OUR VIEW: Shootings involving officers come under scrutiny | Opinion

In most California counties, such as Khan, where previously independently elected coroners have been turned over to county sheriffs, fatal shootings involving police and deaths in custody have come under a rigorous investigation. We have critics who claim to protect law enforcement agencies.

Laws to establish an independent investigative process have been widely challenged by law enforcement and unions.

Kern County Attorney Cynthia Zimmer and Kern County Sheriff Donnie Youngblood remained opposed when the California Attorney General’s Office announced in July that it would establish a process for monitoring and public reporting to the statewide.

Zimmer argued that the Attorney General’s oversight was unnecessary because his office’s investigation into the shootings involving the Attorney General was independent and fair.

Young Blood said:… you have to assume the officer is within the scope of the law. “

Critics argue that the district attorney’s office and law enforcement work together, resulting in conflicts of interest and a tendency to cover up fraud. This common belief often leaves diligent, dedicated and honest law enforcement officers working under a cloud of unwarranted suspicion.

The establishment of a new law and oversight should not be seen as a lack of confidence in the work carried out by law enforcement agencies. Rather, it is simply an investigation into the situation that resulted in the loss of civilian lives by law enforcement agencies.

It is about shedding light on tragic and often inevitable events. The public deserves to understand what happened. And officers deserve to understand and support their actions.

Recently, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office released body camera footage of a shooting in Wasco that killed a deputy sheriff and four others in July.

Why? Understanding what happened and why is important to law enforcement and the general public.

The Bakersfield Police Department last month released video of a shooting involving a murderous officer on Highway 99 in June.

Why? Understanding what happened and why is important to law enforcement and the general public.

AB1506 is not perfect. The Justice Department need only investigate the deadly shootings involving police officers. The murder of George Floyd in Minnesota under the knees of a Minneapolis cop last year prompted the passage of a new law. However, deaths involving such police officers are not subject to the new law.

State-wide investigative procedures for shootings involving police officers are still in place, funding obvious problems and resistance from some law enforcement agencies.

But resolving long-standing concerns about the tragedy dividing the community is a significant step in increasing transparency and accountability.

There are many versions of old sayings. “Don’t judge me until you put my shoes on and walk a mile or have a day in my life.”

The new investigative responsibility of the Justice Department will only determine officers after a thorough investigation into the tragic shootings.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta explained that the formation and public reporting of an investigative team by his department “helps build and maintain trust between law enforcement agencies and communities. that they serve “. low.

Sacramento lawmaker Kevin McCarty, who created AB1506, says attorney general oversight will standardize police investigations into the use of lethal force.