Actions Can Make Change Happen: Sacramento Adopts the Last Resort Standard for Police Use of Deadly Force
NCJW Sacramento is delighted that the Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday night in favor of adopting a police reform recommendation that permits police to use deadly force only as a last resort.
On May 3rd, NCJW Sacramento sent a letter to the Mayor and all City Council members, signed by Sacramento section members from almost every City Council district. “We submitted our letter as part of the public record at the hearing, and two of us made remarks at the City Council hearing urging adoption of the higher standard for the use of lethal force,” said Pat Sturdevant, Chair of the NCJW Sacramento Section Policy Advocacy Committee. The Committee is advocating in support of state legislation on policing reform before the Sacramento City Council in support of adopting the recommendations of the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission. “Section Policy Advocacy has been really active and we are very encouraged by this first important success.” said Sturdevant.
The last resort standard was implemented in Camden, New Jersey, five years ago and has resulted in Camden going from being the “murder capital” of the country to seeing a 50 percent reduction in homicides and a more than 90 per cent reduction in police use of force incidents. It has since been adopted in the entire state of New Jersey.
According to then Council member Allen Warren, who was one of the speakers during NCJW Sacramento’s Speaker Series webinar, Re-Envisioning Public Safety and Policing in Sacramento, as of August 2020, the city of Sacramento had spent more than $25 million to settle police abuse cases. Adopting the last resort standard will not only enhance public safety and save lives, but it will be fiscally prudent, so that the City could utilize more taxpayer funds for programs and projects that enhance the quality of life for Sacramento residents. Sacramento joins San Francisco, New Jersey and a few other enlightened jurisdictions in permitting the police to use deadly force only as a last resort.
If you are interested in supporting NCJW’s advocacy efforts, Join the Rapid Response Team. View the events page of our website for more information or to register for Virtual Lobby Day 2021, scheduled for May 26.