[AUDIO] Lawmakers in Olympia voted Thursday to set clear ground rules for increasingly common surveillance cameras that remind some citizens of the dystopian novel “1984.” Dan Frizzell from the House Democratic Caucus has more.
TRANSCRIPT: Members of both the Senate and House overwhelmingly voted to put strict regulations on the use of data gathered by hundreds, if not thousands, of automated cameras looking down on Washingtonians throughout the state. Ostensibly used by local law enforcement agencies to deter or aid in solving crimes, information obtained by the automated license plate readers has been illegally shared on several occasions with federal agencies, including ICE, in violation of the state’s Keep Washington Working Act. Representative Osman Salahuddin sponsored the House version of the Senate bill that ultimately was approved.
SALAHUDDIN: “We were seeing huge concern, especially with companies like Flock or Axon, who had actually opened up access unbeknownst to our law enforcement agencies, to federal and out-of-state law enforcement. We want to make sure that our data in Washington state is kept here. This bill prevents that data from being shared. There’s a retention period of 21 days that allows for our data to be deleted if there’s no criminal investigation. So we’re protecting our residents here in Washington.” [:25]
Salahuddin, a Democrat from Redmond, said the bill also bars use of the surveillance cameras to track participants in protected activities, such as protests, and forbids placement of the cameras near schools, churches, or court buildings. In Olympia, Dan Frizzell.