Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California AG Becerra Wants to Keep Police Crimes Hidden
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 27, 2019

Share

SACRAMENTO — California’s attorney general is demanding that a university journalism program return a state list that includes law enforcement officers convicted of crimes in the past decade, saying the information wasn’t meant to be public and shouldn’t have been given out by another agency.
Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office sent reporters from the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California, Berkeley, a notice that confidential information had been inadvertently released from a confidential database, the program reported Tuesday.

“State law protects the records of all Californians in this database by prohibiting the possession and use of this information by anyone not identified by statute.” — Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office
The attorney general’s office said possessing the list was a misdemeanor and asked the reporters to destroy it. They received it last month from California’s police training agency through a public records request.
The reporters refused, but so far have released only limited details about the list. They say the list of nearly 12,000 names includes current and former officers and those who applied to be officers. It’s not clear how many are active officers and how many had never been officers.
The list outlines crimes including shoplifting, child molestation, embezzlement and murder. It’s not clear how many of the convicted officers remain on the job.
In a statement to The Associated Press late Tuesday, Becerra’s office reiterated its position that the information came from a confidential database to which the reporters should not have had access.
“State law protects the records of all Californians in this database by prohibiting the possession and use of this information by anyone not identified by statute,” his office said.
The report comes as he is also refusing to release old records of serious misconduct by his own justice department agents under a new law that requires the release. Becerra is citing conflicting court decisions on whether records should be made public for incidents that happened before the disclosure law took effect Jan. 1.

The List Includes Current, Former or Prospective Officers

In a letter to reporter Robert Lewis with the reporting program’s production arm, Investigative Studios, Deputy Attorney General Michelle Mitchell said the criminal history information was taken from a confidential law enforcement database where “access to information is restricted by law.”
“You are hereby on notice that the unauthorized receipt or possession…is a misdemeanor,” she wrote, threatening unspecified legal action.

The reporting program said the list came after a law last year allowed the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to keep records of when current or former officers are convicted of felonies or other crimes that would disqualify them from law enforcement.
First Amendment Coalition executive director David Snyder told the reporting program that, “It’s disheartening and ominous that the highest law enforcement officer in the state is threatening legal action over something the First Amendment makes clear can’t give rise to criminal action against a reporter.”
Without providing many details, the reporting program said the list includes current, former or prospective officers who dealt drugs, stole from their departments, sexually assaulted suspects, took bribes, filed false reports and committed perjury. A large number drove drunk, and sometimes killed people while doing so.
The reporting program said the list came after a law last year allowed the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to keep records of when current or former officers are convicted of felonies or other crimes that would disqualify them from law enforcement. Previously, the commission would have to wait until the officer had exhausted all appeals before deeming them unqualified, but now the initial conviction is enough.
That led the attorney general’s office to provide the commission with the list of current and former officers with convictions. The commission provided the reporting program with 10 years’ worth of convictions.
Nic Marais, an attorney representing Investigative Studios, said in a letter to Becerra’s office that the records are publicly releasable because they are summaries. He added that state law exempts reporters from prosecution for receiving records.
Attorney Michael Rains, who represents police officers, told the reporting program that he understands there is public interest in police officers convicted of crimes, but said the same disclosure should apply to everyone. He noted there is no broad public disclosure of crimes committed by lawyers, doctors or teachers.

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Alum Is New Dean of Health and Human Services College

DON'T MISS

Who Is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Congressman Donald Trump Picked to Serve as AG?

DON'T MISS

The Key Races to Watch: Nov. 13 Update

DON'T MISS

Feds Agree to Raise San Luis Reservoir: More Water for Farmers, Communities, Wetlands

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: What Impact Does Deportation Have on the Central Valley?

DON'T MISS

How Will Election Winners Bredefeld and Chavez Fit in as Supervisors?

DON'T MISS

California Senate Leader Calls Union ‘Morally Bankrupt’ for Opposing a Vulnerable Democrat

DON'T MISS

R&B Concerts, Comedy, & Worship Take Center Stage This Weekend

DON'T MISS

Speaker Mike Johnson Wins GOP Nomination to Remain in Job, Faces Full House Vote in New Year

DON'T MISS

ICE Immediately Moves to Bolster Surveillance of Illegal Immigrants After Trump Win

UP NEXT

California Researchers Discover Mysterious, Gelatinous New Sea Slug

UP NEXT

Trump’s Proposed Tariffs, Especially on China and Mexico, Could Hit California Hard

UP NEXT

Republican John Thune of South Dakota Is Elected the Next Senate Majority Leader

UP NEXT

Republican Valadao, Democrats Min and Whitesides Win US House Races in California

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

UP NEXT

Gov. Newsom Said No, but California Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes

UP NEXT

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

UP NEXT

California Counts Methodically as House Control Hangs in the Balance

UP NEXT

Voters in California City Reject Measure Allowing Noncitizens to Vote in Local Races

UP NEXT

Voters in Oakland Oust Mayor Sheng Thao Just 2 Years Into Her Term

Feds Agree to Raise San Luis Reservoir: More Water for Farmers, Communities, Wetlands

2 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: What Impact Does Deportation Have on the Central Valley?

3 hours ago

How Will Election Winners Bredefeld and Chavez Fit in as Supervisors?

3 hours ago

California Senate Leader Calls Union ‘Morally Bankrupt’ for Opposing a Vulnerable Democrat

3 hours ago

R&B Concerts, Comedy, & Worship Take Center Stage This Weekend

4 hours ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Wins GOP Nomination to Remain in Job, Faces Full House Vote in New Year

4 hours ago

ICE Immediately Moves to Bolster Surveillance of Illegal Immigrants After Trump Win

4 hours ago

You Can Win a Lexus in This Fresno Telethon Drawing. Get Tickets Now.

5 hours ago

Trump Says He Will Nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to Be Attorney General

5 hours ago

Bluesky Has Added 1 Million Users Since the US Election as People Seek Alternatives to X

5 hours ago

Fresno State Alum Is New Dean of Health and Human Services College

From student to scholar to professor and department chair, Dr. Kara Zografos’ history with Fresno State dates back nearly 20 years. Now she ...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

Fresno State Alum Is New Dean of Health and Human Services College

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP File)
2 hours ago

Who Is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Congressman Donald Trump Picked to Serve as AG?

2 hours ago

The Key Races to Watch: Nov. 13 Update

2 hours ago

Feds Agree to Raise San Luis Reservoir: More Water for Farmers, Communities, Wetlands

Wired Wednesday Cover, 11/13/24, KMPH Screengrab
3 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: What Impact Does Deportation Have on the Central Valley?

3 hours ago

How Will Election Winners Bredefeld and Chavez Fit in as Supervisors?

3 hours ago

California Senate Leader Calls Union ‘Morally Bankrupt’ for Opposing a Vulnerable Democrat

4 hours ago

R&B Concerts, Comedy, & Worship Take Center Stage This Weekend

Search

Send this to a friend