Cop secrecy wins the latest round in California

ProPublica is reporting that a legislative effort to create more transparency among California’s police agencies didn’t make it out of the state’s Senate Appropriations Committee late last month. Senate Bill 1286, primarily authored by Democratic state Sen. Mark Leno would have ...

“ ... offered a much clearer view of how law enforcement agencies handle serious allegations of misconduct; in the case of a controversial police shooting, for example, the public would have been entitled obtain to the entire investigative file compiled by police detectives, though any personal data would have been redacted. The legislation also would have allowed the public to learn if any discipline was imposed on the officers involved in the incident.” 

“The bill met resistance from law enforcement organizations from around the state, including the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the Peace Officers Research Association of California. In a report to its members, PORAC said greater transparency would endanger officers, making them targets for people seeking revenge in the aftermath of police shootings and would generate more “mistrust” of officers.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune was a plaintiff in the 2006 court case which effectively sealed the records of police officers in the state. But times have changed—or so they thought: 

“The bill would allow local governments to hold these disciplinary hearings publicly. It would give the public access to records of allegations of past misbehavior that was sustained after an internal investigation was conducted. Record requirements would apply to use-of-force incidents, any alleged violations of citizens’s rights or allegations of on-the-job dishonesty. Public agencies would be able to access a broader range of confidential records.”

“Members of the public who file complaints about an officer would finally have the right to learn about the status of their complaint. ...”

“Members of the public who file complaints about an officer would finally have the right to learn about the status of their complaint. ...”

Sigh.