This bill creates a new criminal offense titled "false identification as a peace officer" by adding a new section to chapter 9A.60 RCW. The offense occurs either when a person makes, provides to another, or possesses an item (including a card, document, badge, insignia, shoulder emblem, other item, or a vehicle) that bears an insignia of a law enforcement agency identifying a person as a peace officer or reserve law enforcement officer while knowing that the person so identified is not commissioned, or when a person intentionally or knowingly misrepresents an object (including a vehicle) as property belonging to a law enforcement agency, including displaying an item bearing an insignia in a way that would lead a reasonable person to interpret it as agency property. The offense is classified as a gross misdemeanor. The bill provides defenses if the item bearing an insignia clearly identifies the person as an honorary peace officer, honorary reserve law enforcement officer, or member of a posse, or if the person identified by the item was commissioned in that capacity when the item was made. The provision does not prohibit depiction of law enforcement for cultural, historical, political, religious, educational, newsworthy, or public interest purposes, including protected works of art, commentary, satire, and parody. The bill defines "item bearing an insignia of a law enforcement agency" to include words such as "police," "sheriff," "constable," "marshal," "trooper," or the title of a federal agency that employs federal peace officers, and refers to RCW 10.93.020 for the definition of "reserve officer"; it also defines "federal peace officer" as a U.S. government employee or agent with authority to carry firearms and make warrantless arrests whose duties involve enforcement of U.S. laws. Affected parties referenced include law enforcement agencies, peace officers and reserve law enforcement officers, honorary officers and posse members (as to the provided defenses), federal agencies that employ federal peace officers, and persons or works engaged in permitted depictions of law enforcement. The bill was prefiled 12/12/25, read first time 01/12/26, and referred to the House Committee on Law & Justice. The text provided does not specify an effective date or a section number within chapter 9A.60 RCW, does not include the text of RCW 10.93.020, and does not list the specific penalties (fine or jail terms) that apply to a gross misdemeanor.

If enacted, the bill would make it a crime to make, give, or keep items (including signs or vehicles) that falsely identify someone as a commissioned peace officer or to intentionally present an object as property of a law enforcement agency when the maker or possessor knows the person identified is not actually commissioned. That likely reduces the ability of people to create or use fake badges, markings, or marked vehicles to impersonate police, and could deter sellers or hobbyists from producing such items because they would face criminal exposure under the new gross misdemeanor offense. The law explicitly leaves room for legitimate honorary designations and for cultural, historical, educational, newsworthy, or artistic depictions. The people most affected are private individuals who make, sell, or display police-style insignia or marked vehicles, and anyone who might try to impersonate an officer; they would face greater legal risk and fewer options to use realistic agency identifiers. Law enforcement agencies would probably see increased enforcement responsibilities and occasional new cases to investigate, which could create modest workload or training needs, but the bill text here does not say when it would take effect, how penalties would be applied in practice, or the detailed definition of “reserve officer,” so some key implementation details and costs remain unclear.