On Sunday, this newspaper provided an editorial addressing this thorny dilemma (“When the police are investigated”). Its intent was not to provide an answer but simply to promote dialogue and healthy debate.
Well, here goes. I concede the question is straightforward, but the answer may be less elusive, if we have an end result in mind.
After a year in which the use of lethal force by police officers spurred nationwide protests and bared outrage about the intersection of race and law enforcement in America, California legislators have returned to Sacramento determined to pass laws blunting police violence.
Who should investigate police shootings?
The question is straightforward; a consensus answer has proven elusive.
Statement from Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D – Sacramento) Chair of Budget Sub- Committee 2 on Education Finance, regarding the 2015-16 proposed budget:
“I am pleased with the Governor’s proposed budget blue print. The Governor’s focus is rightly on fiscal prudence, but also significantly reinvests in education from K-12, community colleges, and our higher education institutions. This framework is a good starting point for the Legislature to engage the administration and I look forward to working with the Governor on these issues and others, particularly increasing access for low income families to preschool.”
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A California bill aimed at increasing the public's trust of investigations of on-duty officers who fatally shoot suspects is being proposed by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento.
AB-86 would create a law enforcement panel, likely within the state Attorney General's office, to study each case of a California police officer fatally shooting someone and write reviews or issue recommendations.
