In his 32-page ruling, the judge said the law doesn’t change the liability that an officer would face for past conduct. He used as an example a police officer who committed unlawful brutality before the new law took effect. Under existing privacy law, the department could “hush the matter up” because it was prevented from disclosing its investigation. Now, Treat said, the investigation could be requested under the state’s Public Records Act.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 09, 2019 06:22 UTC