Tumwater committee advances body-worn camera policy 

A body-worn camera policy is one step closer to being implemented in Tumwater.

The Tumwater Public Health and Safety Committee endorsed Tumwater Police Policy 539, which now heads to the city council for further consideration. The policy was submitted by the Tumwater Police Department (TPD).

The Tumwater City Council is expected to take up the issue at a meeting on March 24. 

The two-member health and safety committee generally expressed support for the policy.

Council member Kelly Von Holtz said body-worn cameras improve safety and transparency, while noting Tumwater is the only city in Thurston County where the police do not yet use body-worn cameras.

Council member Brandon Weedon said he has a few concerns, which he will address at the city council meeting. 

Tumwater selected Axon, a public safety technology company, to provide the cameras, as well as replace existing in-car cameras.

TPD acting Deputy Chief Ken Driver told the committee the equipment arrived at the end of January. He added the department is currently working to schedule training and complete installation. 

Draft policy 

While the committee did not discuss the content of the policy, a draft copy was attached to the committee’s meeting packet. 

The eight-page draft policy covers a wide range of operational procedures, including officer’s responsibilities, rules for activating and deactivating the camera, recording prohibitions, uploading and retention protocols, and guidelines for public disclosure. 

According to the draft policy, officers are required to start recording during the following situations: 

• Calls for service resulting in in-person contact 

• Self-initiated law enforcement activities

• Attempts to detain or arrest an individual

• Any routine contact that becomes adversarial

• Custodial interviews of an adult for a felony offense or for a juvenile for any offense

• When directed to do so by a supervisor

• Any other circumstance where the officer believes it would be appropriate to record

The draft policy provides several exceptions to account for individual privacy, sensitive scenarios and safety risks. Officers would also have the discretion to mute or turn off cameras when someone wishes to anonymously provide information. 

When reasonably safe and feasible, officers would have to inform individuals that they are being recorded. Officers would have to make a reasonable effort to ensure non-English speakers or hearing-impaired individuals understand them.  

The policy notes since conversations with police are not considered private under Washington state law, officers would not be required to turn off the camera simply because a person objects to being recorded. 

All recorded material would be the sole property of the police department, though the public may request access through the Washington State Public Records Act. 

Driver noted the police department and Tumwater Police Guild have already agreed to the content of the policy, which was drafted in November 2025. A full copy of the draft policy is available here.