Washington
Washington Police Body Camera Laws: Mandate & Access
Washington has no statewide law requiring police to use body cameras, though a 2026 bill to create one stalled in committee. Agencies that deploy cameras must adopt policies under RCW 10.109, and public access to footage is governed by (14), which exempts recordings only where nondisclosure protects a real privacy interest.
This guide is part of our Police Bodycam Laws by State series.
Jurisdiction scope: This article addresses Washington law governing police body-worn cameras: the policy requirements under RCW 10.109 for agencies that deploy cameras, and public access to footage under (14) of the Public Records Act. It does not address a bystander's right to record on-duty police, a different legal question covered in our guide to recording laws.
Does Washington require police departments to use body cameras?
Not yet, statewide. Washington regulates how agencies that use body-worn cameras must operate them, but no statute forces a department to buy or deploy cameras in the first place. requires any law-enforcement or corrections agency that "deploys body worn cameras" to adopt written policies, language that governs agencies once they opt in rather than compelling them to opt in. That leaves Washington's roughly 300 city, county, and tribal law-enforcement agencies to decide individually whether to fund a body-camera program, resulting in uneven coverage across the state. Seattle, King County, and many other larger departments have deployed cameras; smaller and rural agencies vary widely, according to MRSC, the Municipal Research and Services Center that advises Washington local governments.
What must a Washington agency's body-camera policy address?
sets six mandatory subjects for any policy governing a deployed body-worn camera program. At minimum, the policy must specify when a camera must be activated and deactivated and when that decision is left to officer discretion; how officers should respond when a person appears unwilling to be recorded; how officers document an early deactivation during an ongoing interaction; how officers notify the public that they are being recorded, including procedures for non-English speakers, people with limited English proficiency, and people who are deaf or hard of hearing; training requirements and how often that training is renewed; and the security rules protecting stored footage, according to RCW 10.109.010. An agency that deployed cameras before June 9, 2016 had 120 days to adopt a compliant policy; an agency deploying cameras afterward must have the policy in place before the cameras go into use.
What Washington bodycam footage is exempt from public disclosure?
Washington's Public Records Act does not treat bodycam footage as categorically open or categorically closed. Instead, RCW 42.56.240(14) allows an agency to withhold a recording only "to the extent nondisclosure is essential for the protection of any person's right to privacy," and it lists specific circumstances Washington agencies treat as presumptively highly offensive to a reasonable person if disclosed, according to RCW 42.56.240.
| Category (RCW 42.56.240(14)) | Presumed "highly offensive" if disclosed |
|---|---|
| Medical, counseling, or therapeutic facility interiors | Where a patient is receiving, awaiting, or discussing treatment |
| Protected health information | Under HIPAA or ch. 70.02 RCW standards |
| Interior of a private residence | Where a reasonable expectation of privacy exists |
| Body of a deceased person | Always |
| Intimate images | Nudity or sexually explicit content |
| Recordings of minors | Always |
| Domestic violence or sexual assault victim/witness identity | Especially where the victim prefers nondisclosure |
| Location of a domestic-violence shelter or program | Always |
Even within a presumptively exempt category, the agency must also determine the footage is not of legitimate concern to the public before withholding it, so the presumption can be overcome. Everything outside these enumerated categories, the large majority of routine bodycam footage involving traffic stops, public encounters, and calls for service in ordinary settings, is subject to the Public Records Act's general presumption of disclosure.
How do you request Washington bodycam footage, and who gets special access?
A Washington public-records request for bodycam footage must reasonably describe the recording being sought. Agencies commonly ask requesters to identify the people involved, the incident or case number, and the date, time, and location of the encounter, along with the name of the officer involved, to help staff locate the correct file among potentially thousands of recordings. Under RCW 42.56.240(14)(e)(i), a person directly involved in the recorded incident, and that person's attorney, receive preferential treatment: while the agency may still redact exempt material, it cannot charge that requester for the cost of the redaction work, according to MRSC. General requesters, including journalists and members of the public not involved in the incident, can be billed for that redaction time. That redaction-cost waiver is the extent of RCW 42.56.240(14)(e)(i)'s special treatment; the recording the attorney receives is still subject to any exemption that otherwise applies under the Public Records Act. House Bill 1080, which would have expanded body-camera access, passed the House in 2023 but stalled in the Senate and was never enacted, so it made no amendment to RCW 42.56.240.
