Force of Law

After police killed an unarmed black man in his grandparents' backyard, activists set out to change California law, hoping to make it easier to prosecute police who kill. That's sparked a heated debate in the state Capitol between families who have lost loved ones to police, and law enforcement officers who face split-second decisions while performing a dangerous job. Reporter Laurel Rosenhall explores California's attempt to curb police shootings as politicians consider the nation's toughest statewide standard for justifying deadly force.

This episode explores how California arrived at the point where it is considering the nation’s toughest statewide standard for justifying deadly force, looking back at the decade since police shot and killed Oscar Grant in Oakland and the momentum created by last year’s death of Stephon Clark in Sacramento. Additional music for this episode by Lee Rosevere.

Lobbying is under way in Sacramento for two vastly different approaches to reduce police shootings. Victims’ families and civil rights advocates are pushing a tougher standard for police to use deadly force, while law enforcement officers promote a plan to increase training. Additional music for this episode by Lee Rosevere.

Laurel Rosenhall hosts a panel discussion on a controversial new state law that gives the public access to law enforcement records for the first time in 40 years.

A sharecropper’s daughter who was born in Arkansas, Shirley Weber grew up to become a California lawmaker taking on one of the most divisive issues in a statehouse dominated by Democrats: a new law to limit when police can shoot. This episode is about Assemblywoman Weber and the lawmakers she must convince to help her pass a tougher standard for police to use deadly force. Additional music for this episode by Lee Rosevere.

Deadly attacks on police officers have decreased dramatically over the last 50 years, but policing remains a dangerous profession. That fact loomed over the Capitol as lawmakers debated a bill to limit police use of deadly force and attended memorials for fallen officers. This episode focuses on the risks officers face on the job and explains why many in law enforcement say the final version of the bill no longer puts them in greater danger.

As California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the bill setting a tougher standard for police to use deadly force, the team behind Force Of Law discusses what we’ve learned in reporting this series and what we have in store for the rest of the season.

Now that California has passed new laws meant to reduce police shootings, a key question is how much difference they’ll make in the ways officers respond to calls to help people in mental crisis. We discuss that question with Gov. Gavin Newsom, and examine two shootings from the past—one that the new law would likely prohibit, and another that it seems less likely to change.

As California debated a new law limiting when police can use deadly force, advocates pointed to Seattle as an example of a place that's benefited from a similar policy. This season finale explores how Seattle’s experience may inform California’s future, as the most populous state adapts to new laws that require more de-escalation training and limits on when police can shoot.