Former Eureka Police Chief David Douglass and Lt. Tony Zanotti may be indicted by a grand jury for the shooting and ultimate death of a woman, who had a history of mental illness, in April 2006. Although neither the Chief nor the Lieutenant were directly involved in the shooting, they… Read more
In 1993, TASER International’s founders, brothers Rick and Tom Smith, developed devices that use “proprietary technology to incapacitate dangerous, combative, or high-risk subjects who pose a risk to law enforcement officers, innocent citizens, or themselves in a manner that is generally recognized as a safer alternative to other uses of… Read more
On the evening of May 5, 2004, SFPD began a high-speed pursuit of Cammerin Boyd, which ended in tragedy. Cammerin, while in the process of surrendering, was shot and killed in front of numerous witnesses. Police alleged that he was reaching for a weapon when he was shot, but witnesses… Read more
Over the course of the summer of 2007, Books Not Bars will be touring all of the Division of Juvenile Justice (more commonly known by it’s former initials, CYA) youth prisons. In this second post, Jennifer Kim writes of her experience touring the Stockton youth prison complex.
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There is no heart in Sacramento when it comes to voting on the issue of Police Accountability. Integrity seems to be a rare commodity these days, and it appears that those of us who do possess even a modicum of this valuable, and ultimately costly, soulful, character trait are in… Read more
On Tuesday July 26, 2007, at 10:00 am, the Public Safety Committee (San Francisco, City Hall, Rm 263) is holding a hearing to discuss the MOU between the SF Police Officer’s Association and the City of San Francisco. Why is this important? Because at a time where Mayor Newsom is… Read more
Over the course of this summer, the staff of Books Not Bars will tour all of California’s youth prisons. The first was a tour of the Heman G. Stark, commonly called simply Stark. Books Not Bars Policy Director Sumayyah Waheed writes of her impressions and experiences in the youth prison.… Read more
Thanks to everyone’s hard work and support, SB 1019, the bill introduced by Senator Gloria Romero passed the Senate by 21 votes to 10. The ACLU’s Sacramento lobbyist regards this as one of their most successful campaigns ever.
In its final form, the bill reverses Copley by authorizing open hearings… Read more
SFPD officer Jesse Serna seems to embody the meaning of the word “gangsterâ€. Do you recall The Chronicle’s series on the SFPD’s use of force? Well, this officer was identified as reportedly using more force than any other officer in the 1996-2004 period! And his stepfather is Commander Stephen Tacchini,… Read more
Enough is enough. The Berkeley Police Review Commission (PRC) has been warned by the Berkeley Police Association (BPA), in a letter addressed to Chief Hambleton, that it is prepared to pursue court action in order to prevent the PRC from questioning officers about recent cases of drug use, theft, and… Read more