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Senator Bob Huff (R – Diamond Bar) announced today the introduction of a measure to help protect California Peace Officers.
Current law allows some public officials and law enforcement officers to protect their home addresses from disclosure, keeping the address confidential when police run a license plate check. Confidentiality is rightly extended to the spouse and children of these officials, but when these family members are also convicted criminals, the confidentiality extended to the family members compromises officer safety.
SB 938 will require disclosure of a spouse’s or child’s home address if they have been convicted of a crime and are on active probation or parole.
“When a license check at a routine traffic stop turns up as confidential, deputies naturally assume they are in a safe situation,” said Senator Huff. “Allowing convicted criminals to fall under confidentiality, however, blindly puts our law enforcement in harms way.”
While the list of who can obtain confidentiality licenses is limited, there is no provision to exempt people who have a criminal record. SB 938 will disclose information that will help officers do their job more safely and effectively.
“Confidentiality was meant to protect public officials and their families, not to provide a shroud for criminals who are on supervised release,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.
“I thank Senator Huff for authoring this critical legislation which will help to insure the safety of peace officers and other public officials in this state and clarify the intent of this statute.”
“Our peace officers risk their own safety every day to preserve ours,” said Senator Huff. “I am happy to introduce a bill that will give officers the ability to know who they are dealing with when they find themselves having to pull someone over.”
A confidentiality plate is an important protection that ensures neither an official nor his or her family can be targeted by someone who would obtain their information with ill intent. SB 938 will protect the integrity of this safety tool.
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