No Longer Confidential: An Advanced Look at SB 1421

Commencing January 1, 2019, California law regarding the confidentiality of certain police records will undergo a significant change.  Records of officer-involved shootings and certain uses of force will become accessible to the general public, as will records relating to sustained findings of dishonesty or sexual assault by a police officer. Earlier this month, we presented…

The Ninth Circuit Creates a Difficult and Dangerous Standard for Officers: An Analysis of Vos v. City Of Newport Beach (June 11, 2018)

Key Facts of Vos v. City of Newport Beach On May 29, 2014, at around 8:15 p.m., Gerritt Vos entered a 7-Eleven in an agitated manner, prompting someone to call 911. The Newport Police Department dispatch advised the responding officers that Vos was holding a pair of scissors inside the store. Vos had grabbed and…

SCOTUS Reverses Ninth Circuit And Finds Officer Is Immune From Liability In Excessive Force Case

On April 2, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Andrew Kisela v. Amy Hughes, granted summary judgment in favor of police officer Andrew Kisela on the grounds that he was entitled to a qualified immunity – an immunity that attaches when an official’s conduct does not violate clearly established law. Case Background…