Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver

California's premier full-service law firm with an emphasis on the representation of peace officers in disciplinary, criminal, labor, workers' compensation, personal injury and other civil matters.

  • About Us
  • Practice Areas
    • Labor Representation
    • Civil Litigation
    • Personal Injury
      • Example of Case Results
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Maritime Law
    • Estate Planning
    • DOE Security Clearance Hearings
    • Peace Officers
    • Firefighters
    • EMS Agency Investigations
    • Criminal Defense
    • CalPERS Appeals
  • Our Team
  • Classes
  • Media
    • Bulletins
    • RLS in the News
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Clients
  • Career Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer

Police Unions & Civil Liberties Groups Spar Over Application of CA Law Allowing Easier Access to Investigative Records of Officer-Involved Shootings

February 19, 2019 by Hien Nguyen

From: 89.3 KPCC
By: 89.3 KPCC, 2/14/2019

Despite its reputation as a liberal, progressive state, California has long held some of the strictest laws in the country regarding public access to internal police records.

California also has one of the highest rates of officer-involved shootings in the country, and civil liberties activists and families of people killed in police shootings have long sought better access to these records.

On the first of this year, a landmark state law passed last year went into effect which allows members of the public to request access to those records, including video, disciplinary reports and investigative records into police shootings. But there has been pushback from the law enforcement community with regards to whether the law should apply to incidents that happened before January 1, 2019 when the law went into effect. Police unions across the state, including those for officers in the city of Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, have filed suit to block the law from applying to pre-2019 incidents. Some, like LAPD Chief Michel Moore, argue that the administrative and financial burden that accessing, redacting, and reproducing these records would create is too much for law enforcement agencies to handle. Others argue that if the law were to apply to pre-2019 incidents, it would be a violation of officers’ privacy rights because they would have made the decisions they did under the assumption that their records would remain sealed. The ACLU and others who support the law applying to pre-2019 incidents say that if it weren’t designed to do just that, it wouldn’t have an impact for a long time and essentially lose its power. They add that this law only applies to serious misconduct cases like sexual assault, lying officially, or questionable uses of deadly force.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll hear perspectives from the civil liberties and law enforcement sides of this issue and explore the privacy and transparency concerns at hand.

GUESTS:
Melanie Ochoa, staff attorney for criminal justice and police practices at the ACLU of Southern California

Jacob Kalinski, partner at Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC, where he also heads the firm’s Southern California Labor Litigation Group; his firm is representing several law enforcement unions, including the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, in the lawsuits against AB 1421

Filed Under: RLS In The News Tagged With: Jacob A Kalinski

Consultation Form

Offices across California to serve you.
Contact us now to schedule a consultation.
Contact form not loading? Click here!
Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC publishes this website as a service to our clients and other friends for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice or opinions, and the transmission of information through this website is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between sender and receiver. Internet subscribers and online readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.

© 2023 Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC. All Rights Reserved. | Disclaimer

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPTREJECT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Contact Us

  • News Alerts

Official logo for Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver
Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver Logo
  • About Us
  • Practice Areas
    ▼
    • Labor Representation
    • Civil Litigation
    • Personal Injury
      ▼
      • Example of Case Results
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Maritime Law
    • Estate Planning
    • DOE Security Clearance Hearings
    • Peace Officers
    • Firefighters
    • EMS Agency Investigations
    • Criminal Defense
    • CalPERS Appeals
  • Our Team
  • Classes
  • Media
    ▼
    • Bulletins
    • RLS in the News
  • Resources
    ▼
    • Links
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Clients
  • Career Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
Hotline phone numbers. Northern California: 925-609-1699. Southern California: 310-393-1486.