Whereas, the shooting of Stephon Clark was just one more in a recent string of police use of deadly force resulting in death, what many have come to call another life lost in a senseless shooting, often of African American men, and
Whereas, there has been repeated public outcry to prevent this from happening to anybody else’s relative regardless of their race, there is little confidence that any real effective change has been put in place to prevent further such incidents, and
Whereas, under current law, when police officers “reasonably” believe they are in danger, lethal force can be used, often resulting in the death of unarmed persons.
Therefore Be It Resolved, that the Riverside County Democratic Party advocates changing the standard of using deadly force from “reasonable” to “necessary” and to train officers to consider alternative methods before resorting to deadly force, and
Be It Further Resolved, that the Riverside County Democratic Party strongly advocates for law enforcement agencies to develop and implement sensitivity training, as well as new rules of engagement, and require retraining their officers in these new skills.
Authors: Agi Kessler, AD 56 and Steve Ruth, AD 60
Passed Unanimously 4/8/19
