sacramento police
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California Assembly Passes Bill Policing When Cops Can Use Deadly Force
The California Assembly overwhelmingly passed legislation Wednesday to change rules governing when cops in the state can use lethal force, despite last-minute opposition from some families of victims of police shootings who said compromises in the bill’s language watered down the legislation. Assembly Bill 392: The California Act to Save Lives changes the use-of-force standard…
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How Does a California Department of Justice Review of the Sacramento Police Department Impact the Stephon Clark Case?
Last week, the California Department of Justice released a report and recommendations for improvements within the Sacramento Police Department specifically pertaining to its use-of-force policy. The 97-page “Sacramento Police Department Report & Recommendations 2019” (pdf) was released just days after the state DOJ turned over the findings from its independent investigation of the shooting and…
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#StephonClark: Sacramento DA Promises to Take Her Sweet Time Making a Decision on Police Shooting
Just days after the Sacramento Police Department alerted the media that their investigation into the officer-involved shooting death of 22-year-old Stephon Clark had been completed and handed off to both the state attorney general and the county district attorney, DA Anne Marie Schubert’s office said in a release that their review of that investigation could…
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#StephonClark: Brace Yourselves, Sacramento’s Mayor Says Shooting Investigation Is Nearing Conclusion
While our attention has been focused on the shooting death of Botham Jean at the hands of Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, another important piece of news has slipped relatively under the radar. Sacramento’s mayor said earlier this week that the investigation into the shooting death of Stephon Clark was nearing completion. The Sacramento Police…
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Sacramento Police Release Video of Cop Car Hitting Teen on Sidewalk, Knocking Him Into the Air
On July 22, Sacramento police officers were in pursuit of a 16-year-old boy who had been stopped for riding a bike without a light on it. As the boy ran from an officer who was chasing him on foot, an officer driving an SUV joined the pursuit, eventually catching up to the teen and hitting…
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New Footage Shows Cops Thought Stephon Clark Was Playing Dead, Waited Almost 5 Minutes to Help Him
New footage from the police killing of Stephon Clark shows Sacramento, Calif., cops waited more than five minutes to help Clark after shooting him in his grandmother’s backyard. More than 15 hours of material make up the newly released clips. The Daily Beast reports that police can be shown muting their cameras on the recording…
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#StephonClark: When Reporting the News Becomes Personal
As journalists, we are taught that it is our job to deliver news and information objectively. Opinions are saved for editorials and commentary pieces. We have to look at the story and tell it without bias. Or so we are taught. But what happens when the story becomes personal? What happens when every fiber of…
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Watch: Officers Who Killed Stephon Clark Come From a Department Already Under Scrutiny
Police departments across the nation have long been under scrutiny for officer-involved shootings, particularly of unarmed African Americans, and law enforcement officers in Sacramento, Calif., are no exception. In addition to Stephon Clark, at least 16 people have been killed in encounters with Sacramento-area law enforcement officers since 2016, according to the Sacramento Bee. It…
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#StephonClark: Independent Autopsy Shows Police Shot Him 8 Times, 6 in the Back
Contrary to initial police statements, Stephon Clark was not facing the officers who shot and killed him in the backyard of his grandmother’s house on March 18, according to an independent autopsy requested by the family. The autopsy, performed by pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, found that eight of the 20 shots fired at Clark hit…