John Braun: A big step toward restoring public safety: Auto thefts fall to historic low

Senate Republican Leader Sen. John Braun (R-Centralia, LD 20) was featured in The Chronicle discussing the history and the 434,000 signatures gathered by Let’s Go Washington for Initiative 2113, which ultimately forced lawmakers to restore police pursuit in Washington state:

The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs has kept a record of the auto thefts reported across our state for each month since 2002. In those 23-plus years, the statewide number never fell below 1,500 in a month — until this April.

It was no fluke. May and June also came in under the 1,500-theft mark, and the first quarter of 2025 had already brought monthly counts lower than any time since spring 2019.

This is big news for anyone who cares about restoring public safety in Washington. It’s even more remarkable considering the epidemic of auto thefts our state suffered through for most of the past 48 months.

Credit for the turnaround belongs to those who overturned a weak, misguided law by exercising their right under Washington’s constitution to propose legislation through the initiative process.

Read the full article in The Chronicle.

Photo: Washington Senate Republicans