New police reform bill will decertify officers involved in incidents of misconduct

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KION) Central Coast law enforcement agencies are looking into how a series of police reforms from bills Governor Gavin Newsom signed will impact their offices in the near future.

The Senate Bill 2 that was signed into law this week enables the state to create a system that would decertify officers accused of serious misconduct.

It would also prevent former officers accused of misconduct from moving to other law enforcement agencies for work.

The minimum age requirement for those signing up to be an officer has also shifted from 18 to 21 years old.

Members of the MILPA Collective, an activist group pushing for education and reform of current and former inmates, said SB2 is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done.

"With this moment, there hopefully comes an effort by the state to start thinking about giving reparations to victims' families who have lost their lives to police brutality," said Bernie Gomez from MILPA.

KION reached out to Santa Cruz Police and the Salinas Police Officer's Association for comment on how this bill would alter operations at their precincts. Both stated they will need to research the legislation before understanding how it will impact their station.

Santa Cruz Police, alongside Watsonville, made changes to the types of restraint that officers can use while out in the field, including banning Carotid Restraint Control Holds. These are the type of holds that led to accusations of police brutality in other jurisdictions.

Whether the new age requirement will limit staffing at local police departments is still up in the air. The Salinas Police Officer's Association has previously told KION they're already dealing with staffing and budgetary issues.

Forty-six other states currently have the authority to decertify officers due to misconduct now, with California following their lead.