Sacramento, CA — Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 2 (Bradford) into law creating California’s first ever statewide peace officer licensing program. The program creates a process to determine if a peace officer engaged in serious misconduct thereby warranting the suspension or revocation of the officer’s license to work in law enforcement.

The Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) has remained committed to establishing a fair and equitable licensing program that provides the same due process rights everyone in America receives under the Constitution. PORAC has been actively opposed to SB 2. Even in its current form, SB 2 is seriously flawed.

The text of the bill as signed by the Governor today:

• Establishes an Advisory Board whose composition will likely subject peace officers to a biased review of their actions.
• Contains unclear, subjective and vague definitions of ‘serious misconduct’ that would warrant the suspension or revocation of a peace officer’s license.
• Does not address the Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights – the rulebook by which administrative investigations of peace officers must be conducted in California.

With the Chaptering of this bill by the Governor, PORAC will continue to address our remaining concerns with our elected leaders and the POST Commission.