Police Use of Force Bill Moves to Critical Floor Vote
Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego) announced today that AB 392, use-of-force legislation she authored with Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), will move to a vote on the Assembly Floor after amendments have removed opposition of law enforcement groups.
“With so many unnecessary deaths, I think everyone agrees that we need to change how deadly force is used in California,” Weber said. “We can now move a policy forward that will save lives and change the culture of policing in California.”
AB 392 will require that officers use deadly force only when there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to themselves or others. The bill also makes clear that officers must use other resources and techniques, whenever safe and feasible, to address threats instead of using deadly force. These changes will be reflected in both law enforcement agency policy and officer training statewide.
As it moves to a critical vote over the next few days, AB 392 has also gained support of Governor Gavin Newsom in addition to Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon who became co-authors of the bill.
Governor Gavin Newsom
“This is an important bill, one that will help restore community trust in our criminal justice system,” said Governor Newsom. “I would like to thank Assemblymember Weber, Senate Pro Tem Atkins, Speaker Rendon and our legislative leaders who all worked tirelessly to get us to this point.”
Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins
“Last session, I made a commitment to Dr. Weber that we would not stop working on use-of-force legislation that addressed the need to end preventable deaths and to do so without jeopardizing the safety of law enforcement officers. The decision to hold the legislation last year proved to be the right choice. We spent countless hours as soon as session ended last year right up to today, bringing the different groups together so we could begin the difficult conversations needed to arrive at a negotiated agreement. Doing nothing was not an option. I commend all involved for their commitment to continue this work and for not walking away from the discussions, even when those discussions were difficult. I want to thank Dr. Weber for her passion and commitment to this incredibly important issue for all Californians.”
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon
“It is because of the moral strength of Assemblymember Shirley Weber that we have been able to bring this critical matter to this point,” said Assembly Speaker Rendon. “We need this resolution to save lives, protect public safety, and guarantee justice in every community.”
If signed into law, AB 392 would move California from one of the most permissive states to one with the strongest use-of-force laws in the country.
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