Within the past year, several strikingly brutal crimes have occurred in Washington State. The safety of people in our communities is being jeopardized by a number of individuals who engage in predatory, violent behavior, often accompanied by sexual assault.

A prompt and thorough review of the criminal justice system and the civil involuntary mental commitment process is necessary to explore additional methods of confining these individuals and protecting the public.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Booth Gardner, Governor of the State of Washington, by virtue of the power vested in me, do hereby establish the Governor's Task Force on Community protection, as follows:

A. The Task Force shall be composed of not more than 25 members, to be appointed by the Governor. The Governor shall appoint the Chair and membership, except the four legislators designated. The membership shall include persons with expertise on this issue and the operation of the criminal justice system and/or the mental health civil involuntary commitment procedures, plus citizen members.

B. Four Legislators, two selected by the Senate and two selected by the House, shall serve as Task Force members.

C. The Task Force shall have the following responsibilities:

1. Review the current criminal justice system and the mental health civil involuntary commitment process to measure their effectiveness in confining persons who are not safe to be at large in the community.

2. Assess the relationship between these criminal and mental health systems to identify the shortcomings.

3. Research the feasibility of creating a specialized, secure facility for certain categories of people who represent the most risk to society.

4. Consider research and approaches to enhancing our ability to accurately predict future behavior of individuals who have committed or who have threatened to commit violent criminal acts and establish legal criteria for confining them.

D. The Task Force shall submit a report containing recommendations for legislation, combining its review with the study of the need for a forensic hospital for mentally ill offenders mandated by Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1051, Chapter 420, Laws of 1989.

E. The Task Force shall complete its responsibilities prior to December 1, 1989, and will automatically be disbanded on that date.

F. This Executive Order is effective immediately.