A new California law opens up police misconduct records around excessive violence and sexual misconduct to the public. But, for some mysterious reason, police unions in the state are fighting tooth and nail to keep the law from going fully into effect, or to restrict such record releases to misconduct that occurs only after the law went into effect on January 1st.
It's almost as if the police are trying to cover up wrongdoing. Which surely cannot be the case, right?
Of course, in some cases the police unions have local city support. Special bonus point to the City of Inglewood that decided in December to shred official records on over 100 officers dating back to 1991.
Law and order, indeed.
California Police Unions Fight New State Law Promising Transparency on Misconduct Records
Senate Bill 1421 requires law enforcement agencies to make public investigative records of officer-involved shootings and uses of force resulting in great bodily harm. But law enforcement unions argue that the law threatens the privacy of their members.
Police unions are the only unions I generally cannot stand.
+John Wehrle Agreed. I believe in employee representation as a general principle, but unions are to create a power balance between employee and employer. With the police you add a third party, the public, which is the least powerful of the three, and thus is inevitably victimized by the police unions.
My impression is that the labor unions in general and police unions do not get along at all.
+John Wehrle That doesn't surprise me. Law enforcement tends to be conservative and (as a likely over-broad generalization) part of the establishment. Labor unions in general are (mostly) more liberal and in opposition to the power structure.
Gee, what a shock…. should apply to Capitol Police too
Police union are the real snakes in the country & they've gotten away with murders.
Still awake people!