California’s proposal to ban police canines was shelved in the Assembly on May 31 but is expected to return next year for consideration.
Jackson pulled the legislation from the Assembly floor on May 31 and will present it again next session, according to his office.
“The status of the bill was changed to a two-year bill, which is why it was not put on the floor for a vote,” Jackson’s spokesman Daniel Peeden told The Epoch Times. “It’s still an active bill.”
Facing heavy opposition from law enforcement agencies, the legislation would have made California the first state to restrict police from using canines for arrests and crowd control. Under the legislation, law enforcement could still use canines in search and rescue operations, for detecting bombs and sniffing out narcotics.
![Los Angeles Police Department K-9 officers prepare for an operation in Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2018. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F09%2F30%2FLAPD_K9_JF_7_12132018-600x399.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
AB 742 was supported by 30 organizations—including the California Public Defenders Association and National Police Accountability Project—and opposed by about 40 groups.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) California Action, the bill’s sponsor, claims police canines are used by the country to violently oppress Black Americans and people of color and fail to serve a legitimate public safety interest.
Oppositions
More than 30 law enforcement agencies across the state were against the bill, according to an analysis prepared for the Assembly in late May (pdf).Though Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna agreed with prohibiting the use of canines for crowd control during protests and demonstrations, he said he couldn’t support other restrictions.
Assembly Republicans applauded the decision to stall the legislation.
Assemblyman Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) also wrote on Twitter he “believe[s] this bill would have led to more officer-involved shootings & deaths.”
“AB 742 was dangerous to law enforcement, criminals & communities across all of [California],” he posted on May 31.