California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed a number of police reform bills that ban chokeholds and carotid restraint techniques and allow the state's Justice Department (DOJ) to probe police shootings.
October 1, 2020
The wife of a Los Angeles police officer is suing the city after both she and her husband contracted typhus, which she alleges resulted from his working at an unsafe building located in an area with a large homeless population.
March 4, 2020
Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has reported to a Texas prison to begin a three-year prison term.
February 7, 2020
The union representing officers with the San Francisco Police Department called on the federal government to prosecute a man who is accused of attacking officers with a bottle last month, but who now no longer faces criminal charges for that alleged assault.
January 28, 2020
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
Under the new standard, prosecutors can also consider the actions both of officers and of the victim leading up to a deadly encounter, to determine whether the officer acted within the scope of law, policy and training.
August 19, 2019
If the bill becomes law, police agencies would have to adhere to statewide requirements that officers be instructed in ways to de-escalate confrontations. Officers would also be required to receive training in dealing with individuals who are homeless, mentally ill, in distress, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
May 29, 2019
A jury has awarded two Los Angeles Police Department bloodhound handlers more than $4 million each for the reprisals they faced after reporting that a supervisor was sexually harassing their female colleague.
May 22, 2019
Assembly Bill 392, backed by anti-police activists, has been called the toughest standard in the nation for when police can use deadly force. It was written months after Sacramento police shot Stephon Clark, a vehicle burglary suspect, after a foot pursuit when they mistook his cell phone for a gun.
April 24, 2019
The bill’s main author, Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, said AB 392 prevents “unnecessary deaths” by “clarifying law enforcement’s obligations.” Weber’s team said the legislation would push officers to rely on de-escalation techniques like verbal persuasion and crisis intervention methods instead of lethal force.
April 10, 2019
Asked whether she regrets not speaking to the family before announcing the death penalty would not be sought, Harris said, "I did not ask for permission to make my decision."
April 10, 2019
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office is in the spotlight after an inmate filed a claim against the city for its lack of seat belts in some prisoner transport vehicles.
April 5, 2019
The suit alleges Lili Hadsell, chief of police from 2008 to 2013, was subjected to prejudicial treatment that ultimately led to her firing. It also accuses the department of promoting Hadsell to the position as a form of “tokenism” as the city “paraded her around as a prop to celebrate themselves for having a female police chief.”
March 27, 2019
Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign an executive order on Wednesday to impose a moratorium on the death penalty in California, vowing that no prisoner in the state will be executed while he is in office.
March 13, 2019
Attorney Missy O’Linn discusses the unanimous decision by the California Supreme Court that allows departments to escape liability if their written policies mandate 100% officer certification.
February 28, 2019