AN ACT Relating to video and/or sound recordings made by law enforcement or corrections officers; amending RCW 42.56.120; reenacting and amending RCW 42.56.240 and 42.56.080; adding a new chapter to Title 10 RCW; creating new sections; and providing expiration dates.

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

Sec. 2.  RCW 42.56.240 and 2015 c 224 s 3 and 2015 c 91 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

The following investigative, law enforcement, and crime victim information is exempt from public inspection and copying under this chapter:

(1) Specific intelligence information and specific investigative records compiled by investigative, law enforcement, and penology agencies, and state agencies vested with the responsibility to discipline members of any profession, the nondisclosure of which is essential to effective law enforcement or for the protection of any person's right to privacy;

(2) Information revealing the identity of persons who are witnesses to or victims of crime or who file complaints with investigative, law enforcement, or penology agencies, other than the commission, if disclosure would endanger any person's life, physical safety, or property. If at the time a complaint is filed the complainant, victim, or witness indicates a desire for disclosure or nondisclosure, such desire shall govern. However, all complaints filed with the commission about any elected official or candidate for public office must be made in writing and signed by the complainant under oath;

(3) Any records of investigative reports prepared by any state, county, municipal, or other law enforcement agency pertaining to sex offenses contained in chapter 9A.44 RCW or sexually violent offenses as defined in RCW 71.09.020, which have been transferred to the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs for permanent electronic retention and retrieval pursuant to RCW 40.14.070(2)(b);

(4) License applications under RCW 9.41.070; copies of license applications or information on the applications may be released to law enforcement or corrections agencies;

(5) Information revealing the identity of child victims of sexual assault who are under age eighteen. Identifying information means the child victim's name, address, location, photograph, and in cases in which the child victim is a relative or stepchild of the alleged perpetrator, identification of the relationship between the child and the alleged perpetrator;

(6) Information contained in a local or regionally maintained gang database as well as the statewide gang database referenced in RCW 43.43.762;

(7) Data from the electronic sales tracking system established in RCW 69.43.165;

(8) Information submitted to the statewide unified sex offender notification and registration program under RCW 36.28A.040(6) by a person for the purpose of receiving notification regarding a registered sex offender, including the person's name, residential address, and email address;

(9) Personally identifying information collected by law enforcement agencies pursuant to local security alarm system programs and vacation crime watch programs. Nothing in this subsection shall be interpreted so as to prohibit the legal owner of a residence or business from accessing information regarding his or her residence or business;

(10) The felony firearm offense conviction database of felony firearm offenders established in RCW 43.43.822;

(11) The identity of a state employee or officer who has in good faith filed a complaint with an ethics board, as provided in RCW 42.52.410, or who has in good faith reported improper governmental action, as defined in RCW 42.40.020, to the auditor or other public official, as defined in RCW 42.40.020;

(12) The following security threat group information collected and maintained by the department of corrections pursuant to RCW 72.09.745: (a) Information that could lead to the identification of a person's security threat group status, affiliation, or activities; (b) information that reveals specific security threats associated with the operation and activities of security threat groups; and (c) information that identifies the number of security threat group members, affiliates, or associates; ((and))

(13) The global positioning system data that would indicate the location of the residence of an employee or worker of a criminal justice agency as defined in RCW 10.97.030; and

(h) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to restrict access to body worn camera recordings as otherwise permitted by law for official or recognized civilian and accountability bodies or pursuant to any court order.

Sec. 3.  RCW 42.56.080 and 2005 c 483 s 1 and 2005 c 274 s 285 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

Public records shall be available for inspection and copying, and agencies shall, upon request for identifiable public records, make them promptly available to any person including, if applicable, on a partial or installment basis as records that are part of a larger set of requested records are assembled or made ready for inspection or disclosure. Agencies shall not deny a request for identifiable public records solely on the basis that the request is overbroad. Agencies shall not distinguish among persons requesting records, and such persons shall not be required to provide information as to the purpose for the request except to establish whether inspection and copying would violate RCW 42.56.070(9) or 42.56.240(14), or other statute which exempts or prohibits disclosure of specific information or records to certain persons. Agency facilities shall be made available to any person for the copying of public records except when and to the extent that this would unreasonably disrupt the operations of the agency. Agencies shall honor requests received by mail for identifiable public records unless exempted by provisions of this chapter.

