WATCH: California’s police use-of-force law, explained

In the culmination of one of the fiercest political battles in recent years, California in 2020 put in place a new legal standard tightening the rules around when police can use deadly force.

The new standard was a compromise between police and civil rights groups. It legally permits police to use deadly force only when “necessary in defense of human life.” That’s a steeper standard than prosecutors used to apply, which said officers could shoot when doing so was “reasonable.”

A series of events make the law especially salient now: In recent weeks, controversial officer-involved shootings of people of color — including in Minneapolis, Chicago and, most recently, Columbus, Ohio — are making headlines nationwide. Meanwhile, a jury found ex-Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd — the incident that launched police use-of-force debates in California and across the country.

Locally, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office shot a man earlier this month in the parking lot of a shopping center in Aptos. That man survived, and, per standard practice, that shooting remains under investigation.

In this video, CalMatters news analyst Laurel Rosenhall breaks down the effect of the change in California law on police officers and citizens.

For more background on California’s attempt to reduce police shootings, listen to Rosenhall’s “Force Of Law” podcast, available on Apple Podcasts or other podcasting platforms.