AN ACT Relating to the use of body worn cameras by law enforcement officers;
HB 2644 establishes a statewide framework for the use of body worn cameras by Washington law enforcement officers. The bill defines key terms such as body worn camera, incident, public interaction, law enforcement agency, and law enforcement officer, and declares legislative findings emphasizing transparency, accountability, and the value of recordings for investigations and court proceedings. It requires officers to activate body cameras before arriving at an incident scene or before initiating a public interaction, and generally keep them on until the encounter fully concludes, including transport of detainees or suspects.
The bill allows deactivation only in limited circumstances, such as confidential informant or undercover situations, personal breaks, administrative discussions, or when the officer is not engaged in law enforcement activity. If a camera is turned off, the officer must verbally record the reason before deactivation and reactivate it when law enforcement activity resumes. Agencies must store recordings in secure digital evidence systems, retain them for at least 90 days generally, and for at least three years in cases involving use of force, arrest or detention, or complaints/investigations of officer conduct. Unauthorized access, alteration, or deletion is prohibited and subject to discipline.
The bill would amend and add multiple sections to Washington law to create a new chapter governing body worn cameras, and it also amends existing statutes to align rules for general authority law enforcement agencies, limited authority agencies, corrections agencies, jail personnel, and detention facilities. It preempts local laws on body camera use for general authority peace officers, while allowing local ordinances only if consistent with state law. The bill also requires agencies to adopt or update policies on activation, deactivation, notice to the public, training, retention, and data security, and it authorizes a person recorded in an incident or public interaction to request a copy of the recording at no cost, subject to other law.
In addition, the bill directs the state commission to distribute funding to local agencies for purchasing and maintaining body camera equipment and secure storage systems, and to report annually on funding distribution. The commission must also monitor local agency compliance and submit a report to the Legislature on whether agencies have equipped officers, implemented secure storage, and updated policies. The act takes effect July 1 and includes an expiration date for the compliance-reporting section.
The bill’s stated purpose and structure reflect generally favorable sentiment toward body worn cameras, with the Legislature emphasizing public trust, transparency, and accountability. Even without recorded committee testimony or votes, the bill text itself presents body cameras as beneficial to both officers and the public, suggesting a policy consensus in favor of broader deployment and uniform standards. The inclusion of state funding and compliance monitoring also indicates an effort to support implementation rather than simply mandate it.
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s statewide preemption of local control, the operational burdens on agencies, and the limits on officer discretion. Local governments may object to losing flexibility to set their own body camera rules, while law enforcement agencies may be concerned about costs, storage requirements, retention periods, training mandates, and disciplinary consequences for noncompliance. Privacy and safety concerns are also implicated by the rules on recording public interactions, the requirement to notify people they are being recorded, and the narrow exceptions for deactivation, especially in situations involving confidential informants, undercover work, or individuals who may be less willing to speak on camera.