Attorney General Becerra Releases New Report On Police Use Of Force
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — California's Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the release of a new Department of Justice Report on the use of force by the Sacramento Police Department.
The report is separate from the investigation into Stephon Clark's Death. It recommends banning officers from performing chokeholds.
It also requires use of force training for police and the creation of a review board.
"The purpose of this review was to help identify best practices to achieve the safest outcomes for community members and officers alike," Becerra said.
An upcoming report will go beyond officer-involved shootings, covering the department's recruitment process and preventing bias.
The report focused on six areas and made substantial recommendations including:
- More expressly connecting the sanctity of human life with use of force-related policies;
- Prohibiting certain problematic uses of force, including needlessly high-risk force, such as chokeholds, and shooting at or from moving vehicles;
- Establishing a Use of Force Review Board;
- Requiring annual use of force training for all staff, regardless of rank;
- Finding meaningful ways to incorporate community members into the lesson plan development process during training;
- Conducting formal after-action reviews with officers, supervisors, and command staff, following officer-involved shootings;
- Developing and implementing a community outreach plan that includes regularly scheduled and broadly accessible meetings with Sacramento residents; and
- Working toward providing greater transparency by consistently releasing information regarding use of force and other related topics.
The full report is available here.
