This bill amends RCW 9A.76.020 to define and criminalize obstructing a law enforcement officer or other first responder. Under the amendment a person is guilty if they willfully hinder, delay, or obstruct an officer or first responder in the discharge of official duties, or, after receiving a verbal warning from a known or reasonably identifiable officer or first responder who is lawfully performing duties, knowingly and willfully approach or remain within 25 feet with intent to impede or interfere with duties, threaten physical harm, or harass. The offense is classified as a gross misdemeanor. The amendment also provides statutory definitions: "first responder" covers firefighters; emergency services dispatchers or recordkeepers; licensed or certified emergency medical personnel; members or former members of the Washington national guard acting in an emergency response capacity under chapter 38.52 RCW; coroners or medical examiners and their agents or employees. "Law enforcement officer" is tied to the definitions in RCW 10.93.020 and includes general, limited, or specially commissioned Washington peace officers and federal peace officers, as well as public officers responsible for enforcement of fire, building, zoning, and life and safety codes. The bill text cites amendment of RCW 9A.76.020 and 2001 c 308 s 3 and references RCW 10.93.020 and chapter 38.52 RCW. The statute includes an exception that a person who intervenes in defense of, or comes to the aid of, an officer or first responder who is in imminent danger is not guilty under this section. The extracted text shows the bill was read for the first time on 02/03/25 and specifies the 25-foot threshold, but the provided material does not include any effective date, fiscal information, legislative findings, or the prior statute text for full comparison.

If enacted, the law would make it a gross misdemeanor for someone to willfully interfere with police or other first responders and for someone who, after a verbal warning from an identifiable officer or responder, knowingly stays within 25 feet with the intent to impede, threaten, or harass. That creates a clearer criminal basis to remove or arrest people who get close to active scenes, so responders will have stronger legal backing to demand distance and to press charges when warnings are ignored. The people most affected are bystanders, protesters, and anyone who approaches emergency personnel, and the agencies listed (law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, coroners, and code enforcement officers) who would see expanded protection. Practically, agencies may need modest new training and documentation practices and prosecutors and courts could see more gross misdemeanor cases, but the provided text does not include an effective date, funding, or detailed fiscal impacts, and it leaves some terms (for example what counts as an officer being “known or reasonably identifiable” and how warnings must be given) unclear.