The Latest: Police group calls use-of-force bill ‘dangerous’
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a proposal to change when police can use deadly force (all times local):
7:15 p.m.
The largest law enforcement organization in California calls proposed changes to the use-of-force law a “dangerous rush to judgment.”
State lawmakers proposed a bill Tuesday that would change the current “reasonable force” rule to “necessary force.” The bill was proposed in the wake of the police killing of a 22-year-old unarmed black man in Sacramento.
The American Civil Liberties Union says it would mean officers could shoot only if there were no reasonable alternatives to using deadly force.
The Peace Officers Research Association of California, which represents over 70,000 public safety members, says the measure will require officers in dangerous situations to employ a checklist that ultimately places everyone at risk.
The agency released a statement late Tuesday saying officials want to meet with the bill’s authors.
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1:10 p.m.
The family of a 22-year-old unarmed black man fatally shot by Sacramento officers says a proposed California law could mean more young African-Americans survive confrontations with police.
Curtis Gordon, an uncle of Stephon Clark, is supporting the measure introduced Tuesday that would make California the first state to significantly restrict when officers can use their guns.
Officers could shoot only if there were no reasonable alternatives, such as first trying to defuse confrontations or using less-deadly weapons.
Assemblyman Chris Holden, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, says the legislation would rein in a “shoot-first, ask-questions-later police force.”
A police expert calls the proposal irresponsible and unworkable.
Two Sacramento officers say they fatally shot Clark because they mistakenly thought he had a gun.
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11:17 p.m.
Several state lawmakers and the family of a 22-year-old unarmed black man fatally shot by police want to make California the first to significantly restrict when officers can open fire.
Democratic Assembly members Shirley Weber and Kevin McCarty are proposing a bill Tuesday that would change the current “reasonable force” rule to “necessary force.”
The American Civil Liberties Union says it would mean officers could shoot only if there were no reasonable alternatives to using deadly force.
The goal is to encourage officers to defuse confrontations or use less-lethal weapons.
Law enforcement organizations aren’t immediately commenting.
The proposal comes after two Sacramento police officers chased Stephon Clark into his grandparents’ backyard. They say they shot at him because they thought he had a gun.
Investigators found only a cellphone.