Seven years in the making, a searchable database of California law enforcement misconduct and use-of-force reports is now available to the public. The free database contains records from close to 12,000 cases and 700 police departments, shining a light into the practices of what has long been among the least transparent states in the country when it comes to officer misconduct.
The state-funded Police Records Access Project was created by the California Reporting Project, a team spearheaded by journalists and data scientists from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. The database was jointly published August 4 by CalMatters, KQED, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times.
In 2018 California passed the Right to Know Act, which made certain types of police records subject to disclosure via public records requests. Though groundbreaking, it was limited to misconduct cases involving shootings, sexual assault or dishonesty that interfered with investigations. In 2021 the state passed legislation that made additional types of records subject to disclosure, including those related to excessive force, unlawful searches and engaging in prejudice or discrimination. But now, the public can use the new database to search hundreds of departments across the state at once.
I wonder how long before they shut this down for safety reasons when some citizen decides to take it upon themselves to dispense additional “justice”?
Just like the national database of the same consideration is finally open for business…as it should be for those in positions of trust who abuse it the same.
“Info was redacted to protect………”
But they don’t mind printing every bit of info about us, do they.
This is as much a waste of time and money as the registry is. We are currently in an Authoritarian Police country. I don’t fear the police, I reject them. Just like I don’t fear Trump or anything he tries. They want you to be afraid. When you have had your rights taken away, then fear is no longer an emotion you experience.
While I believe our information should be private, I am really glad some other “criminals” have their info out there, I highly doubt you will find their address listed, or their vehicles listed. But I hope they get ****!
Where are they allowed to live? seems that they are a danger for young and old. However, personally I think registries should never be allowed period.
Does a lifetime ban working in LE, security guard, funeral escort, or any other position of authority follow them across the country? Once a dirty cop, always a dirty cop.