9 episodes

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. Questions? Call us at 916-209-0249 or email forceoflaw@calmatters.org.

Force of Law CALmatters and Studio To Be

    • News
    • 4.9 • 71 Ratings

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. Questions? Call us at 916-209-0249 or email forceoflaw@calmatters.org.

    Cycles

    Cycles

    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.

    • 37 min
    Split

    Split

    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.

    • 47 min
    The Deciders

    The Deciders

    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.

    • 49 min
    The Line

    The Line

    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.

    • 39 min
    From Bill to Law

    From Bill to Law

    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.

    • 24 min
    Breakdowns

    Breakdowns

    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.

    • 38 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
71 Ratings

71 Ratings

rababamoses ,

A must listen!

This podcast series is phenomenal look at a current crisis that we face in this state and in the country. It asks us to listen to multiple perspectives, to learn about all of the players in the controversial issue of police shootings, police brutality, the killing of police officers, justice and the recent CA assembly bills that have tried to come to some compromise. As a high school teacher I found this series to be so refreshing because I could actually use it and feel that it isn’t bias.

Tonight 444 Tonight ,

Good info but very clear bias.

Good info but very clear bias from a “journalist.”

DJ Lance Jer ,

Impactful and a must-hear

Well done!!

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