Use of Force Data
In late 2015, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 71 (AB 71), adding Government Code Section 12525.2. This statute mandates law enforcement agencies (LEA) in California report use of force incidents that result in serious bodily injury or death or involve the discharge of a firearm. Effective January 1, 2016, all LEAs were required to begin collecting data on use of force incidents for submittal to the Department of Justice (DOJ) beginning January 1, 2017.
The Sebastopol Police Department complies with this reporting requirement and reports all qualifying use of force incidents to the DOJ. The Sebastopol Police Department reports all use of force incidents on a rolling five year basis. SPD has not had any AB 71 reportable use of force incidents during this reportable period. You can also obtain data on statewide use of force incidents at the State of California’s Open Justice website at https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/.
A use of force is defined as any level of physical force employed by an officer beyond that which is necessary to handcuff a compliant subject. Examples include, but are not limited to, a takedown, the use of personal body weapons, physical restraint of a non-compliant subject, any force that results in visible injury to a person, deadly force, control holds or pain-compliance techniques on a non-compliant subject, use of a restraint device, deployment/activation of any less-lethal device (e.g., Taser, baton, chemical weapon, etc.), K-9 bite, or the direct and intentional pointing of a firearm at a person(s). It is not a use of force when a subject submits to a search, submits to commands by an Officer and allows himself/herself/themself to be handcuffed or otherwise detained, or surrenders to a show of force, such as the display of an Officer’s weapon(s) or a K-9 prior to actual deployment.
The Sebastopol Police Department’s Use of Force Policy can be viewed at Policy 300. Additional data regarding Sebastopol Police Department’s use of force incidents can be viewed by clicking the button below.