TITLE 4.7. Law Enforcement Agency Regulations [13650. - 13670.]

Cal. Penal Code - PEN 4.

in effect

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13650. Section 13650.

Commencing January 1, 2020, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training and each local law enforcement agency shall conspicuously post on their internet websites all current standards, policies, practices, operating procedures, and education and training materials that would otherwise be available to the public if a request was made pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13651. Section 13651.

(a) Every police department, sheriff’s office, or other entity that employs peace officers shall review the job description that is used in the recruitment and hiring of those peace officers and shall make changes that emphasize community-based policing, familiarization between law enforcement and community residents, and collaborative problem solving, while de-emphasizing the paramilitary aspects of the job. (b) This section is not intended to alter the required duties of any peace officer. (c) The Legislature finds and declares that changes to these job descriptions are necessary to allow peace officers to feel like the public can trust law enforcement and to implement problem-solving policing and intelligence-led policing strategies in contrast with reactive policing strategies.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13652. Section 13652.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents shall not be used by any law enforcement agency to disperse any assembly, protest, or demonstration. (b) Kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents shall only be deployed by a peace officer that has received training on their proper use by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training for crowd control if the use is objectively reasonable to defend against a threat to life or serious bodily injury to any individual, including any peace officer, or to bring an objectively dangerous and unlawful situation safely and effectively under control, and only in accordance with all of the following requirements: (1) De-escalation techniques or other alternatives to force have been attempted, when objectively reasonable, and have failed. (2) Repeated, audible announcements are made announcing the intent to use kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents and the type to be used, when objectively reasonable to do so. The announcements shall be made from various locations, if necessary, and delivered in multiple languages, if appropriate. (3) Persons are given an objectively reasonable opportunity to disperse and leave the scene. (4) An objectively reasonable effort has been made to identify persons engaged in violent acts and those who are not, and kinetic energy projectiles or chemical agents are targeted toward those individuals engaged in violent acts. Projectiles shall not be aimed indiscriminately into a crowd or group of persons. (5) Kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents are used only with the frequency, intensity, and in a manner that is proportional to the threat and objectively reasonable. (6) Officers shall minimize the possible incidental impact of their use of kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents on bystanders, medical personnel, journalists, or other unintended targets. (7) An objectively reasonable effort has been made to extract individuals in distress. (8) Medical assistance is promptly provided, if properly trained personnel are present, or procured, for injured persons, when it is reasonable and safe to do so. (9) Kinetic energy projectiles shall not be aimed at the head, neck, or any other vital organs. (10) Kinetic energy projectiles or chemical agents shall not be used by any law enforcement agency solely due to any of the following: (A) A violation of an imposed curfew. (B) A verbal threat. (C) Noncompliance with a law enforcement directive. (11) If the chemical agent to be deployed is tear gas, only a commanding officer at the scene of the assembly, protest, or demonstration may authorize the use of tear gas. (c) This section does not prevent a law enforcement agency from adopting more stringent policies. (d) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Kinetic energy projectiles” means any type of device designed as less lethal, to be launched from any device as a projectile that may cause bodily injury through the transfer of kinetic energy and blunt force trauma. For purposes of this section, the term includes, but is not limited to, items commonly referred to as rubber bullets, plastic bullets, beanbag rounds, and foam tipped plastic rounds. (2) “Chemical agents” means any chemical that can rapidly produce sensory irritation or disabling physical effects in humans, which disappear within a short time following termination of exposure. For purposes of this section, the term includes, but is not limited to, chloroacetophenone tear gas, commonly known as CN tear gas; 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile gas, commonly known as CS gas; and items commonly referred to as pepper balls, pepper spray, or oleoresin capsicum. (e) This section does not apply within any county detention facility or any correctional facility of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13652.1. Section 13652.1.