Washington's push for a statewide mandate
Washington came closer to a statewide activation requirement in 2026 than at any earlier point. On January 22, 2026, Representative Tarra Simmons introduced House Bill 2644, the Law Enforcement Body Worn Camera Act, which would create a uniform statewide standard requiring all law-enforcement officers to activate their body cameras during law-enforcement encounters and would let anyone who is the subject of a recorded interaction obtain a copy at no cost, according to Washington House Democrats. The bill was referred to the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee on January 23, 2026, but did not advance further before the 2026 session's cutoff deadlines, according to the Washington State Legislature's bill tracking page. Until a future version of this or a similar bill passes, whether a given Washington resident's interaction with police is recorded still depends on which agency responds and that agency's own policy, not a statewide floor.
Is a civilian allowed to record the police in Washington?
That is the reverse question from the one this page answers. Washington generally recognizes a person's right to record an on-duty officer performing public duties in a public place. For the full explanation of that right and how it differs from the rules on police-generated bodycam footage discussed here, see Is It Illegal to Record Someone?
More Washington Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Washington require police departments to use body cameras?
No. RCW 10.109.010 only regulates agencies that choose to deploy body cameras; no statute currently forces adoption, though House Bill 2644 proposed a statewide mandate in 2026.
What happened to HB 2644, Washington's proposed body-camera mandate?
It was introduced January 22, 2026 and referred to the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee, but stalled there and did not pass during the 2026 session.
Can I get a copy of Washington police bodycam footage?
Generally yes, through a Public Records Act request, unless the footage falls into one of RCW 42.56.240(14)'s enumerated categories, such as a private residence interior, a medical facility, or a domestic violence victim's identity, where release is presumed highly offensive.
Do I have to pay for redacted Washington bodycam footage?
It depends. A person directly involved in the recorded incident, or their attorney, cannot be charged for redaction costs under RCW 42.56.240(14)(e)(i); other requesters can be billed for that work.
What must a Washington agency's body-camera policy cover?
At minimum, activation and deactivation rules, how officers handle reluctant subjects, documentation of early deactivation, notice procedures including for non-English speakers and deaf or hard-of-hearing people, training, and data security, per RCW 10.109.010.
Can a Washington defense attorney get unredacted bodycam footage?
RCW 42.56.240(14)(e)(i) only waives the redaction-cost charge for the attorney of a person directly involved in the incident; the footage they receive is still subject to any exemption that otherwise applies. RCW 42.56.240 was not amended in 2024 to create a separate unredacted-copy or confidentiality-agreement procedure, and House Bill 1080, which would have expanded body-camera access, never passed the Legislature.
Is it legal to record a Washington police officer?
That is a separate question from bodycam footage access. See our guide to Is It Illegal to Record Someone? for Washington's recording-consent rules.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Removed a fabricated claim that a 2024 amendment to RCW 42.56.240 lets an agency give a criminal defense attorney a complete, unredacted bodycam copy under a signed confidentiality agreement. The bill it cited (2SHB 1080) never passed the Legislature and made no amendment to RCW 42.56.240; the statute's only special treatment for a directly-involved person's attorney is a redaction-cost waiver under RCW 42.56.240(14)(e)(i), and the footage they receive remains subject to any exemption that otherwise applies.
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Reviewed and approved by an editor
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on 2 statutory provisions held in our own legal record, each retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Revised Code of Washington
§ 10.109.010Policies.In force
(1) A law enforcement or corrections agency that deploys body worn cameras must establish policies regarding the use of the cameras. The policies must, at a minimum, address: (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; (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, including in situations where the person is a non-English speaker or has limited English proficiency, or where the person is deaf or hard of hearing; (e) How officers are to be…
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 42.56.240Investigative, law enforcement, and crime victims.In forcecited in 10 of our articles
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.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at app.leg.wa.gov
Cited in 81 court opinionsMost recently applied by a court: 2025
Leading cases: Bainbridge Island Police Guild v. City of Puyallup (Washington Supreme Court 2011, 172 Wash. 2d 398) · BAINBRIDGE POLICE GUILD v. City of Puyallup (Washington Supreme Court 2011, 259 P.3d 190) · Sargent v. Seattle Police Dept. (Washington Supreme Court 2013, 179 Wash. 2d 376)
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Washington Laws on Recording Police: Your Rights and Legal Limits (2026), Washington Public Records Act: Requests, Fees, and Body Camera Video (2026), Are 911 Calls Public Records? State Access Guide (2026)
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Sources and References
- RCW 10.109.010, body worn camera policies, mandatory subjects for agencies that deploy cameras(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
- RCW 42.56.240(14), Public Records Act exemption for body worn camera recordings(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
- Washington State Legislature, HB 2644 bill summary and status, Law Enforcement Body Worn Camera Act (2026)(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
- Washington House Democrats, Rep. Tarra Simmons introduces bill package requiring officer-worn body cameras statewide(housedemocrats.wa.gov).gov
- MRSC, Disclosure of Law Enforcement Video Footage in Washington(mrsc.org)