Assembly Bill Would Require Community Relations Training For Police Officers

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A bill in the California Assembly is geared toward helping police avoid violent clashes with protesters.

Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones helped introduce Assembly Bill 1118, authored by Assemblyman Rob Bonta of Oakland. The bill would change how officers engage the citizens they serve through better community relations training at every level.

"Especially with today's climate it's ever more critical," Jones said.

Cities like Baltimore, Maryland have been flashpoints for violent and explosive protests against police tactics. Some say the anger is fueled by how people of color are treated by officers. At the center of the conflict is a lack of trust.

"There are higher levels of mistrust in certain communities, especially communities that need us the most. Many times communities of color," Jones said.

The police chief says AB 1118 would improve that trust with intense, mandatory community relations training for all officers in California. Some of that training would be include how to treat people with dignity and respect, making decisions fairly based on facts and not factors like race, and giving people a voice.

"That's what the training is about discussing that and the training includes community input," Jones said.

Jones says the goal is to avoid the recent violent protests making headline across the country.

"Anything we can do in our communities to build up community trust on the front end is critical," he said.

Jones says the Stockton, Oakland and Salinas police departments have already implemented intense community relations training for officers and staff.