Partner Mark Meyerhoff recently took part in a KNX 1070 Newsradio segment with reporter Craig Fiegener in which Mark discussed a new law that will require public safety applicants for employment in California to be screened for implicit or explicit biases. This law will go into effect in January 2022 and puts pressure on public safety departments to determine how best to conduct such screening. Mark also discussed the issue of public safety departments limiting the private speech of police personnel that is so prevalent amidst high-profile social and political issues.
“The state agency that oversees police officer standards is supposed to be coming out with guidelines to assist departments — reviewing implicit bias for applicants … The department kind of has to thread the needle between the social media, yet allowing officers to express their First Amendment rights under the law,” said Mark.