CA Governor Signs Law Allowing Citizens to Refuse to Help Police

Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed into law a bill that would no longer require any "able-bodied person 18 years of age or older" in the state to help an officer who requests assistance during an arrest.

September 5, 2019

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Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed into law a bill that would no longer require any "able-bodied person 18 years of age or older" in the state to help an officer who requests assistance during an arrest.

According to Fox News, the new law negates a law passed in 1872 called the California Posse Comitatus Act that made it a misdemeanor to refuse help to a police officer who requested assistance during an arrest.

The bill that Newsom signed removes that law from the books.

The California State Sheriff's Association said in a statement, "There are situations in which a peace officer might look to private persons for assistance in matters of emergency or risks to public safety and we are unconvinced that this statute should be repealed."

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