Governor Brown Signs Landmark Police Reform Legislation Sponsored by ACLU of California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 30, 2018

Contact: Daisy Vieyra, 805-612-4710

Governor Brown Signs Landmark Police Reform Legislation Sponsored by ACLU of California

California will soon make police misconduct records available to the public and ensure police departments release of bodycamera footage of police shootings

Sacramento –

Today

, Governor Jerry Brown

signed

Senate Bill 1421 (Skinner) and Assembly Bill 748 (Ting),

historic

police reform legislation sponsored by the ACLU of California.

Peter

Bibring

, Director of Police Practices for the ACLU of California, responded with the following statement:

“

We

,

as a society

,

confer on law enforcement the unparalleled powers to stop, arrest and use force on people

, including deadly force

. Unfortunately, over the years, we

the people

have been stripped of the power to oversee

and hold law enforcement accountable

for their

use – and abuse – of these powers. All too often, we are left in the dark, even as

we

gain a greater awareness of systemic problems

with policing that

remain

rooted in

oppression

and racism

.

“

Today, we stand with communities that have demanded transparency, accountability and justice

in the face of widespread

police violence and misconduct

and applaud

Governor Brown for

signing

SB 1421 and AB 748

.

We are, however, disappointed that Governor Brown vetoed AB 3131

(Gloria/Chiu)

, a measure that would have

required law enforcement agencies to publish guidelines for the use of military equipment, and

given Californians valuable information about how, where, and why

that

equipment

is deployed

in

our

neighborhoods.

“

Together,

SB 1421

and AB 748

will shine a much-needed light on

police violence and abuse. Specifically, SB 1421 restores the public’s right to know

how departments investigate and hold accountable those officers who abuse their power

to

frame

, sexually assault, or kill members of the public.

AB 748 will ensure law enforcement agencies throughout the state release police recordings

of serious uses of force

, including body

camera footage, which are valuable tools for civilian oversight at a time of

growing

concern with police violence.

“

There is no doubt

these two bills

will

significantly

transform

policing

in California

and help address the current crisis in policing which has led to the deaths of far too many people – largely in Black and brown communities

.

“

Having an open government

that is accountable to the people

it serves

is not

merely

an ideal to strive for, it is a necessity to ensure the

safety and

wellbeing of our families and communities. Nowhere is that more

apparent

than in policing.

We look forward to working with our partners to ensure the successful imple

mentation of SB 1421

and AB

748

, and

continue

in

our relentless pursuit

to

achieve racial justice and

empower Californians to have a greater say in how their neighborhoods are policed

.”

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