California
Gov. Newsom signs sweeping police reform bills
More
than three dozen groups representing police officers opposed the legislation,
according to a report
California
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a series of police reform bills Thursday to address
law enforcement misconduct that would strip officers of their badges for a
range of incidents, among other measures.
Surrounded
by lawmakers and the family members of victims killed by police officers,
Newsom signed four bills he touted would increase transparency. During his
remarks, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said there is a "crisis of
trust" when it comes to law enforcement.
"We're
delivering concrete solutions from banning dangerous holds that lead to
asphyxia to multiple other mechanisms that improve accountability and oversight
and transparency," he said.
But more than three dozen groups representing
police officers opposed the legislation, claiming it subjects law enforcement
officers to double jeopardy with vague definitions of wrongdoing and calls for
the use of an oversight panel that would potentially be biased and lacking in
expertise about law enforcement, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Senate
Bill 2 "merely requires that the individual officer ‘engaged’ in serious
misconduct – not that they were found guilty, terminated, or even
disciplined," the California Police Chiefs Association wrote in a letter
to state lawmakers, according to the Times.
Another
bill, Assembly Bill 26, was opposed by the California Association of Highway
Patrolmen, which said it participated two years ago in an effort to change the
state's use-of-force policies, the Times reported.
The
Assembly bill calls for officers to intervene if they suspect a fellow officer
is using too much force against a suspect, but the police group argued that in
fast-moving incidents, an officer arriving at the scene of an incident might
not have enough information to determine if the force is excessive, according
to the newspaper.
With
Newsom's signings, California joins 46 other states that have laws on the books
allowing officers to be fired for acting criminally and for incidents involving
racial bias and excessive force. The reforms also raise the minimum age for
police officers from 18 to 21, ban some restraining techniques and limit the
use of rubber bullets during protests.
"I'm
here as governor of California mindful that we're in a juxtaposition of being a
leader on police reform and a lagger on police reform," Newsom said from a
park gymnasium in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena. "We have a lot to be
proud of but there's areas where we have nothing to brag about."
While signing the legislation, supporters
chanted "Say his name," in reference to Kenneth Ross Jr., a
25-year-old Black man who was killed in 2018 when an officer shot him at the
same Gardena park where the Thursday event occurred. An investigation
determined the officer, Michael Robbins, acted lawfully when he shot Ross.
Ross'
mother, Fouzia Almarou, said she hopes the bill prevents the loss of life,
particularly for people of color.
"This
bill means a lot because it's going to stop police from attacking and targeting
and being racist towards Black and brown people," she said.
Sandra
Quinto Collins, the mother of Angelo Quinto, brushed back tears as she thanked
lawmakers for passing the reforms. Quinto died when a San Francisco police
officer pressed his knee against his neck during a mental health response call
last year.
"To
lose a son, to lose a brother, sister, dad — that pain, that intensity, that
expression is reflected not just in the words of these two remarkable women and
their families, but we hope reflected in this legislation," Newsom said.
The
bill's signing came after failed negotiations in Congress halted a bipartisan
police reform plan.