WA HB1138

Statements obtained through intentional deception during law enforcement interrogations become presumptively inadmissible in court beginning December 31, 2026, for misdemeanor and felony investigations

"Deception" is defined as knowingly communicating false facts about evidence or making unauthorized statements about leniency to interrogation subjects

Prosecutors may overcome the inadmissibility presumption by proving with clear and convincing evidence that the statement was voluntary and not made in response to deception

The Criminal Justice Training Commission must contract with experts to develop free training on rapport-based, noncoercive interview techniques, available to all state law enforcement by July 1, 2026

Required training must cover the PEACE method, strategic use of true evidence, cognitive interviewing, trauma-informed interviewing, and the phenomenon of false confessions