California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Wednesday released a second report on from Department of Justice’s review of the policies and practices at the Sacramento Police Department. The first report was issued in January of 2019. Both reports are part of a collaborative effort involving the SPD following the 2018 shooting death of Stephon Clark by officers who chased him into his grandmother's backyard while investigating reports of attempted car burglaries in the area.
“The recommendations we issue today mark an important step in our broader work to advance systemic reform and we hope that leaders at all levels of law enforcement will stand with us to implement these critical changes,” said Becerra. “While much work remains to be done, I commend Chief Daniel Hahn, the Sacramento Police Department, and the City of Sacramento for collaborating in this deep-dive with us."
Since the initial report was published, SPD has reportedly adopted many of DOJ’s recommendations, including a recent pledge to stop authorizing the use of carotid restraints.
Beyond that pledge, this latest report recommends that SPD revise its use-of-force policy to more closely reflect the meaning and intent of recent state legislation, emphasize de-escalation techniques in all use-of-force training, conduct a comprehensive study to understand the causes of apparent racial disparities during traffic stops and other police interactions where African Americans have been involved, allow supervisors to directly refer officers into the early intervention program to address problematic behavior patterns, adjust recruitment materials to attract the best candidates, and routinely assess how the officer hiring process might affect minority and female candidates.
“The Sacramento Police Department is always looking for ways to improve training and policies to ensure the safety of our community, officers, and professional staff," said Chief Daneil Hahn in his response. "As these new recommendations are reviewed and implemented, our department is committed to transparency, just as we were with the Phase I recommendations.”