(a) Each law enforcement agency shall, within 60 days of each incident, publish a summary on its internet website of all instances in which a peace officer employed by that agency uses a kinetic energy projectile or chemical agent, as those terms are defined in Section 13652, for crowd control. However, an agency may extend that period for another 30 days if they demonstrate just cause, but in no case longer than 90 days from the time of the incident. (b) For each incident reported under subdivision (a), the summary shall be limited to that information known to the agency at the time of the report and shall include only the following: (1) A description of the assembly, protest, demonstration, or incident, including the approximate crowd size and the number of officers involved. (2) The type of kinetic energy projectile or chemical agent deployed. (3) The number of rounds or quantity of chemical agent dispersed, as applicable. (4) The number of documented injuries as a result of the kinetic energy projectile or chemical agent deployment. (5) The justification for using the kinetic energy projectile or chemical agent, including any de-escalation tactics or protocols and other measures that were taken at the time of the event to de-escalate tensions and avoid the necessity of using the kinetic energy projectile or chemical agent. (c) The Department of Justice shall post on its internet website a compiled list linking each law enforcement agency’s reports posted pursuant to subdivision (a).

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13653. Section 13653.

(a) A peace officer, as defined in Section 830, may request an alleged law enforcement officer to present identification when there is probable cause or reasonable suspicion to believe the alleged law enforcement officer has committed a crime, including, but not limited to, impersonating a peace officer in violation of subdivisions (a), (b), or (c), of Section 538d. (b) For purposes of this section, “law enforcement officer” includes a peace officer, as defined in Section 830, and any federal law enforcement officer.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13654. Section 13654.

(a) A law enforcement officer operating in California that is not uniformed, and therefore is not required to clearly display identification pursuant to Section 830.10, shall visibly display identification that includes their agency and either a name or badge number or both name and badge number when performing their enforcement duties, unless expressly exempt under subdivision (b). (b) This section does not apply to any of the following: (1) An officer engaged in active undercover operations or investigative activities. (2) An officer engaged in plainclothes operations who is employed within the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, California Health and Human Services Agency, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Transportation Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, California Government Operations Agency, or within any department, board, commission, or other entity in those agencies or the federal equivalents of these state agencies. (3) An officer wearing personal protective equipment that prevents display. (4) Exigent circumstances, involving an imminent danger to persons or property, or the escape of a perpetrator, or the destruction of evidence, including if the officer is responding to those circumstances while off-duty. (5) An officer assigned to Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) or tactical team units and actively performing their SWAT or tactical team responsibilities. (6) An officer engaged in protective operations involving elected officials, judicial officers, or other designated dignitaries where the display of identification would compromise the safety, anonymity, or tactical effectiveness of the protection detail. (c) A willful and knowing violation of this section is punishable as a misdemeanor. (d) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Enforcement duties” means active and planned operations involving the arrest or detention of an individual, or deployment for crowd control purposes. (2) “Law enforcement officer” means a peace officer as defined in Section 830, and any federal law enforcement officer. (e) This section, and the penalties established herein, shall not apply to any law enforcement agency, or its personnel, if that agency maintains and publicly posts a written policy pursuant to Section 7288 of the Government Code. (f) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2026.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13655. Section 13655.

(a) A department or agency that employs peace officers shall not authorize or allow its employees to wear a uniform that is substantially similar to any uniform of the United States Armed Forces or state active militia. (b) A department or agency that employs peace officers shall not authorize or allow its employees to wear a uniform that is made from a camouflage printed or patterned material. (c) For purposes of subdivision (a), a uniform is “substantially similar” if it so resembles an official uniform of the United States Armed Forces or state active militia as to cause an ordinary reasonable person to believe that the person wearing the uniform is a member of the United States Armed Forces or state active militia. A uniform shall not be deemed to be substantially similar to a uniform of the United States Armed Forces or state active militia if it includes at least two of the following three components: a badge or star or facsimile thereof mounted on the chest area, a patch on one or both sleeves displaying the insignia of the employing agency or entity, and the word “Police” or “Sheriff” prominently displayed across the back or chest area of the uniform. (d) This section applies to personnel who are assigned to uniformed patrol, uniformed crime suppression, or uniformed duty at an event or disturbance, including any personnel that respond to assist at a protest, demonstration, or similar disturbance. It does not apply to members of a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, sniper team, or tactical team engaged in a tactical response or operation. (e) This section does not apply to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13660. Section 13660.

(a) Any law enforcement agency that authorizes peace officers to carry an electroshock device shall prohibit that device from being holstered or otherwise carried on the same lateral side of the officer’s body as the officer’s primary firearm is holstered or otherwise carried. (b) As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Electroshock device” means a taser, stun gun, or similar weapon that is designed to temporarily incapacitate a person through the controlled delivery of an electric shock, and is designed to be held in a manner similar to a pistol and operated using a finger trigger. (2) “Law enforcement agency” means any agency or department of the state, or any political subdivision thereof, that employs any peace officer described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13663. Section 13663.

