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License-plate readers · Benton County

Benton County

Using license-plate readers · 4 agencies documented

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Benton County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Axon
Cameras
19
19 Axon ALPR cameras approved in July 2026, per KNDO.
Contract
Axon: $227,107 total · from July 2026 · to Aug. 31, 2031 · approved by Benton County Board of Commissioners · Up to $227,107 before sales tax, paid from sheriff's office patrol funds. (KNDO/KNDU NonStop Local, July 29, 2026)
  1. July 29, 2026 Benton County commissioners approved 19 Axon license plate reader cameras for the sheriff's office, at up to $227,107 through Aug. 31, 2031; the tally was not reported. (KNDO/KNDU NonStop Local, July 29, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • KNDO said the approval came on a Wednesday; July 29, 2026 is the publication date and matches that day.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Kennewick Police Department

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. March 30, 2026 Kennewick police turned off their Flock cameras the day the governor signed the new state ALPR law, to work toward compliance. (Tri-City Herald, April 2026; The Center Square, April 5, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The Tri-City Herald said the shutdown happened Monday, the day the bill was signed (March 30, 2026). No reactivation was found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Richland Police Department

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety, Axon
  1. April 1, 2026 Richland police paused both systems (Flock fixed cameras and Axon readers in patrol cars) while they bring policies, registration and certification in line with the new law; no restart date was set. (City of Richland, April 1, 2026; KNDO/KNDU NonStop Local, April 1, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The city said it would post an update when systems are reactivated; none was found.

From agency records.

Prosser Police Department

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
20
20 cameras, per the Tri-City Herald.
Contract
Flock Safety: · to Nov. 2026 · The Center Square reported the city must keep paying its ALPR contract through November 2026. (The Center Square, April 5, 2026)
  1. Feb. 2026 Prosser shut down its 20 cameras over privacy and public records concerns. (Tri-City Herald / The Spokesman-Review, Feb. 4, 2026; Tri-City Herald, April 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The shutdown was reported by Feb. 4, 2026; the exact date was not found. Physical removal is not confirmed.
  • The cameras are shut down, but no formal termination was found and the city pays on the contract through November 2026.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. 2025 A University of Washington Center for Human Rights report on Flock networks in the state said as many as 80 public agencies in Washington reportedly use Flock, and examined how agencies share the data, including with federal agencies. (University of Washington Center for Human Rights, Oct. 21, 2025)
  2. Feb. 4, 2026 The state Senate passed Senate Bill 6002, sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma), 40-9. At that stage the bill required plate-reader data to be deleted within 21 days unless needed as evidence (a Senate committee had lengthened this from 72 hours), largely barred sharing, banned use for civil immigration enforcement and kept the data out of public records requests, apart from use in research. (Washington State Standard / KUOW, Feb. 5, 2026)
  3. March 2026 The state House passed SB 6002 84-10 in early March 2026. The House version added gross misdemeanors to the permitted investigative uses, and the bill returned to the Senate for concurrence. (Washington State Standard, March 6, 2026)
  4. March 30, 2026 Gov. Bob Ferguson signed SB 6002 on March 30, 2026, and it took effect at once. Police may now run plate searches only for felony or gross-misdemeanor cases, stolen cars, cars linked to people with arrest warrants, and missing or endangered people (with exceptions). Reads must be purged after 21 days unless kept as evidence, and they can be shared only for court cases. The law forbids using the readers for immigration enforcement or to monitor protected activity such as speech. It forbids collecting data near protected health care or immigration sites, schools, courts, food banks and houses of worship. Agencies must log who accessed the data and keep those logs for two years, and the data is closed to public records requests except for research. (Washington State Standard / KUOW, March 31, 2026)
  5. March 30, 2026 SB 6002 directs the Attorney General's Office to develop model plate-reader policies by July 1, 2027. Agencies must adopt them by December 2027. (Washington State Standard / KUOW, March 31, 2026; Washington State Standard, March 6, 2026)
  6. March 30, 2026 Flock Safety said it was already complying with parts of the law, such as purging data after 21 days. (Washington State Standard / KUOW, March 31, 2026)