H-4525.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2326

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State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By House Committee on Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Representatives Sterk, Bush, Van Luven, Dunn and Sheahan)

Read first time 01/23/98.  Referred to Committee on .

Limiting access to law enforcement personnel records and internal affairs files.

    AN ACT Relating to law enforcement personnel records and internal affairs files; and adding a new chapter to Title 5 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  (1) In a civil or criminal action in which all or a part of a record or file identified in subsection (2) of this section is offered as evidence, the court may not allow introduction of the offered material without a prior in camera review of the relevancy of the material.

    (2) Subsection (1) of this section applies to the internal affairs files and personnel records of a limited or general authority Washington law enforcement agency, as defined in RCW 10.93.020.

    (3) This section does not apply to a record or file pertaining to a law enforcement officer who is a party to the civil or criminal action.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  Section 1 of this act constitutes a new chapter in Title 5 RCW.

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