SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The first Black lawmakers to lead the California Legislature’s public safety committees at the same time are promising “radical change” to improve treatment of Blacks and Latinos by law enforcement.
Sen. Steve Bradford and Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer plan to improve treatment of Blacks and Latinos by law enforcement by reviving stalled bills that would end the careers of bad officers, open more police records to public scrutiny, strip officers of some immunity from damages in lawsuits, and require officers to intervene if they see unjustified uses of force by colleagues.
Bradford and Jones-Sawyer did however, immediately acknowledged that their goals don't differ much from previous attempts by lawmakers and may not bear fruit for another generation.
Jones-Sawyer also is seeking to boost the age and education requirements for rookie police officers.
