check officers’ department-issued cellphones
and computers to make sure they aren’t
showing racist or other problematic behavior.
Betty Williams, president the NAACP’s
Sacramento Branch, said the recommendation
doesn’t go far enough and should also include
officers’ personal cellphones.
Police departments “demand fair and impartial
police services for the communities they serve,”
responded Chief Eric Nuñez, president of the
California Police Chiefs Association. But he
said checking officers’ cellphones, computers
and social media accounts “would require a
significant additional funding source, time
and legal issues that have not been properly
identified or researched at this point.”
The disproportionate numbers could be driven
by demographics, not racism, the Los Angeles
Police Protective League board of directors said
in a statement.
“What these numbers don’t tell is that in Los
Angeles, 70% of violent crime victims are either
Black or Hispanic and that 81% of the reported
violent crime suspects are either Black or
Hispanic,” the league said.
Both the league and the state sheriffs’
association said the broader issue of racial
bias must be addressed across society, not just
law enforcement.
“Law enforcement agencies across California
have embraced change, participated in training,
and engaged their local communities on this
topic and we will continue to do so,” said Kings
County Sheriff David Robinson, president of the
sheriffs’ association.