Washington Revised Code Title 13. Juvenile Courts and Juvenile Offenders § 13.40.042. Detention of juvenile suffering from mental disorder or substance use disorder

(1) When a police officer has reasonable cause to believe that a juvenile has committed acts constituting a nonfelony crime that is not a serious offense as identified in RCW 10.77.092, and the officer believes that the juvenile suffers from a mental disorder, and the local prosecutor has entered into an agreement with law enforcement regarding the detention of juveniles who may have a mental disorder or may be suffering from chemical dependency, the arresting officer, instead of taking the juvenile to the local juvenile detention facility, may take the juvenile to:

(2) For the purposes of this section, an “alternative location” means a facility or program that has the capacity to evaluate a youth and, if determined to be appropriate, develop a behavioral health intervention plan and initiate treatment.

(3) If a juvenile is taken to any location described in subsection (1)(a) or (b) of this section, the juvenile may be held for up to twelve hours and must be examined by a mental health or substance use disorder professional within three hours of arrival.

(4) The authority provided pursuant to this section is in addition to existing authority under RCW 10.31.110 and *10.31.120.