Washington Legislature keeps rules for body cam images

OLYMPIA – Current rules on what footage from police body cams can be released and what can be withheld from the public will remain in place under a bill that received final approval in the Senate Friday.

The Legislature passed temporary rules in 2016 on what images captured by the cameras some police departments require their officers wear. The rules generally exempt recordings that would likely be considered offensive, such as those taken in a medical facility or containing medical information; the interior of a private residence; intimate images; a minor; a dead body or information that would identify the victim of domestic violence or sexual assault.

Those requirements were put in place until July 1, 2019 while a special task force reviewed how they were being applied and offered recommendations on changes. The tax force issued its final report in December.

The bill sent to Gov. Jay Inslee removes that 2019 deadline and makes some minor changes, such as defining intimate images as people engaged in sexual activity or intimate body parts.