Amendments to Penal Code section 832.7 require the release of law enforcement records relating to officer-involved shootings, uses of force resulting in death or great bodily injury and sustained findings against peace officers of dishonesty or sexual assault, as defined by the law. Such records had previously been exempt from public disclosure.
All records released must be thoroughly reviewed to ensure legally protected personal information of victims, witnesses, the accused, law enforcement and other involved parties are redacted. Investigators, human resources staff, county counsel, and records personnel separately review each record. This painstaking process ensures all responsive information and details are disclosed.
Redactions were made to the responsive records as follows:
- Home addresses, personal phone numbers, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers (Penal Code 832.7(b)(5)(A))
- Names of victims and witnesses (Penal Code 832.7(b)(5)(B))
- Current undercover officers because disclosure of their identifies would compromise their safety and pending investigations (Penal Code 832.7(b)(5)(D); 832.7(b)(6))
- Juvenile names (Welfare and Institutions Code 827; Penal Code 832.7(b)(5)(B))
- Personal information about an individual who was the subject of a use of force (Penal Code 832.7(b)(5)(C))
We have also blurred images on the video recordings of the following:
- The faces of victims and witnesses (Penal Code 832.7(b)(5)(B))
- The private body parts of inmates (Penal Code 832.7(b)(5)(C))
We have withheld the audio recording of an interview with the victim of a sexual assault as defined by SB 1421 (Government Code 7923.750(a)).
SB 1421 requires the disclosure of records relating to an incident in which the use of force resulted in great bodily injury. Because SB 1421 does not define “great bodily injury,” we are using the definition of “serious bodily injury” in Government Code section 12525.2, subdivision (d) as follows: “[A] bodily injury that involves a substantial risk of death, unconsciousness, protracted and obvious disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ.” We have included incidents where the subject had a broken bone, or where a deputy used the carotid control hold, causing the subject to briefly lose consciousness.
