But the new law鈥檚 once-chief supporter now has some misgivings about it.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday signed into law new guardrails for the use of automated license plate readers, amid concerns federal immigration authorities are tapping them to aid in their searches.
Under Senate Bill 6002, police can only use the readers when investigating felonies or gross misdemeanors, looking for stolen vehicles or those registered to people with arrest warrants and searching for missing or endangered people, with some exceptions. The data can鈥檛 be shared except in court proceedings, and will need to be deleted after 21 days, unless it鈥檚 needed for police evidence.
Under the new law, the cameras can鈥檛 be used for immigration enforcement or tracking protected activities like free speech. They also can鈥檛 collect data near protected health care or immigration facilities. Their use is also prohibited around schools, courts, food banks and places of worship.
Now ban them immediately and make it so their destruction isn鈥檛 considered a crime.
They also can鈥檛 collect data near protected health care or immigration facilities. Their use is also prohibited around schools, courts, food banks and places of worship.
That just expands the zone of suspicion to all those places and vicinities for an entity like ICE.