Friend –

For years, officers who've committed serious misconduct, from sexual assault to falsifying police reports, have been allowed to resign under a veil of secrecy. Instead of being fired, these officers have cut deals to resign quietly and have their records sealed under nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) with no accountability. These nondisclosure agreements allow officers to walk away quietly, with their records sealed. No accountability, no public disclosure, and no way for future employers, including other law enforcement agencies, to know the harm they've caused or the danger they pose.

The state agency tasked with removing bad cops from our communities has told the Legislature that there could be at least 10,000 misconduct records covered up by these NDAs.

Tell lawmakers to end this practice by passing AB 1388.

AB 1388 would:

• Ban police misconduct NDAs entirely and void those that already exist;
• Restore public access to serious misconduct records;
• Affirm existing requirements for agencies to report misconduct to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.

This is a critical opportunity to protect communities. The police already have extensive protections that allow them to avoid accountability. AB 1388 closes a dangerous loophole that allows misconduct to go unchecked – and communities to remain at risk.

With your help, we can shut down the system that lets bad officers walk away without consequence and ensure they cannot just cover up their past.

Thanks for taking action,

David Trujillo
Pronouns: he/his
Executive Director, ACLU California Action