A bill that was aimed at limiting the use of police K-9 has failed to gather enough vote in the State Assembly and is being held for the year–the bill is now on the “inactive list”.
The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno valley) in February when he said the legislation was aimed to prohibit the use of police canines for arrest, apprehension, and crowd control. He added that the bill also aims to end a deeply racialized and harmful practice that has been a mainstay in America’s history of racial bias and violence against Black Americans and people of color.
“The use of police canines has inflicted brutal violence and lifelong trauma on Black Americans and communities of color,” said Assemblymember Dr. Corey A. Jackson. “This bill marks a turning point in the fight to end this cruel and inhumane practice and build trust between the police and the communities they serve.”
According to AB 742:
This bill would prohibit the use of an unleashed police canine by law enforcement to apprehend a person, person unless the person is being pursued for a felony that threatened or resulted in the death of or serious bodily injury to another person and the person poses an imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or to another person and any use of a police canine for crowd control. The bill would prohibit a police canine from being used to bite unless there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or another person by the person against whom the canine is used. The bill would attribute the death of or serious bodily injury to a person caused by a police canine to the canine‘s handler as constituting deadly force. The bill would prohibit law enforcement agencies from authorizing any use or training of a police canine that is inconsistent with this bill.
While the bill initially had support to make it out of the assembly, such as passing the Public Safety Committee (3/21) in a 6-2 vote and the Assembly Appropriations Committee (5/18) in a 11-4 vote, it did not have enough support to pass out of the full assembly—after law enforcement raised awareness of how the bill would impact public safety.
The California Police Chiefs Association opposed and warned the public several times of what the bill would do, they also issued a statement after AB 742 was stopped:
On behalf of the California Police Chiefs Association, the police canine units and their handlers, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support. Your appreciation for the valuable contribution these canine teams make to our communities is truly inspiring.
It’s unclear if the bill will return next year or if Jackson will try to pass a bill with similar language.
Below is the live stream press conference of when Jackson introduced the bill.
Previous Stories:
- May 31: CalChiefs: Legislation Would Decimate Police K9 Programs
- March 22: Bill to Ban Police K-9 for Arrests and Crowd Control Moves Forward
- Feb 14: Bill to End the Use of Police Canines for Arrest and Crowd Control Introduced
2 comments
Failed as it should. Score 1 for public safety and all the men, women and canines who risk their lives to protect us.
It should fail. Mr, Jackson’s proposal was based on ideology and emotionalism rather than logic and fact. K-9s are a valuable resource for our police who face increasingly violent and reckless criminals.
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