NEWS RELEASE
On May 15, 2023, officials from the California Department of Justice (DOJ) notified the Oxnard Police Department that their agency will assume control of Oxnard Police Department’s investigation of the officer-involved shooting incident that occurred on April 28, 2023. This action is pursuant to the provisions of Assembly Bill 1506 (AB1506), which is codified in Government Code section 12525.3.
AB1506 calls for the DOJ to investigate all incidents of officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an “unarmed civilian,” defined as “anyone who is not in possession of a deadly weapon.” Prior to AB1506, critical incidents in California such as this had been typically handled by local law enforcement agencies and county district attorneys.
From Police Chief Jason Benites, “We made it a practice to promptly notify the California DOJ after each of the recent officer-involved critical incidents. Our department promptly notified DOJ after the April 28th officer-involved critical incident, which concerned an officer shooting a man that was armed with a knife. After DOJ officials reviewed video from the incident, they contacted our agency and advised that they would assume control of our investigation. In our continued pursuit of transparency, we welcome this. Our department will work with DOJ to ensure they have all the information and materials they need to conduct a thorough and independent review of this incident. This lends to maintaining the public’s trust, which we value.”
The Oxnard Police Department released a Critical Incident Community Briefing video to the public on May 9, 2023. A link to the video for this incident can be found at: https://youtu.be/rz2_jIvHBOM
Department of Justice news release: https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/california-department-justice-investigating-oxnard-officer-involved-shooting
To learn more about Assembly Bill 1506 click on this link: https://oag.ca.gov/ois-incidents
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