California Democrats and activists are working to outlaw multiple uses of police K-9s in the state, citing claims of present and historical racism.
Assembly Bill 742, introduced on February 13 by Democratic Assemblymembers Corey Jackson (Perris) and Ash Kalra (San Jose), would end the use of K-9 units for arrest, apprehension, and crowd control. Police dogs would still be permitted in other situations, such as explosives detection and search and rescue missions.
“From the brutal attempts to quell the Civil Rights movement, Black Lives Matter protests, and their day-to-day use in law enforcement, police K-9s remain a gross misuse of force and victimize black and brown people, disproportionately,” Jackson said during a press conference announcing the bill last week. “The need for AB 742 is apparent, not only through a historic perspective but also through the clear racial disparities we see every year.” Read more…
