Attorney General Aaron Ford on Tuesday asked the Assembly Judiciary Committee to authorize his office to conduct “pattern and practice” investigations of police agencies in the state that are accused of flawed policies and procedures that deprive people of their rights.
Ford said the investigations would be civil, not criminal, and aimed at policies that should be improved, not at individual officers. He also said the bill isn’t aimed at an individual complaint but at a pattern of violations.
AB58 would give his office the ability to subpoena documents and call witnesses. At the end of any investigation, he said the findings would be made public including whether the agency has been cleared or agreed to make changes.
He said the U.S. Justice Department has such a law in place but that, since 2017, has not conducted any investigations.
“That should not depend on the whim of a particular administration,” Ford told lawmakers.
But he said a state AG is more appropriate to handle issues like this anyway because local officials are more familiar with the people, the state and the law enforcement agencies in their jurisdiction.
If his office believes there is a pattern and practice that needs to be addressed, they can file civil litigation and ask a judge to direct changes.
The committee took no action on the bill.
