New California law bars grand juries from deciding cop charges in excessive force cases
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law two measures aimed at increasing transparency when police are accused of using excessive force or behaving badly.
One of the new laws bars grand juries from deciding whether to charge police officers in cases of excessive or deadly force, the San Jose Mercury News and the Los Angeles Times report. In such cases, district attorneys will have to decide whether to charge officers instead of presenting the evidence in a closed grand jury hearing. Preliminary hearings would determine whether an officer would have to face the charges.
The other new law makes clear it is legal to make video or audio recordings of police officers in a public place.
Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, explained why she sponsored the grand jury bill. “The use of the criminal grand jury process, and the refusal to indict as occurred in Ferguson and other communities of color, has fostered an atmosphere of suspicion that threatens to compromise our justice system,” she said in a statement.
