AG: CHP Can Disclose Brady List to Prosecutors

The California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies are allowed to disclose some Brady information about their officers to prosecutors without a Pitchess motion.

On October 13th the Attorney General issued a legal opinion about the steps prosecutors must take to get Brady material about peace officers.  The Attorney General said CHP could give prosecutors a list of its officers who have been found guilty of dishonesty, moral turpitude, or bias, without a Pitchess motion being filed without violating Pitchess statutes or the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act (POBRA).

Under the its proposed “External Brady Policy,” CHP would create a list of its officers who have been found guilty of dishonesty, moral turpitude, or bias within the last five years. This list would include the names of officers and the earliest date of any misconduct. But it would not describe the misconduct. Prosecutors could search this Brady list for CHP officers who might be called to testify as witnesses in criminal trials. If a likely witness was on the list, a prosecutor could then file a Pitchess motion to view the officer’s personnel records. Also, an officer whose name was put on the list would be notified and could file an administrative appeal challenging their inclusion on the list. 

The Attorney General noted that several police departments have adopted similar Brady policies and the Supreme Court approved one of these policies in Johnson. So CHP would not violate Pitchess statutes by creating and sharing a Brady list. She also said CHP was part of the prosecution team for Brady purposes, and CHP was qualified to create a Brady list. 

Although the Attorney General’s legal opinion is only advisory and is not binding on local law enforcement agencies, it is has a lot of influence. Officer associations should be aware of their agency’s Brady policy and ensure that the confidentiality of peace officer personnel records is protected. While Brady lists may be created and shared, POBRA and Pitchess procedures must still be followed.

Brown Signs Bill to Stop Scapegoating of Collective Bargaining

Last Friday, Governor Brown signed SB 331, the "Civic Reporting Openness in Negotiations Efficiency Act".  Legislators introduced the Act after some local governments adopted policies targeting labor negotiations, while keeping negotiations with city managers and outside contractors secret. These ordinances typically required information about pending collective bargaining be released to the public even before tentative agreements were reached. Many observers have been concerned these policies, while pitched as promoting transparency, were designed to prevent effective collective bargaining and obscure controversial management compensation and risky outside contractor spending.

Now, under the Act, local governments that claim to be concerned about transparency in contract negotiations cannot only target labor groups, but must apply the same rules equally to all contract negotiations.  Under the Act, any local government that has adopted a such an ordinance must also report on contracts made with private entities. A public agency must have an independent auditor report on the cost of any proposed contract, disclose all offers and counter offers, and approve the contract in open session. The bill states these procedures give the public a meaningful opportunity to participate in approving contractions.

New Law Bars Public Employers From Searching Cell Phones, Personal Devices Without Warrant

On October 8, 2015, Governor Brown signed S.B. 178, the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalEPCA).  CalEPCA prevents a government entity from compelling disclosure of electronic data without warrant. The Act covers both personal devices and online services that store personal data. To waive this protection, the authorized user must give consent to the government agency seeking the information.

Public safety agencies often have policies that apply to "personal communication devices" (PCD). It's likely, however, that many of these sections violate CalEPCA.  For example, some Lexipol PCD policies used by many departments permit administrative searches of both department-issued and personally owned devices.  Under these policies, the employer can track the employee's location, inspect message content, and access online information.  Some Departments have attempted to compel employees to turn over text messages or phone logs without a warrant.

Now, absent an emergency or the employee's consent, the agency needs a warrant to get any of this information. Many public safety departments will have to change their current policies to conform to CalEPCA. As a mandatory bargaining subject, the department and union will have to "meet and confer" to adopt a new policy governing PCDs.