OLYMPIA, Wash. – Governor Jay Inslee (D) signed a bill on Tuesday which banned the police practice of hog-tying.
Tacoma resident Manuel Ellis died after being hog-tied by police officers in March 2020. While the three officers involved in the death were acquitted of criminal guilt in early 2024, the incident continued to draw legislative scrutiny to hog-tying as a restraint method.
Now that the bill has been signed into law, law enforcement around the Evergreen State are not allowed to hog-tie suspects.
The policy could impact policing in Spokane.
Trent Yohe, a Spokane resident, died while in Spokane Police Department hog-tie restraints in May 2007, which later resulted in a $50,000 settlement to Yohe’s family.
Primary sponsor Senator Yasmin Trudeau (D) touted the passage as a step-forward for civil rights in Washington.
“The bill establishes that hog-tying constitutes the use of excessive force, a practice that has tragically resulted in lives lost, including that of Manuel Ellis,” Trudeau said.
Hog-tying now constitutes an excessive use of force under Washington State law.
