Initiative Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

Dozens gathered in Olympia Tuesday night for a joint Senate Law and Justice Committee and House Public Safety Committee hearing on Initiative 940, known as “De-escalate Washington.” The initiative would make it easier to prosecute police for misuse of deadly force and require more training for officers.

Former Teaching Aide In Seattle Schools Pleads Not Guilty To Child Rape, Molestation Charges Feb 15, 2018

Show notes

A man who worked as an educational aide in nine Seattle public schools has pleaded not guilty to child rape and molestation charges. Albert Virachismith was employed at John Muir Elementary School in the Mount Baker neighborhood in the 2016-17 school year. That’s where he’s alleged to have sexually assaulted a student in the bathroom multiple times.

King County Deputies Receive Training In Violence De-escalation Jan 24, 2018

Show notes

(This story clarified at 12:54 pm, January 29, 2017, to reflect what less-lethal training King County Sheriff deputies have received and remarks made by the Director of Law Enforcement Oversight, Deborah Jacobs, regarding implicit-bias training.) Soon, all King County patrol deputies will have gone through violence de-escalation training. The King County Sheriff’s Office says non-patrol officers will also be trained. It’s part of a broader initiative to promote anti-biased policing in the department.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected