Today, the Senate passed Senate Bill 5405 to increase security measures at military recruiting locations that are currently subject to active threats. Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, partnered with Washington’s military leadership in bringing this legislation forward.

“With how important the military is to our state, I think it’s important that we do what we can to protect those who protect us,” said Wilson. “These recruiting locations don’t have the same protections as a military installation and are more exposed because of their work out in the community. We owe it to them to give them the tools to keep safe when they’re in our neighborhoods.”

Senate Bill 5405 provides guarantees of adequate protection for National Guard facilities not based at a secure military installation. This includes locking devices, ballistic barriers, security cameras, armed security and other protections based on an assessment of threats and vulnerabilities.

Wilson worked with Adjutant General of the Washington Military Department, Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, to introduce the legislation.

Washington has one of the largest military presences in the country and four other states have seen recent attacks directed at military recruiting facilities resulting in multiple service members killed and injured. One individual has already been prosecuted in Washington for a planned attack on one of our own military recruiting locations.