Bill on Reporting Officer Violence Fails in Senate

The state Senate has rejected a bill by Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie-Hudson (D-Los Angeles) requiring peace officers to swiftly report fellow officers who use unnecessary violence.

The bill was one of many proposals introduced in the wake of the March 3 beating of Rodney G. King by members of the Los Angeles Police Department. Archie-Hudson’s bill failed when senators voted 21 to 11 in favor, leaving it 6 votes short of the 27 needed for approval. But the measure may be resurrected, because the Senate agreed to reconsider its action.

The bill would require an officer who witnessed an apparently illegal assault by another officer to report the incident within 48 hours. Violators would be subject to a maximum $1,000 fine, a six-month jail term, or both.