Can I Legally Carry a Firearm in Washington? There is no statute that addresses whether a Washington citizen is legally allowed to openly carry a firearm. However, if a firearm is carried openly, RCW 9.41.270 regulates misuse of a gun, or other weapons, resulting from threatening gestures. Concealed carry With proper licensure, qualified citizens in the State of Washington can legally carry a concealed… Read More
Good Samaritan Laws The Constitution of the United States separates our country from many other nations on earth because it guarantees several types of freedom. Citizens are generally free to act at their own discretion, so long as they do not violate the rights of others. Citizens are also generally free not to act if they so choose,… Read More
Accident Investigation Forensics The vast majority of the time, police arrive on-scene well after the occurrence of a traffic crash and therefore have no first-hand knowledge of the events involved. Such events can range from mere fender-benders to major, multi-car incidents causing death and complete destruction of vehicles. Incidents involving several cars and therefore, several different impact events, can… Read More
Associative Criminal Liability in Washington The term, “guilt by association” is a colloquial expression generalizing the notion that if a person associates with criminals, then that person, himself, is criminally culpable. Although this is not a legal principle, it is roughly akin to legal doctrines upon which criminal statutes are based in each of the 50 states. To bring criminal… Read More
Hate Crimes in Washington In the overwhelming majority of states, hate crime statutes elevate the gravity of certain underlying offenses if the motivation for committing the crime is proven to be hate or other bias against members of a specific, protected group. Separate offense defined by motivation Washington defines its hate crime offense in RCW9A.36.080, which states in part… Read More
How Do The Different Forms Of Murder Differ From One Another? RCW 9A.32.010 defines homicide as “the killing of a human being by the act, procurement, or omission of another, death occurring at any time,” and is either (1) murder, (2) homicide by abuse, (3) manslaughter, (4) excusable homicide, or (5) justifiable homicide. The classifications of killing a person vary so greatly that the penalties range… Read More
What to Do if You Are Stopped by Police Being stopped by the police can be a very disturbing and unwelcome experience. Often, a stop by police is conducted on a person who is altogether innocent, but who faces scrutiny by virtue of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or by fitting the description of an offender of a proximal crime.… Read More
When can a Person be Held Unaccountable for a Crime Actually Committed? At times, a person can be proven in a court of law, beyond a reasonable doubt, to have been guilty of a crime yet not be held accountable for that crime. If proven by the defendant, either of two defenses will render the defendant free from sanctions arising out of a finding of guilt. Entrapment… Read More
The Role of Evidence in Criminal Arrest In order to make an arrest, police are held to a standard of proof known as probable cause, the name of which describes the standard. The level of certainty is not “absolute cause,” meaning that incontrovertible proof is not needed, but at the same time, it involves a level of certainty much greater than a mere… Read More
The Basics of Reporting a Crime Just as preventive measures can be enacted to help protect against the commission of crimes, reactive measures taken by civic-minded persons can increase the chances of recovering property or achieving justice after the fact. While most people never consider how to be a good witness for police before the fact, a small amount of education… Read More