State Laws Requiring Release of Police Records: State laws, including Penal Code section 832.7(b) and Government Code section 7923.625, require release of police records in certain limited types of police incidents. The types of cases that qualify are defined by statute and include officer-involved shootings, uses of force that result in death or great bodily injury, sustained findings of unreasonable or excessive force, sustained findings of a failure to intervene against another officer using force that is clearly unreasonable or excessive, sustained findings of sexual assault, sustained findings of dishonesty, sustained findings of engaging in conduct involving prejudice or discrimination, and sustained findings of a peace officer making an unlawful arrest or conducting an unlawful search.
When Does the Department Release Materials? Prior to disclosing records under these laws, active investigations need to either be concluded or reach a point where disclosure would not substantially interfere with that investigation (and including a related prosecution, if any). These laws also require Police Department personnel to conduct detailed audio and video redaction work necessary to safeguard privacy in certain circumstances, and to ensure compliance with all laws and privacy protections through legal review.
Police Briefings Released Seek to Increase Public Understanding of Materials Released: In evaluating best practices of other agencies releasing similar materials, the Police Department established procedures to narrate Police Briefing Videos (expand the "Police Incidents" accordion below) to provide context that may increase the public’s understanding of what they are watching in the raw video of the incident. State laws cited above only require the records themselves be disclosed.
Police Records Released Are Limited in Scope to the Specific Use of Force Details: The Police Briefing Videos are limited in scope and breadth to the purpose of addressing the underlying reason for disclosure based on City review of the state laws (e.g., a use of force that results in death or great bodily injury, sustained findings of sexual assault, sustained findings of dishonesty, etc.). The intent of the Police Briefing Videos is not to provide a detailed accounting of the entire incident from start to finish, a justification or Department finding on the conduct of personnel, or even the outcome of the case. The information included in the narration is derived from facts known to the police or information taken directly from the official reports of the incident.