Democrat lawmakers in California are moving to ban multiple uses of police K-9s in the state.
California Democrats are working with activists on legislation to ban police dogs by citing claims of historical and present racism.
They claim that police dogs are used to target minorities in situations such as the Black Lives Matter riots.
Democrat Assemblymembers Corey Jackson (Perris) and Ash Kalra (San Jose) introduced Assembly Bill 742 on February 13.
The legislation 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.”
In a press release, Jackson cited research that said that black and Latino individuals are more likely to be involved in K-9 apprehensions.
According to the assemblyman, 65% of those seriously injured by police dogs in 2021 were “people of color.”
Jackson’s study didn’t compare this data to other factors, however, such as the percentage of races of people with negative interactions with the police.
The Democrat lawmaker also stated, without evidence, that using police dogs during apprehensions of suspects has racist roots back to the days of slavery.
He claims that AB 742’s role is largely meant to remedy these alleged racial wrongs of the past.
“I’m always looking for ways to atone for the past,” the Democrat said.
“How do we get out of systemic racism?
“How do we get out racism in our narratives?
“And how do we make sure that we erase practices that are currently being done today that were originated and perfected on our ancestors?”
Jackson went as far as to quote black nationalist Malcolm X, saying that “the white man has traded in white sheets for police badges and K9s.”
Unsurprisingly, there’s been much pushback against the bill, particularly from law enforcement.
Officials have underscored the critical role K-9s play in keeping law enforcement safe and protecting suspects from potential deadly force; they see the bill as counterproductive to its aim.
Sheriff Mark Lamb, of Pinal County in Arizona, told One America News last week that he’s “absolutely seen cases where lethal force would have been justified, and was likely going to be used next had the [police] dog not been effective.”
“The dogs are extremely valuable,” Sheriff Lamb continued.
“And the fact that they want to take this away seems to be contradicting what they want across this country, which is more and more reform.
“So, I can’t understand what they’re trying to do.”
WATCH:
Tonight on Real America!
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb weighs in on the proposed California bill that would ban K9 units from making arrests with police dogs.@DanNewsManBall #RealAmerica #Conservative #TalkShow #OAN pic.twitter.com/B693dwZCmR— One America News (@OANN) February 16, 2023
Meanwhile, factions of both the ACLU and the NAACP support AB 742.
The measure could be heard in committee as early as next month.
