Dear John,

I'm writing to urge you to support these bills. As the former chair of the Santa Cruz Citizen's Police Review Board, I believe police should be held accountable to citizens for their misdeeds in the same way the rest of us are by law enforcement.

Because we have law enforcement agencies to monitor us as citizens, does not mean that the majority of us break the law. The system is supposedly in place to discourage and discipline those of us that do.

I believe that as human beings, police officers are in fact capable of breaking laws and abusing authority. Oversight of people we pay, train and arm with the power to fine us, take away our freedom and even use deadly force against us, is not only fair and just, but absolutely necessary.

This does not mean that the majority of police officers abuse their authority. The system of oversight should be in place to discourage and discipline those police officers that do.

Please support and encourage your colleagues to support AB1077, AB1119 and AB1331.

Sincerely,

Mark Halfmoon

ps: see bulletin below from
ACLU of Northern California:

TAKE ACTION!
Action Alert
Support Statewide Police Accountability:
AB 1077, 1119, and 1331.

The California Legislature is considering three important police accountability bills. However, these excellent proposals will need Governor Schwarzenegger's signature before they can become law.

Assembly Bill 1077 (Wesson-D) would enable victims of police abuse who are fearful of going to the police station to file complaints elsewhere.

AB 1119 (Wesson-D) would requires law enforcement agencies to set up systems to detect problem officers and intervene before larger problems result.

AB 1331 (Wesson-D and J. Horton-D) would require police departments to have whistleblower protections to break the "code of silence" in police departments. All too often, misconduct goes unreported by police officers fearful of retribution.

Please tell Governor Schwarzenegger to support AB 1077, 1119, and 1331. Police should be held accountable for their actions!

<assemblymember.laird (at) assembly.ca.gov>