California Use of Force Law Changes Lethal Force to ‘When Necessary’

By Tactical Life

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 392 into law recently. The new law, among other things, requires police use lethal force only when “necessary.” The law replaces the former law enforcement guideline of “reasonable,” an attempt to tighten standards of when officers deploy lethal force to stop a threat.

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“As California goes, so goes the rest of the United States of America,” Newsom boasted, according to npr.org. “And we are doing something today that stretches the boundaries of possibility and sends a message to people all across this country — that they can do more.”

However, the new law avoids actually defining a specific definition for “necessary,” leaving some supporters of the bill frustrated with the watered down final language. That ambiguity will likely play out in court when the next shootings occur, leaving courts and judges to interpret the new language.

“The whole debate boils down to two words: ‘necessary’ and ‘reasonable,” explained Ben Adler of Capital Public Radio. “Right now, deadly force is justified if a reasonable officer would have acted similarly in that situation. So in other …Read the Rest

Source:: Tactical Life