After Sacramento police shot and killed Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man who was in his grandparents’ backyard, activists set out to change California law. They wanted to make it harder to legally justify police shootings. That sparked a heated debate in the state Capitol between the powerful police lobby and families whose loved ones have died at the hands of law enforcement.
Force of Law, a podcast series by CalMatters and Studiotobe, followed the issue throughout 2019 as California politicians decided whether to approve a tougher standard for police to use deadly force. Reporter Laurel Rosenhall brings you the stories of victims’ families, officers on the front lines and politicians attempting to curb police shootings.
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Force of Law
- Part 1 Force of Law
- Next: Part 2 Cycles The first episode looks back at the decade since police shot and killed Oscar Grant and the momentum created by last year’s death of Stephon Clark.
- Part 3 Split Lobbying is under way in California's Capitol for two vastly different approaches to reduce police shootings across the state.
- Part 4 The Deciders
- Part 5 The Line This episode focuses on the risks police officers face and explains why many say the final version of a bill no longer puts them in greater danger.
- Part 6 From Bill to Law
- Part 7 Breakdowns How will California's new laws meant to reduce police shootings affect how officers respond to calls to help people in mental crisis?
- Part 8 Looking North As California debated a new law limiting when police can use deadly force, advocates pointed to Seattle as a place that's benefited from a similar policy.