WA HB1456

Removes the heightened "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard for the felony defense in civil lawsuits arising from law enforcement activities, restoring a simpler standard that a person's commission of a felony was a proximate cause of their injury or death

Expands authorized uses of physical force by peace officers to include taking persons into custody when authorized by statute and protecting against imminent threats of bodily injury to officers, other persons, or the subject

Adds new interpretive standards requiring use-of-force decisions to be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on scene, with allowance for split-second decision-making

Directs the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to develop a law enforcement appreciation media campaign highlighting officers who have acted heroically in their communities

Authorizes law enforcement officers (including Washington State Patrol, sheriffs, deputies, and state parks officers) to receive honoraria for presentations to college criminal justice and forensic science courses, with corresponding ethics law exemptions