Inglewood to Destroy More Than 100 Police Shooting Records That Could Otherwise Become Public under New California Law

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts [Photo: Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times]

The city of Inglewood has authorized the shredding of more than 100 police shooting and other internal investigation records weeks before a new state law could allow the public to access them for the first time.

The decision, made at a City Council meeting earlier this month, has troubled civil liberties advocates who were behind the state legislation, Senate Bill 1421, which takes effect Jan. 1. The law opens to the public internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty.

Liam Dillon and Jack Dolan, writing for the Los Angeles Times, share this shocking revelation.