Los Angeles, California - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris issued the following statement on the 23rd anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots:

"The 23rd anniversary of the Los Angeles riots highlights the urgent need to continuously rebuild and strengthen the relationship of trust between law enforcement and the communities we are sworn to serve. History has shown us that partnership, dialogue and transparency between police and communities is the path to creating safe and healthy neighborhoods. For that reason, I recently instructed the California Department of Justice to critically review and update our special agent training on implicit bias and the use of force. These actions were taken with the expectation that California’s law enforcement agencies will use this work as a roadmap to review their own policies and make necessary changes. The images of unrest in Baltimore this week are an alarming reminder that we can and must do better to safeguard our communities.”

This month, Attorney General Harris released the results of an internal California Department of Justice 90-Day Review of its special agent training programs on implicit bias and use of force. As part of the review process, the Attorney General also announced the creation of the 21st Century Policing Working Group made up of a diverse coalition of sheriffs, chiefs and other law enforcement leaders from across the state.  This working group is developing new policies on procedural justice, community-oriented policing, and effective training of law enforcement.

The release of the Department’s review and the creation of the working group are part of an effort by the Attorney General and law enforcement leaders across the state to address the crisis of confidence between law enforcement and the communities they serve.