Friend –

Families who suffer the traumatic loss of a loved one as a result of police brutality are being denied the justice they deserve. Currently, the majority – 48 out of 58 California counties – either have a combined role of coroner-sheriff or a coroner/medical examiner that operates under the sheriff's office. This flawed system has failed too many families who do not receive the closure needed to heal after a traumatic loss of a loved one.

AB 1608 would help ensure that medical examinations of sudden, violent, or unexplained deaths are done objectively – regardless of whether the deaths occurred while in police custody or from officer involvement. California needs a process that is impartial, transparent, and holds law enforcement accountable.

Here are two examples of sheriff interference with cause-of-death rulings:

• In December 2020, Angelo Quinto died after being taken to the hospital after Antioch police restrained him for almost five minutes, similar to how George Floyd was killed. Months after his death, the coroner's office ruled his death as "excited delirium" – an invalid term not recognized by the medical community. An independent investigation found that he died from positional asphyxia caused by officers using knee-to-neck restraint.
• After a public scandal in 2018, San Joaquin County stripped their former sheriff-coroner of his role and separated the medical coroner's office from the sheriff's due to abuses of power. Their former sheriff had a history of labeling officer-involved deaths as accidents rather than homicides.

Families who have lost their loved ones in officer-involved incidents deserve fair, unbiased, and just cause-of-death investigations. Urge your California state senator to vote YES on requiring statewide independent coroner offices.

Thanks for taking action,

Carlos Marquez III
Executive Director, ACLU California Action