California Agency Defends Decision to Destroy Old OIS Records

The Inglewood (CA) Police Department has decided to destroy records of investigations into officer-involved shootings, other uses of force, confirmed cases of sexual assault, and accusations of lying while on duty that date back to 1991.

The Inglewood (CA) Police Department has decided to destroy records of investigations into officer-involved shootings, other uses of force, confirmed cases of sexual assault, and accusations of lying while on duty that date back to 1991.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the records are slated to be destroyed just days before a new law would have made them available for public consumption.

The move has upset civil liberties advocates, but Inglewood Mayor James Butts defended the decision, telling reporters, "It's actually quite routine for us to do records destruction. The Finance Department, the Police Department and other entities—whenever they want to destroy records that exceed a time limit—they submit a staff report to the City Council and the City Council approves or disapproves the records destruction."

About the Author