Two 'deadliest' police departments in US to be investigated in California

Largest law enforcement agencies in Kern County will be reviewed
for civil rights violations after Guardian report and series of complaints,
Kamala Harris said

Oliver Laughland and Jon Swaine
Thursday 22 December 2016 22.45 GMT

The two largest law enforcement agencies in Kern County, California, labelled the deadliest police departments in America following a Guardian investigation, will be investigated by state authorities, California attorney general Kamala Harris announced on Thursday.

The Bakersfield police department and the Kern County sheriff’s office killed people at a higher rate than departments in any other county in America during 2015 and have been criticised for a culture of violence, corruption and impunity unearthed by the Guardian.

Harris, the US senator-elect for California who will step down as attorney general at the end of the year, said the decision to open the investigations was driven by media reports and community complaints alleging “use of excessive force and other serious misconduct”, which her department had been examining for over a year.

A source familiar with the investigations said the Guardian reports were reviewed before the decision to commence with proceedings was made.

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