• California Democrats and activists are working to outlaw multiple uses of police K-9s in the state, citing claims of present and historical racism.
• Assembly Bill 742, introduced on February 13 by Democratic Assemblymembers Corey Jackson (Perris) and Ash Kalra (San Jose), would end the use of K-9 units for arrest, apprehension, and crowd control. Police dogs would still be permitted in other situations, such as explosives detection and search and rescue missions.
• “From the brutal attempts to quell the Civil Rights movement, Black Lives Matter protests, and their day-to-day use in law enforcement, police K-9s remain a gross misuse of force and victimize black and brown people, disproportionately,” Jackson said during a press conference announcing the bill last week. “The need for AB 742 is apparent, not only through a historic perspective but also through the clear racial disparities we see every year.”

Tagged: Animals