California Senate OKs Bill Barring Grand Juries in Police Deadly Force Cases

The California state Senate on Thursday approved a measure that would prohibit grand juries from weighing in on cases of deadly shootings or excessive force by police, reports the Los Angeles Times .

Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) said her bill aims to "increase confidence of Californians in the judicial process," adding the current process is "a non-transparent process that is really antiquated and it calls into question whether the grand jury system is relevant anymore."

Republican Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber defended grand juries as "a very long-established and respected process." He opposed Mitchell's measure. "There is a deluge at this time of legislation that’s inarguably going to put more handcuffs on law enforcement," Nielsen said.

Mitchell's bill, SB 227, passed on a 23-12 vote. It now heads to the Assembly.