California Law Strips Hundreds of Officers of Badges, Leaving Large Backlog
In 2020, the arrest of Amaurie Johnson by La Mesa police officer Matthew Dages sparked protests and riots. Following an investigation, Dages was fired and subsequently decertified under a 2021 state law, preventing him from working as an officer in California. This law, intended to enhance police accountability, has resulted in the decertification of nearly 300 officers statewide for various misconduct, though a significant backlog of cases at the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) threatens timely justice. The backlog, stemming from understaffing, risks allowing some officers to evade accountability due to expiring statutes of limitations.
John Q. Hosedrinker