SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) -- A California assemblyman says he's hoping to stop police cliques from forming by introducing a new bill that will put an end to any law enforcement officer's career if they are engaged in that type of activity.
In a time where criticism towards law enforcement has been heightened, Assembly Member Mike Gipson. D-Carson, says he wants to be a part of making positive changes in law enforcement departments across the state.
“The people are demanding real systemic change take place within our law enforcement community,” Gipson explained.
Gipson introduced Assembly Bill 958 to help answer that need.
“Specifically, it bans law enforcement to having cliques within a department. Cliques are referred to as, police officer gangs,” Gipson said.
Gipson represents a portion of Los Angeles County and says officers in cliques typically engage in dangerous activity when dealing with the public.
“What they do is they brag about how much abuse and use of force that they use on individuals when they encounter an individual,” Gipson explained.
Gipson says those officers who engage in that type of behavior abuse their power.
“This is nothing but a street gang that's in a uniform with a badge and a gun,” Gipson said.
The bill passed through the Assembly Public Safety Committee this week.
“If in fact someone is in violation of that, then that person will still have their due process, but that person will be taken out of law enforcement and never to be a police officer or law enforcement officer in the state of California,” Gipson explained.
David Mastagni is an attorney for the Peace Officers Research Association of California.
He represents many officers and deputies in the Sacramento area and says a majority of the officers here are on board with Gipson and want to be a part of positive changes.
“Want to be a part of meaningful, significant reform to make things better and there's always room for improvement. They just don't want to be demonized and they want to be treated fairly,” Mastagni told FOX40.
Gipson introduced Assembly Bill 958 for the first time this week and it will head to the Appropriation Committee, but there is no set hearing for the bill as of Saturday.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/3xERfjT
No comments:
Post a Comment