Bill would broaden and speed up access to California police disciplinary records and make complaints about racist cops public

Public access to police disciplinary and use-of-force cases in California would be greatly expanded under legislation released Monday, including records about racist and discriminatory acts by officers.

Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, announced the effort to reform and broaden Senate Bill 1421, the landmark police accountability law she sponsored in 2018. That law requires police to release to the public records about officer shootings and other uses of force, as well as officers’ sexual misconduct and dishonesty.

In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, there is a public need for more information about police, Skinner said in a phone interview Monday afternoon. The revelation that Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis cop charged with second-degree murder in Floyd’s death, had a lengthy disciplinary record shows why greater access is needed, she said.

“Our communities deserve to know that police are held accountable,” Skinner said.

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