Kent police outline operational changes after new ALPR law, warn of shorter retention and limits

Kent Police Chief Raf Padilla told the council on April 21 that the city is changing how it uses automatic license-plate readers (ALPRs) after the Legislature enacted Senate Bill 6002 and the governor signed it with an emergency clause.

"There should be no question or concern. Kent PD is gonna absolutely comply with the letter of the law. Period," Chief Padilla said, emphasizing intent to meet the statute’s requirements while preserving public-safety capabilities. He said the city turned off the mobile (dash-mounted) ALPR function in patrol vehicles and is maintaining fixed ALPR units after auditing them for proximity to prohibited locations.

Padilla summarized the law’s operational limits: ALPR use is restricted principally to felony and gross-misdemeanor investigations (with a missing-persons exception), retention of ALPR images is limited to 21 days, public disclosure of ALPR data is eliminated, and national-database access for ALPR queries is blocked. He also flagged implementation uncertainties: the Attorney General’s model policy and a vendor certification process remain pending, the statute references geofencing around sensitive locations (schools, places of worship, health-care facilities, courts, food banks and 'immigrant service providers') but the city lacks a reliable source to identify all such sites, and the law appears to require warrants to access privately held ALPR data unless clarified.

Padilla said the department is taking a conservative approach until guidance is issued. He described vendor engagement—Flock and Axon are working to configure systems to the state standard—and participation in AGO stakeholder work to develop the certification and model policy.

Mayor Dana Ralph voiced concern about the change in investigative reach: "I will qualify it as that SB 6002 made our community less safe," she said, noting the department’s prior crime reductions attributed in part to ALPR use.

Council members asked procedural questions about warrants for private camera systems, whether certification covers fixed and mobile units (Padilla said certifications apply to all ALPRs), and whether the 21-day clock is measured from capture (Padilla said yes). Padilla also warned that restricting ALPRs from misdemeanor uses removes investigative authority for many common offenses (reckless driving, misdemeanor hit-and-run, shoplifting, trespass) and urged patience while staff work with the AGO and vendors.

Next steps: Kent staff will continue vendor work, participate in AGO stakeholder groups developing a model policy and certification, and return with precise policy recommendations once guidance and vendor configurations are available.