Recently, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill which redefines the amount of force police officers can use in these frequent high-intensity situations. Every day, officers are faced with split-second decisions, led by their own intuition, which can shape the outcome of a situation that has numerous possibilities.
An officer’s judgment holds great importance in the eyes of many but is also subject to heavy amounts of speculation, which has led to controversy. Police brutality and when it’s suitable to use deadly force has become a huge topic of discussion throughout the country.
Bill AB 392 will hold officers accountable for actions that could be linked and charged as a homicide. If an investigation proves that the officer used deadly force when it wasn’t necessary, then these charges could be pressed on them. While officers won’t be stripped of the right to use deadly force, the exact wording in the bill states that deadly force can only be used when “necessary.” Co-authored by San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Weber and San Francisco assemblyman Kevin McCarty, the bill brings an adamant response to the death involving an unarmed black man and two officers.
Last year, two officers in Sacramento chose to use deadly force on an unarmed black man, Stephon Clark, which resulted in an outcry from legislators across California. The officers weren’t charged for Clark’s death, which led to the bill seen today. The case ruled in their favor, with Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert stating that the officers felt they were in danger, justifying the deadly force.
In response to the success Bill AB 392 has seen, Governor Newsom said, “It’s one thing to sign a piece of paper, pass legislation,” Newsom said. “It’s another to change hearts and minds, to change a culture. To change the way people conduct themselves, to hold themselves to a higher standard … That’s the work that we, collectively as a community, need to manifest at the peril of missing this moment and missing the point of this moment.”
The governor’s words must follow suit with action if he plans to create change. However, when does this change become unnecessary, and how can California legislators implement impactful change without passing many bills of similar nature.
