Fatal police shootings could become a crime under proposed California law

SAN FRANCISCO — A showdown over when police in this state can use deadly force is set to unfold in the California Legislature next week, one that could bring sweeping changes to local law enforcement departments that give officers broad latitude in deciding when to shoot to kill.

"The states are all over the map in the way they regulate deadly force, with some being very permissive, and that’s where California is right now," said Stoughton, noting that the Western state shares that reputation with Georgia, Texas and Florida. Among large states, New York has the fewest officer-related shooting deaths.

But critics say AB 392 ignores the nuanced difficulties inherent in police work and will have a calamitous effect on everything from policing practices to recruiting. AB 392 pits victims’ relatives and the American Civil Liberties Union against a massive statewide force — state and local officers serving 40 million people across 600 agencies with 120,000 personnel — that until recently was protected by one of the toughest police privacy laws in the country.

The deadly force “bill is important simply because if it had been in effect when my son was shot, there might be some accountability for their actions,” said Smith, who started a nonprofit called LEAN to help relatives of those killed by police deal with grief and seek answers.“This bill is about saving lives,” she says. “That includes police lives, and it includes the lives of bystanders. My son was shot in a Walmart parking lot at Christmas.

Another bill, Senate Bill 230, was put forth by law enforcement as an option to AB 392 and focuses largely on increasing training but doesn't address changing the standard for use of force.

About time.

Along with any laws like this, there needs to be an understanding that police are human beings.... and counseling should be a REQUIRED part of policing. We should assume that most police officers struggle with PTSD and treat them for it preemptively.

Under the right circumstances they already are

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Fatal police shootings could become a crime under proposed California lawUnder the proposed bill, police must feel confident that it is truly necessary to shoot to kill, or they could be prosecuted for killing their victim. Those poor officers. These changes will set them up to be helpless in the streets. So now they have to look it up on the manual first?
Source: USATODAY - 🏆 100. / 63 Read more »