California governor proposes rolling back access to police misconduct records

By TRÂN NGUYỄN
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing an end to public disclosure of investigations of abusive and corrupt police officers. He signed a landmark police reform law with much fanfare in 2021 to give a state agency authority to decertify officers for misconduct. The law requires the commission to make public the records of decertification cases. The administration calls the new proposal a cost-cutting measure. The public can still access the records through local police departments. Criminal justice and press freedom groups say the change would make it harder to hold law enforcement accountable. California has been one of the most secretive states regarding police misconduct.