(a) Each law enforcement agency shall maintain a policy to require an official report prepared by a law enforcement officer or any member of a law enforcement agency that is generated using artificial intelligence either fully or partially to contain both of the following: (1) On each page of the official report, or within the body of the text, identify every specific artificial intelligence program used in a manner that makes such identification readily apparent to the reader and prominently state the following: “This report was written either fully or in part using artificial intelligence.” (2) The signature of the law enforcement officer or member of a law enforcement agency who prepared the official report, either in physical or electronic form, verifying that they reviewed the contents of that report and that the facts contained in the official report are true and correct. (b) (1) If a law enforcement officer or any member of a law enforcement agency uses artificial intelligence to create an official report, whether fully or partially, the first draft created shall be retained by the agency for as long as the official report is retained. (2) Except for the official report, a draft of any report created with the use of artificial intelligence shall not constitute an officer’s statement. (c) The agency utilizing artificial intelligence to generate a first draft or official report shall maintain an audit trail for as long as the official report is retained that, at a minimum, identifies both of the following: (1) The person who used artificial intelligence to create a report. (2) The video and audio footage used to create a report, if any. (d) (1) A contracted vendor shall not share, sell, or otherwise use information provided by a law enforcement agency to be processed by artificial intelligence except for either of the following purposes: (A) The contracted law enforcement agency’s purposes. (B) Pursuant to a court order. (2) A contracted vendor may access data processed by artificial intelligence for the purposes of troubleshooting, bias mitigation, accuracy improvement, or system refinement. (e) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Artificial intelligence” means an engineered or machine-based system that varies in its level of autonomy and that can, for explicit or implicit objectives, infer from the input it receives how to generate outputs that can influence physical or virtual environments. “Artificial intelligence” as used in this section applies to artificial intelligence systems that automatically draft police report narratives based upon an analysis of in-car or dash-mounted cameras, or body-worn camera audio or video, and artificial intelligence systems that analyze a law enforcement officer’s dictated report to generate a police report narrative automatically enhanced by generative artificial intelligence. (2) “Contracted vendor” means a third party which has made artificial intelligence available to law enforcement for the purpose of generating a draft police report. (3) “First draft” means the initial document or narrative produced solely by artificial intelligence. (4) “Law enforcement agency” means any department or agency of the state or any local government, special district, or other political subdivision thereof, that employs any peace officer, as described in Section 830. (5) “Official report” means the final version of the report that is signed by the officer under paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13665. Section 13665.

(a) A police department or sheriff’s office shall not share, on social media, booking photos of an individual arrested on suspicion of committing a nonviolent crime unless any of the following circumstances exist: (1) A police department or sheriff’s office has determined that the suspect is a fugitive or an imminent threat to an individual or to public safety and releasing or disseminating the suspect’s image will assist in locating or apprehending the suspect or reducing or eliminating the threat. (2) A judge orders the release or dissemination of the suspect’s image based on a finding that the release or dissemination is in furtherance of a legitimate law enforcement interest. (3) There is an exigent circumstance that necessitates the dissemination of the suspect’s image in furtherance of an urgent and legitimate law enforcement interest. (b) With respect to an individual who has been arrested for any crime, including crimes defined in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5, a police department or sheriff’s office that shares, on social media, an individual’s booking photo shall do both of the following: (1) Use the name and pronouns given by the individual. A police department or sheriff’s office may include other legal names or known aliases of an individual if using the names or aliases will assist in locating or apprehending the individual or reducing or eliminating an imminent threat to an individual or to public safety or an exigent circumstance exists that necessitates the use of other legal names or known aliases of an individual due to an urgent and legitimate law enforcement interest. (2) Remove the booking photo from its social media page within 14 days unless any of the circumstances described in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (a) exist. (c) Subdivision (b) shall apply retroactively to any booking photo shared on social media. (d) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Nonviolent crime” means a crime not identified in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5. (2) “Social media” has the same meaning as in Section 632.01, except that social media does not include an internet website or an electronic data system developed and administered by the police department or sheriff’s office.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13667. Section 13667.

