California Assembly Approves Use-of-Force Reform Bill
The California state assembly has unanimously passed a piece of proposed legislation that would change the justification for police to use deadly force from the U.S. Supreme Court's "reasonable" to "necessary."
May 30, 2019
The California state assembly has unanimously passed a piece of proposed legislation that would change the justification for police to use deadly force from the U.S. Supreme Court's "reasonable" to "necessary."
According to the San Francisco Chronicle , the unanimous vote to pass AB392 came after a deal last week between law enforcement groups and civil liberties advocates that cleared the way for the state to adopt one of the tightest use-of-force standards in the country.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
The bill’s main author—Democratic Assemblywoman Shirley Weber—said the bill prevents "unnecessary deaths" by "clarifying law enforcement’s obligations."
Shane LaVigne—a lobbyist for the California Fraternal Order of Police—said the bill creates an "impossible standard" and that officers often face "tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving" life and death situations.
A second bill —SB230—to increase training for officers and strengthen the requirements for what departments must include in their use-of-force policy, passed unanimously in the Senate on Tuesday and now goes to the Assembly.
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