Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Appropriations Committee
HB 1845
Brief Description: Establishing a body worn camera grant program.
Sponsors: Representatives Mosbrucker, Orwall, Jacobsen, Rule, Shewmake and Graham.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Requires the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to develop and implement a body camera grant program.
Hearing Date: 1/20/22
Staff: Yvonne Walker (786-7841).
Background:

The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) is a statewide organization consisting of executive and management personnel from law enforcement agencies.  Membership includes sheriffs, police chiefs, the Washington State Patrol, the Department of Corrections, and representatives of several federal agencies.  The 1975 Washington Legislature made the WASPC a statutory entity by designating the association as a "combination of units of local government."
 
The WASPC has been tasked with managing certain statewide programs, such as the Jail Booking and Reporting System. Additionally, it has been given administrative responsibility for several state-funded grant programs, including grant programs addressing gang crime, graffiti and tagging abatement, denied firearm purchase attempts, sexual assault kits, metal theft, and mental health field response.
 
Body cameras are small video cameras typically worn on the body by law enforcement officers to record arrests, evidence from crimes, and to document interactions law enforcement make with individuals in the community.
Summary of Bill:

Subject to appropriation, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs must develop and implement a body camera grant program. Grants may be used for the initial purchase, maintenance, and replacement of body-worn cameras. Grant funding may also be used for maintenance and storage data costs, costs associated with public records requests relating to body worn camera footage, and for the hiring of staff to operate a body-worn camera program.
 
Law enforcement agencies awarded grants must comply with state statutes relating to the use of body cameras, be able to redact information exempt from public inspection, provide training to officers who wear body cameras, and comply with data collection and reporting requirements established by the WASPC.
 
The WASPC must annually submit a report regarding the grant program to the Governor and appropriate committees of the Legislature by December 1st of each year the program is funded.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 12, 2022.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.