(a) Each municipal police department and county sheriff’s department, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and the University of California and California State University Police Departments shall, on or before January 1, 2027, develop, adopt, and implement written policies and standards to promote safe, consistent, and effective service, implementation, and enforcement of court protection and restraining orders that include firearm access restrictions, including, but not limited to, civil harassment restraining orders, criminal protective orders, domestic violence restraining orders, emergency protective orders, juvenile restraining orders, postsecondary school violence restraining orders, workplace violence restraining orders, and elder or dependent adult abuse restraining orders other than orders described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (u) of Section 15657.03 of the Welfare and Institutions Code related to financial abuse. (b) The policies and standards developed pursuant to this section shall ensure that the agency consistently complies with the requirements of California laws governing service and enforcement of protection and restraining orders and governing relinquishment of firearms by individuals who are armed and subject to those court orders, including new mandates and responsibilities placed on law enforcement agencies pursuant to Chapter 242 of the Statutes of 2023 and Chapter 544 of the Statutes of 2024. (c) In developing these policies and standards, the law enforcement agency shall also review and update existing protocols, policies, or standards pertaining to protection or restraining orders and law enforcement responses to domestic violence incidents to ensure these relevant protocols, policies, and standards are consistent with one another and current law and to ensure that they provide consistent and accessible guidance to law enforcement officers. (d) The policies and standards shall provide a standard agency process for law enforcement to serve the order against a restrained person in a timely manner and ensure the agency consistently complies with the requirements of California law governing service of protection and restraining orders, including pursuant to Section 6383 of the Family Code and Section 527.12 of the Code of Civil Procedure. These policies and standards shall ensure that officers who have served protection or restraining orders consistently accomplish all of the following steps as soon as possible and within one business day of serving the order: (1) Completing the appropriate proof of service form developed by the Judicial Council for the protection or restraining order. (2) Filing the proof of service form with the court. (3) Ensuring proof of service information is entered into the California Restraining and Protective Order System through the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to record that the order has been served on the restrained person. (e) The policies and standards shall ensure that officers effectuate firearm relinquishment at the time of service by requesting, at the time of service, that the restrained person immediately and safely relinquish to the officer’s control any firearms, ammunition, body armor, and other prohibited items in the restrained person’s possession or control, or subject to the restrained person’s possession or control. The policies and standards should ensure officers consistently accomplish the following steps upon serving a protection or restraining order: (1) Notify the restrained person that they are required to immediately transfer all firearms and prohibited items they possess or control to the officer serving the order. (2) Request that the restrained party immediately transfer to the officer, safely and unloaded, any firearms or other prohibited items they possess or control. (3) Conduct a lawful search as necessary for the protection of the officer or other individuals present and take custody of any firearms or other prohibited items in plain sight or discovered pursuant to the lawful search. (4) Complete the appropriate proof of firearm relinquishment form developed by the Judicial Council that serves as the receipt to document relinquished firearms and other prohibited items and issue the receipt form to the restrained person. (5) Ensure the Automated Firearms System is updated to record any firearms that the restrained person relinquished to the law enforcement officer. (6) Determine whether the restrained person possesses or controls other firearms that they have not relinquished to the officer. In making such a determination, the officer should be instructed to consider all relevant information, to the extent possible, including by reviewing the protection or restraining order to determine if the court made a finding that the restrained person has firearms, querying the Automated Firearms System to determine whether the restrained person is recorded as having legally acquired firearms in that database, and asking the restrained person or, if it is safe to do so, other persons present. (f) The policies and standards shall do all of the following: (1) (A) Provide a standard agency process for officers to promote firearm relinquishment compliance in circumstances where a restrained person owns, possesses, or controls firearms but credibly indicates that they cannot relinquish all firearms at the time of service, including circumstances where those firearms are stored in another location. (B) The process in subparagraph (A) shall instruct officers to provide accessible local information about how the restrained person can lawfully comply with the court order by relinquishing possession or control of all firearms and other prohibited items, unloaded and in a safe manner, to a local law enforcement agency or to a licensed firearm dealer within 24 hours of being served with the order and by providing the proof of relinquishment compliance receipt form to the court and to the law enforcement agency within 48 hours or being served with the order to verify that the restrained person sold or transferred all firearms and other prohibited items that they possess or control. (2) Instruct officers to inform the restrained person that failure to comply with the requirements and timelines in paragraph (1) may result in fines, arrest, and criminal penalties. (3) Require officers to encourage restrained individuals to relinquish any firearms they cannot immediately relinquish to the officer through a designated third party or with law enforcement supervision to reduce the risk that the restrained person will access the firearms or other items to threaten or harm individuals protected by the court order or to otherwise harm themselves or others. The policies and standards shall encourage officers to proactively follow up with the restrained person to confirm that the restrained person relinquished all firearms and provided receipt forms verifying relinquishment within the required timeline. (4) Instruct officers about how to respond if the restrained person credibly indicates that they do not possess or control firearms that had been associated with the restrained person in the Automated Firearms System, the court order, or other sources, including informing the restrained person to complete and submit to the court a standard form developed by the Department of Justice that declares under penalty of perjury that the restrained person is no longer in possession of one or more firearms, along with their response to the protection or restraining order and any other supporting documentation to verify that the restrained person no longer possesses or controls firearms. (g) (1) The policies and standards shall provide a process for the agency, in coordination with court staff and other law enforcement agencies and stakeholders, to proactively identify restrained persons who are illegally armed in violation of the court order and state law. (2) The policies and standards shall instruct officers to take one or more of the following steps, as appropriate for the circumstances, to ensure firearm relinquishment compliance and the safety of any individuals protected by the court order, if the agency receives credible information indicating that the restrained person has not relinquished all firearms or other prohibited items as required: (A) Contact the restrained person to facilitate and verify immediate firearm relinquishment compliance. (B) Take custody of firearms or other prohibited items at a location where there is probable cause to believe those items are located, including through a lawful search or by requesting a search warrant to search for and seize these items. (C) Notify appropriate partners, such as court clerks, prosecutors, and petitioners or protected parties who may be in danger, that the restrained person has violated the protection or restraining order’s firearm relinquishment requirements. (D) Arrest the restrained person for violating the court order and state law. (h) The law enforcement agency shall make the standards and policies developed pursuant to this section available to the public upon request and shall post information on the agency’s website about how petitioners may request service of protection or restraining orders by that agency and how prohibited persons and other community members may relinquish firearms to the custody of the agency. (i) In developing and updating the standards and policies developed pursuant to this section, law enforcement agencies are encouraged to consult and collaborate with domestic violence service providers and survivor advocates, gun violence prevention experts, local court staff, and guidance, technical assistance, or recommendations issued by the Department of Justice.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 13670. Section 13670.

