By RIA JOSEPH
THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) – The California Department of Justice will investigate and review an officer-involved shooting death of an individual per the requirements of AB 1506.
It is the sixth investigation of its kind since the year began and the second for San Bernardino.
The incident occurred on Sunday at 3:00 a.m. in Big Bear following a brief chase involving the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The law enacted from Assembly Bill 1506 allows for an independent investigation of a civilian death by state prosecutors if the decedent was unarmed or at the request of the local law enforcement agency for use-of-force review.
The California Department of Justice’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team responded following notification by local authorities and will work with local law enforcement during the investigation, after which recommendations will be made.
The bill, written by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, is meant to bring trust between communities and law enforcement by providing review for potential criminal liability for all such incidents apart from the state’s 58 district attorneys.
The bill was introduced in February 2019 and approved by the governor in September 2020. It went into effect in July 2021.
If criminal charges against the involved officer are warranted, the state prosecutor will initiate and prosecute a criminal action.
“The California Department of Justice will investigate and review for potential criminal liability all such incidents covered under AB 1506, as enacted in California Government Code section 12525.3,” the department of justice said on its site.
Approximately 150 cases involving either an officer-involved shooting or a use of force by a peace officer that results in the death of a person occur every year in California. On average, an office-involved use of fatal force occurs every two and a half days.
