Washington state lawmakers are drafting legislation to regulate automated license plate readers (ALPRs) following revelations that local police data was shared with federal immigration authorities. Spurred by a University of Washington report and advocacy from the ACLU, the proposed bill aims to establish strict guardrails on the surveillance technology. Key proposals include slashing data retention periods to just 72 hours and requiring a search warrant for inter-agency data sharing. These measures seek to curb potential misuse, such as tracking immigrants or individuals seeking abortions. While civil liberties groups champion the changes, police and city associations argue the restrictions are too severe, hampering criminal investigations and cross-jurisdictional cooperation. Law enforcement also seeks to exempt ALPR data from public records requests, a move some cities have already made by suspending their programs.