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How far will Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian go to ensure accountability of law enforcement The Stockton Republican, who wants to represent Tracy and the rest of the state Senate 5th District after the 2008 election, could be the deciding vote Tuesday when the Assembly Public Safety Committee takes up Senate Bill 1019. It’s a litmus test for Aghazarian, who regarding another open public records bill this session that he co-authored declared, “Isn’t that what we expect at the very minimum from our government — transparency and accountability” Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, authored Senate Bill 1019 after the August 2006 state Supreme Court decision in Copley Press v. Superior Court, which prevents the public from learning about law enforcement officers who have been disciplined for misconduct, even if the law enforcement agency wants the public to know the findings. The door has been slammed shut on the misconduct hearings and all their records. It’s so extreme that local police officials cannot even tell citizens that a disciplinary hearing happened. Secrecy is understandable if the release of information would jeopardize an officer’s safety or the security of an ongoing law enforcement operation, which are exceptions covered under Senate Bill 1019. However, secrecy for the sake of preventing publicity leaves citizens with mistrust in government and damages law enforcement-community relations to the point where the public is left only with rumor, innuendo and conjecture to judge who are the good and not-so-good cops. Under Senate Bill 1019, transparency and public accountability of law enforcement will return when cities and counties have a process for public complaint review. The community will be able to determine if a citizen’s complaint of police misconduct was justified after a formal review, even if the information released to the public is limited. Senate Bill 1019 would give local government the opportunity through a city council or board of supervisors resolution to restore public access to meetings and hearings regarding peace officer discipline that were open prior to the Copley Press decision. Senate Bill 1019, which was approved on a 22-11 vote in the Senate earlier this month, with Linden Democrat Michael Machado in the majority, lets the sunshine in enough to keep government transparent. We urge Assemblyman Aghazarian to vote yes on Senate Bill 1019.
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