(a) For purposes of this section: (1) “Law enforcement agency” means any department or agency of the state or any local government, special district, or other political subdivision thereof, that employs any peace officer, as described in Section 830. (2) “Law enforcement gang” means a group of peace officers within a law enforcement agency who may identify themselves by a name and may be associated with an identifying symbol, including, but not limited to, matching tattoos, and who engage in a pattern of on-duty behavior that intentionally violates the law or fundamental principles of professional policing, including, but not limited to, excluding, harassing, or discriminating against any individual based on a protected category under federal or state antidiscrimination laws, engaging in or promoting conduct that violates the rights of other employees or members of the public, violating agency policy, the persistent practice of unlawful detention or use of excessive force in circumstances where it is known to be unjustified, falsifying police reports, fabricating or destroying evidence, targeting persons for enforcement based solely on protected characteristics of those persons, theft, unauthorized use of alcohol or drugs on duty, unlawful or unauthorized protection of other members from disciplinary actions, and retaliation against other officers who threaten or interfere with the activities of the group. (b) Each law enforcement agency shall maintain a policy that prohibits participation in a law enforcement gang and that makes violation of that policy grounds for termination. A law enforcement agency shall cooperate in any investigation into these gangs by an inspector general, the Attorney General, or any other authorized agency. Notwithstanding any other law, local agencies may impose greater restrictions on membership and participation in law enforcement gangs, including for discipline and termination purposes. (c) Except as specifically prohibited by law, a law enforcement agency shall disclose the termination of a peace officer for participation in a law enforcement gang to another law enforcement agency conducting a preemployment background investigation of that former peace officer.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026