A bill was created in the California legislature to eliminate bad police licenses.
The California legislature just took a big step just took a much-needed step against bad cops who victimize the people they should protect and tarnish the name of their honorable profession.
After years of effort to begin to punish officers who commit criminal acts, the Legislature approved a bill that begins a process of change to revoke their licenses and remove their badges.
Before, police officers fired from their departments kept their badges and looked for work elsewhere. Although the state has de-licensed doctors, lawyers, and other professionals who have demonstrated misconduct for many years, they have never acted in this way against police officers.
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The lack of a decertification process is a clear example of the immense political influence law enforcement unions wielded on Capitol Hill.
For years, unions and politicians of both parties in the state of California have maintained a win-win charade. Governors and legislators gave the police what they wanted, like high pensions and special protections against supervision and discipline, and in return, they would take it upon themselves to say that supporters were touting law and order.
In 2018, just a couple miles from the California Capitol, Stephon Clark, suspected of vandalizing cars, died in a fusillade of bullets fired by two Sacramento officers. They stated that they had seen a weapon in his hand, and the investigations did not delve much into the matter.
The man’s death sparked mass protests in Sacramento and demands for reform after the local district attorney declared the shooting justified by state law.
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Back then, the backlash was so violent that San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (now California Secretary of State) persuaded her fellow legislators and Governor Gavin Newsom to change the law to regulate the official use of the lethal law force.
Political tension increased further after the infamous death of George Floyd last year with the knee of Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin around his neck. This triggered a backlash among the black community across the country, and there were even some campaigns globally.
Final Words
As a result, State Senator Steven Bradford created a decertification decree to take away bad cops’ licenses. Thanks to opposition from police unions and law enforcement groups, Bradford could not pass legislation in 2020 but did so this year after softening some provisions of his measure, Senate Bill 586, just before the final votes.
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