Proposed California Law Would Require Cops To Have Bachelor’s Degree Or Be At Least 25

 

Proposed Law Would Require Police Officers To Have Bachelor’s Degree Or Be 25

SACRAMENTO — Under a proposed new law, anyone who is thinking of becoming a police officer in California would have to get a bachelor's degree or turn 25 years old before initiating their careers.

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, said the change could help reduce the number of times police officers shoot or hurt people.

"These jobs are complex, they're difficult, and we should not just hand them over to people who haven't fully developed themselves," said Jones-Sawyer, who is chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

Under current California law, cops have to be 18 years old and must have a high school diploma or the equivalent like their GED. California Highway Patrol officers have to be 20 years old.

Jones-Sawyer points to a 2010 study that found college-educated police officers in two cities were less likely to use force in encounters with suspects.

A broader review performed by the National Police Foundation, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., also found college-educated officers use force less often and have fewer complaints against them than their non-college-educated peers. He said that over time the change could be a major step toward reducing police violence.

I found an article from CNN, that points out six different careers that require more training than law enforcement.  It is a post from back in 2016 but how much do you want to bet it is still relevant today.

"This could be the beginning of changing the entire way that policing is done on the front end," he said. "Then we can let the bad cops retire on the back end."

Police age and education requirements vary by state, with most setting the minimum age between 18 and 21. If California adopted Jones-Sawyer's proposal, it would have the highest age requirement in the country. Four states — Illinois, North Dakota, New Jersey and Nevada — each require a bachelor's degree or a supplemental combination of education and experience.

Jones-Sawyer's proposal, to be introduced on the first day of a new legislative session, faces a number of hurdles before it would become law, including votes in the Assembly and the Senate and the governor's approval.

The Peace Officers Research Association of California and the California Police Chiefs Association have supported less ambitious proposals to increase education requirements for officers.

California Police Union Clears Way For Civilians Responding To Some Calls

A document, signed by the president of San Francisco's police union, identifies 17 types of calls in which civilians, not cops, could be the primary responders.

The document itemizes 17 types of calls for service in which police union officials agree civilians could be the primary responders. This list includes homelessness and quality of life calls, non-criminal mental health calls, juvenile disturbances, public health violations, traffic congestion, parking violations and dog complaints.

"Currently, police officers are the initial responders and primary resource on certain calls for service that may be better suited to mental health or non-law enforcement professionals," the letter stated.

POA President Tony Montoya said San Francisco officers spend a "significant" amount of time on these types of calls, the bulk of which are dedicated to homelessness issues.

"It's going to free up more officers to do what traditionally police officers should be doing," Montoya said, highlighting duties like community engagement and preventing and tending to violent crimes.

"The reality is our staffing is not getting any better," he said. "This will be a better use of the limited resources we have."

The "collaboration agreement" came just days before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to extend police officers' labor contract for two years, a move that will save the city millions during the coronavirus crisis. The action delays the force's upcoming raises in exchange for future, steeper pay bumps, but it drew criticism by some who wanted to use negotiations to help impose reforms amid nationwide unrest over police killings of Black people.

The agreement passed 9-2, with supervisors Hillary Ronen and Dean Preston opposed. Ronen has argued that the city has not negotiated hard enough with the police union for reforms, and she is pushing to make bargaining more transparent.

Rocky Lucia, labor attorney for the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said the letter of intent has been in the works for months, and is intended as a proactive gesture that will allow the city to enact the type of police reforms laid out by Mayor London Breed.

Central to this vision was a push to divert sworn officers away from noncriminal activities, and replace them with unarmed professionals better trained to handle situations like behavioral health crises.

The plan still lacks infrastructure, Lucia said, "but we wanted everyone in the world to know, including the department and the city, we're in favor of it."

Rebecca Young, as co-chair of the racial justice committee of the public defender's office, said she doesn't consider diverting certain calls for service a concession from the police union.

"It just is mind-boggling that the social upheaval, the multiple calls for police reform and the promises made by the mayor for police reform, did not bring about a different (memorandum of understanding) with the POA," she said.

The agreement is not officially part of the police contract, said Mawuli Tugbenyoh, chief of policy for the city's department of human resources.

Rather, it is a statement that signals the police union is amenable to such policy changes without rewriting their contracts.

Essentially, Tugbenyoh said, the city can set policies for police, but if it's outside of the contract negotiating period, they're required to get certain types of approvals from the union.

Young, who has criticized the contract negotiations between the police unions and the city's HR department, said the police union gave up no power by passing up the types of service calls on their list.

"The police don't want to answer those types of service calls," she said. "Have you ever seen police respond to dangerous dog calls?"

Young said she would have hoped police unions would have instead waived their "meet and confer" meetings that she said have held up implementing many of the 272 reform goals recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice.

"I'm actually not really begrudging their raises — I think everybody should get a raise," Young said. "I'm begrudging that they should get a raise that substantial, and they haven't been asked to give up any power."