Public safety must be a priority, legislators say

Public safety should be a top priority for this year's legislative session, Gov. Jay Inslee and bipartisan state legislators said on the eve of the 2024 legislative session.

"We need additional officers on the street," Inslee told reporters. "And to help local police forces find their additional officers, I'm proposing a $10 million grant program."

At the annual legislative preview with reporters, Republican and Democratic lawmakers and Inslee agreed they must work together to address challenges in education, housing, behavioral health, environment and transportation.

Those priorities largely...