Contact: Daisy Vieyra, 916-442-1036 x613
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2018

Sacramento – Today, the California Senate Appropriations Committee advanced legislation to open law enforcement misconduct and use of force records. SB 1421, introduced by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), will make public information about confirmed cases of misconduct – including sexual assault and job-related dishonesty – and serious uses of force by peace officers in California.

In response, a broad coalition of organizations supporting the bill released the following statement:

“We, the people, have a fundamental right to know when police shoot and kill, or engage in serious misconduct like falsifying evidence or committing sexual assault. But state law shields this abuse and misconduct behind a wall of secrecy, to the detriment of Californians’ wellbeing and safety. This secrecy further increases distrust in law enforcement, particularly within communities that are disproportionately subjected to police brutality, violence, and abuse.

We commend the Senate Appropriations Committee’s passage of SB 1421 and look forward to seeing the bill to the finish line to increase police transparency and accountability in California.”

SB 1421 now heads to the Senate for a floor vote. The bill is sponsored by the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, ACLU of California, Anti Police-Terror Project, Black Lives Matter California, California Faculty Association, California News Publishers Association, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, PICO California, PolicyLink, and Youth Justice Coalition LA.

# # #