A proposed state bill designed to ensure public access to police radio communications has stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and will not go to a vote, a significant blow to its potential passage.
Senate Bill 1000, which would require law enforcement agencies by no later than 2024 to ensure public access to its radio communications, was held during an Aug. 11 Assembly Appropriations Committee meeting. A social media post from state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, said he was disappointed at the missed chance to ensure police transparency and accountability, with agencies now able to cut off 90 years of public access.
The bill is to combat a California Department of Justice 2020 memo requiring law enforcement agencies to encrypt communicating personal information or otherwise alter policies from the public. However, several police departments in cities like Mountain View, San Jose and San Francisco have switched to full encryption.
SB 1000 passed the Senate in May and received its first public hearing Aug. 3 in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The meeting saw it placed in the suspense file, allowing the Assembly to consider financial costs. A legislative analysis of the bill from Assembly Appropriations found it will cost law enforcement agencies millions of dollars to allow public access to certain types of encrypted channels or make those channels unencrypted. The analysis also said Cal Fire, the California State University system and the California Community Colleges would need millions in funding to upgrade equipment to meet bill requirements.
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