Cop killings spark tougher rules on out-of-state felons | Crime

Washington state will have more authority to send criminals from other states back where they came from under a new agreement sparked by the killing of four Lakewood police officers.

The agreement was proposed after Maurice Clemmons, a felon from Arkansas, was released and allowed to move to Washington state, where he killed the four officers in cold blood at a Parkland coffee shop in November 2009.

The measure has been championed by Gov. Chris Gergoire and others. It would apply not just to Washington state, but all states that join the Interstate Commission for Adult Supervision.

"We owe it to the families of the fallen Lakewood police officers to propose rule changes that better support public safety, and that’s what we did," Gregoire said. "I applaud the commissioners for making it less likely that Washington and other states will have an interstate case like Maurice Clemmons."

The amendment was formally proposed by Eldon Vail, head of the state Department of Corrections, and was approved Thursday. It will take effect March 1, 2011.

The rule changes provide states that receive offenders more authority to send them back if they pose a significant risk to public safety.

It also provides states with more complete criminal histories before agreeing to supervise offenders from other states.