Gov. Jay Inslee today signed legislation that will let coroners and medical examiners be open – to the point of having immunity from liability – about their conclusions when talking about a death that occurs in connection with a law-enforcement action or inside a correctional facility.

“This bill makes it clear that a coroner or medical examiner is not prohibited from discussing the conclusions he or she may have reached,” said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, who introduced Senate Bill 5256. “That can be especially important when someone dies while in police custody or while in jail or prison, because that can bring more questions – and different questions, and a different level of emotion – than deaths that occur under other circumstances.”

The bill drew particular interest in Spokane County, which has seen several high-profile cases recently involving deaths related to law-enforcement actions. Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich was among supporters of SB 5256 and made his feelings clear in a May 10 letter to the governor.

“I strongly encourage you to sign this bill into law so the facts can be presented in an open public discussion,” Knezovich wrote. “By doing so, we will be able to provide the public with critical information and preserve the public’s trust in its law enforcement.”

The Spokane County Commission also weighed in with Inslee on the bill’s behalf, noting state law limits coroners and medical examiners to discussing their findings only with family members.

“This limitation and reluctance to release information is too often interpreted by the public as an attempt to ‘cover up’ details of an investigation. It infers that the law enforcement officer or corrections officer acted improperly. Ultimately, the inability to explain the findings in a case can contribute to mistrust of law enforcement and corrections officials,” wrote commissioners Shelly O’Quinn, Al French and Todd Mielke, adding that Padden’s bill addresses that concern.

“The public has a valid interest in the outcomes of these investigations,” said Padden, a former longtime Spokane County judge who is chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee. “When those in authority are comfortable being candid about how and why they believe such deaths occur, it can only help.”