Why We Oppose Mass ALPR Surveillance
8 arguments, each backed by documented incidents and legal precedent, written so you can read one into the record at a Snohomish County council meeting. Washington's own ALPR statute is broken down at the bottom of the page.
ESSB 6002: the Driver Privacy Act
ESSB 6002 bans using license plate readers for immigration enforcement, caps data retention at 21 days, requires a warrant to obtain private ALPR data, and provides that a camera hit alone cannot justify a traffic stop. Agencies must register their systems with the Attorney General, log every query, and run annual internal audits, and willful violations are gross misdemeanors. Those are restraints on the cameras, and every camera still running keeps scanning every plate that drives past. The law also stripped ALPR data out of the Public Records Act, taking away the records requests that had forced cities to shut their cameras off. That is why several local networks came back online in spring 2026, and why the decision to keep them or cancel them now sits with your city council. Signed by Governor Bob Ferguson on March 30, 2026 with an emergency clause, so it took effect immediately.
What it restrains
Immigration enforcement banned
Using an ALPR system for immigration investigation or enforcement is unlawful. So is tracking constitutionally protected speech activity, and collecting data near protected health care facilities, immigration facilities, schools, places of worship, courts, or food banks.
21 day retention limit
ALPR data must be deleted within 21 days, with narrow exceptions for felony warrants, subpoenas, and court orders. Parking enforcement data must go within 12 hours and commercial vehicle enforcement data within 4 hours.
A match alone cannot justify a stop
A positive ALPR hit by itself does not justify pulling a vehicle over. Officers need independent reasonable suspicion before making a stop. The misreads that have put innocent drivers at gunpoint elsewhere still happen; this rule only changes what an officer must have in hand before acting on one.
No selling, no sharing, warrants required
Agencies may not sell, lease, or purchase ALPR data, and may not disclose or permit access to it except in judicial proceedings. Obtaining private ALPR data requires a warrant. Vendors may not sell or rent access to unauthorized parties.
Registration and audit trails
Agencies must register their systems with the Attorney General and certify compliance, written policies, and officer training. Every access must be logged with the user, date, query, and purpose. Annual internal audits are required, and adopted policies must be published on the agency website.
Real penalties
Willful violations are gross misdemeanors. Injured parties can sue for damages, injunctions, and attorney fees, and data obtained in knowing violation of the law is inadmissible in court.
The catch
Public records exemption
ALPR data is now exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Act, except for bona fide research that contains no individually identifiable information. Washington courts had held the opposite in late 2025 and early 2026, and those rulings are what pushed Everett, Lynnwood, Stanwood, and others to switch their cameras off. This provision removed that pressure.
Deadlines to watch
- By July 1, 2027 the Attorney General must publish model ALPR policies.
- By December 1, 2027 agencies must adopt compliant policies, file them with the Attorney General, and begin annual reporting on matches leading to arrests, data sharing, and audits.
Sources: official Senate bill report and the legislature bill page.
Now Put It in Front of Your Council
An argument only counts when a resident of that city says it on the record. Check where your city stands, then bring one of these to the next meeting.