Watch: Officers Who Killed Stephon Clark Come From a Department Already Under Scrutiny

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police departments across the nation have long been under scrutiny for officer-involved shootings, particularly of unarmed African Americans, and law enforcement officers in Sacramento, Calif., are no exception. Suggested Reading The Root 100 – 2020 Black History…

Police departments across the nation have long been under scrutiny for officer-involved shootings, particularly of unarmed African Americans, and law enforcement officers in Sacramento, Calif., are no exception.

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In addition to Stephon Clark, at least 16 people have been killed in encounters with Sacramento-area law enforcement officers since 2016, according to the Sacramento Bee.

It was the shooting of Joseph Mann in July 2016 that became a turning point for the Sacrament Police Department. Mann was fatally shot 14 times by officers, and dashcam video showed a police car trying to run him over. After that incident, advocates lobbied Sacramentoโ€™s City Council for changes that led to all officers being required to wear body cameras. The department also must release video in officer-involved shootings within 30 days in most circumstances.

โ€œWe made some progress, but obviously and clearly itโ€™s not enough,โ€ says Richard Owen, co-chair of the Law Enforcement Accountability Directive. โ€œWe need a change in the use-of-force policy. Thatโ€™s the first thing that needs to change because thatโ€™s what will keep someone alive.โ€

Federal and state laws allow an officer to shoot at someone if in fear of his or her life. Itโ€™s one of the main reasons that officers are rarely prosecuted in shooting deaths.

While the battle for reforming Sacramentoโ€™s Police Department is a work in progress, Clarkโ€™s case highlights that thereโ€™s still a long way to go.

โ€œRacism isnโ€™t our problem. We didnโ€™t start it,โ€ Tanya Faison, founder of the Black Lives Matter Sacramento chapter, says in the above video. โ€œSo weโ€™re not going to be able to end it. Itโ€™s going to take everybody. So get involved however you can.โ€

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