Governor Signs Important Police Training Bill

 

Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs parts of coalition that pushed for its passage.

Today Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 230, which requires law enforcement officers to be trained in techniques to reduce the need for deadly force. The bill was authored by State Senator Anna Caballero (D-Salinas).

The bill allocates up to $450,000 for the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training to strengthen guidelines and allocates $10 million for peace officers to attend the courses.

AOCDS was a critical member of a coalition of law enforcement associations and management that worked tirelessly in Sacramento to get this common sense solution to the governor’s desk.

 

BACKGROUND

In April, AB 392 (Weber) was dramatically amended and ultimately was signed by Governor Newsom. It strengthened the state’s current standard for authorizing use of force, but its definition of “necessary” conforms to Graham v. Connor and the objectively reasonable force standard. SB 230 was a critical component to the passage of AB 392.

SB 230 provides officers with the tools and training they need, including de-escalation tactics, interacting with vulnerable populations and alternatives to use of deadly force.

SB 230 will invest in the training necessary to successfully reduce the use of force in Orange County communities and equip our officers with the tools that are imperative to our success.

SB 230 will set a new national precedent by establishing use-of-force policy requirements for all 500 law enforcement agencies and departments throughout the state.

We believe Senate Bill 230 will lead to tangible results and make positive change happen, not only for Orange County Peace Officers, but for the public we serve.

It was our privilege to work together with other members of the law enforcement community to move and ultimately get signed, SB 230.  We’d like to thank Sen. Caballero for her leadership in authoring the bill and Gov. Gavin Newsom for signing the bill this afternoon.

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