California Municipal Law Blog
tag:
Police

LEGISLATIVE CHANGES CONTINUE TO CLARIFY THE RIGHT TO ACCESS POLICE OFFICER PERSONNEL FILES

by Jason M. Ewert on December 8, 2025

posted in Law Enforcement, Public Records Act,

In recent years, the California Legislature has taken significant steps to provide the public with greater access to peace officer personnel files, which were previously only accessible through formal law and motion proceedings, generally referred to as Pitchess motions. First, in 2018 Senate Bill 1421 (Skinner) amended section 832.7 of the California Penal code to require disclosure of certain categories of information from peace officer personnel files in response to California Public Records Act (CPRA) requests for information. Those categories include incidents involving discharge of a firearm ... Continue Reading

tags: New laws, Pitchess, Police,

New Laws Affecting Public Access to Police Records: SB1421 and AB748

by Steven G. Pacifico on October 25, 2018

posted in Law Enforcement, Public Records Act,

The Legislature has responded to public pressure calling for increased transparency into local policing by passing two new laws that mandate disclosure of records related to officer misconduct and use of force incidents. With Governor Brown’s signature, SB1421 and AB 748 will change how police departments respond to requests for certain personnel records and recordings of use of force incidents that were previously exempt from disclosure.  ... Continue Reading

tags: AB 748, Bodycam, Law Enforcement, Officer-involved shootings, Police, Public Records, SB 1421,