Sec. 4.  RCW 42.56.120 and 2005 c 483 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

No fee shall be charged for the inspection of public records((. No fee shall be charged for)) or locating public documents and making them available for copying, except as provided in RCW 42.56.240(14). A reasonable charge may be imposed for providing copies of public records and for the use by any person of agency equipment or equipment of the office of the secretary of the senate or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives to copy public records, which charges shall not exceed the amount necessary to reimburse the agency, the office of the secretary of the senate, or the office of the chief clerk of the house of representatives for its actual costs directly incident to such copying. Agency charges for photocopies shall be imposed in accordance with the actual per page cost or other costs established and published by the agency. In no event may an agency charge a per page cost greater than the actual per page cost as established and published by the agency. To the extent the agency has not determined the actual per page cost for photocopies of public records, the agency may not charge in excess of fifteen cents per page. An agency may require a deposit in an amount not to exceed ten percent of the estimated cost of providing copies for a request. If an agency makes a request available on a partial or installment basis, the agency may charge for each part of the request as it is provided. If an installment of a records request is not claimed or reviewed, the agency is not obligated to fulfill the balance of the request.

(a) When a body worn camera must be activated and deactivated, and when a law enforcement or corrections officer has the discretion to activate and deactivate the body worn camera;

(b) How a law enforcement or corrections officer is to respond to circumstances when it would be reasonably anticipated that a person may be unwilling or less willing to communicate with an officer who is recording the communication with a body worn camera;

(c) How a law enforcement or corrections officer will document when and why a body worn camera was deactivated prior to the conclusion of an interaction with a member of the public while conducting official law enforcement or corrections business; and

(d) How, and under what circumstances, a law enforcement or corrections officer is to inform a member of the public that he or she is being recorded.

(2) A law enforcement or corrections agency that deploys body worn cameras by the effective date of this section must establish the policies within one hundred twenty days of the effective date of this section. A law enforcement or corrections agency that deploys body worn cameras on or after the effective date of this section must establish the policies before deploying body worn cameras.

(3) This section expires July 1, 2018.

(a) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate;

(b) One member from each of the two largest caucuses in the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(c) A representative from the governor's office;

(d) Two representatives from the Washington association of prosecuting attorneys;

(e) A representative from the Washington defender association;

(f) A representative of the Washington association of criminal defense lawyers;

(g) A representative from the American civil liberties union of Washington;

(h) A representative from the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs;

(i) Four chief local law enforcement officers, at least two of whom must be from local law enforcement agencies that have deployed body worn cameras, appointed jointly by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives;

(j) One law enforcement officer, appointed jointly by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives;

(k) One representative of local governments responsible for oversight of law enforcement, appointed jointly by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives;

(l) A representative from the Washington coalition for open government;

(m) A representative of the news media, appointed jointly by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives;

(n) A representative of victims advocacy groups, appointed jointly by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives;

(o) Two representatives with experience in interactions between law enforcement and the public, appointed by the Washington state commission on African-American affairs;

(p) Two representatives with experience in interactions between law enforcement and the public, appointed by the Washington state commission on Asian Pacific American affairs;

(q) Two representatives with experience in interactions between law enforcement and the public, appointed by the Washington state commission on Hispanic affairs;

(r) Two representatives of the tribal communities with experience in interactions between law enforcement and the public, appointed jointly by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives; and

(s) A public member, appointed jointly by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives.

(2) The task force shall choose two cochairs from among its legislative members.

(3) The task force may request such information, recordings, and other records from agencies as the task force deems appropriate for it to effectuate this section. A participating agency must provide such information, recordings, or records upon request subject to exemptions under chapter 42.56 RCW or any applicable law.

(4) Staff support for the task force shall be provided by the office of the chief information officer, with the assistance of the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.

(5) Legislative members of the task force may be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members, except those representing an employer or organization, are entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses as provided in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

(6) The expenses of the task force shall be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house executive rules committee, or their successor committees.

(7) The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2017. The report must include, but is not limited to, findings and recommendations regarding costs assessed to requesters, policies adopted by agencies, retention and retrieval of data, and the use of body worn cameras for gathering evidence, surveillance, and police accountability.

(8) This section expires June 1, 2018.

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