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The controversial police shooting of an unarmed black man nearly a year ago in Sacramento led the California Department of Justice on Tuesday to publish 49 recommendations for reforming use-of-force policies and training within the city’s Police Department.
Among the proposals, the office of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra urged police to establish a use-of-force review board, to require annual use-of-force training for all sworn staff and to ban “problematic” tactics like choke holds or shooting at moving vehicles.
At a Tuesday morning news conference in Sacramento, Becerra commended Police Chief Daniel Hahn for inviting the attorney general’s office to review department protocolsfollowing the fatal shooting of Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old father of two.
“This partnership can help create a police culture that demonstrates that effective policing and respectful policing go hand in hand,” Becerra said.
Much of the 97-page report echoes the tone and framework of a report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice to the San Francisco Police Department following this city’s own controversial police shootings, including the 2015 killing of Mario Woods. The state attorney general’s office later stepped in to oversee the reforms.
Both reports recommend more regular use-of-force training, an end to officers shooting at moving vehicles and a greater commitment to de-escalation policies and “protecting the sanctity of life.”
The March 18, 2017, shooting of Clark sparked outrage and disruptive protests in Sacramento and beyond as details of the incident became public. Two Sacramento officers responding to reported auto break-ins followed Clark into his grandmother’s backyard, where they fired 20 shots at him. The officers said they believed Clark was holding a gun, but officials found he was carrying a cell phone.
Tuesday’s report did not focus on the shooting of Clark but rather offered a broad critique of the Sacramento Police Department’s use-of-force policies. The state Department of Justice continues to oversee an investigation into Clark’s death. A second and final leg of the agency’s larger review will evaluate non-deadly use-of-force incidents, the officer discipline system and prevention of police bias, officials said.
“The Sacramento Police Department is not interested in being ‘good enough’ or narrowly complying with the laws and policies governing our work,” Hahn said Tuesday. “We continue to seek ways to be a leader in law enforcement. That’s why we invited the A.G. to examine our department from top to bottom.”
The recommendations come on the heels of a wrongful death lawsuit filed Monday in federal court on behalf of Clark’s two sons, his parents and grandparents. The suit, which names the city of Sacramento and two officers as defendants, asks for $20 million in damages.The suit argues that Clark was racially profiled and the officers conducted an unreasonable search and seizure before using excessive force.
The suit names Terrence Mercadel and Jared Robinet as the officers who shot and killed Clark.
Prosecutors from the Sacramento County district attorney’s office have not determined whether they will file criminal charges against the officers.
In a statement released Monday, prosecutors said they received “further substantial investigative reports” from the attorney general’s investigators on Jan. 16, causing a delay in completing a review of the officers’ actions. The materials, officials said, come in addition to a “voluminous investigative report” the Sacramento Police Department provided to prosecutors on Oct. 25.
“We will take whatever time is needed to ensure a fair, thorough and accurate review of this matter,” officials said.
Prosecutors declined to comment further on the case, citing the pending review.
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