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AB-847 • 2026

Peace officers: confidentiality of records.

Peace officers: confidentiality of records.

Crime Labor
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Sharp-Collins
Last action
2025-10-06
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 383, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation includes details that are not directly supported by the provided official source material, such as mentioning jail workers specifically. The term 'custodial officers' in the official text could include jail workers but this was removed to avoid speculation.

Peace Officers: Keeping Some Records Secret

This law makes certain records about police officers confidential, but allows civilian oversight boards and county inspector generals to access these records for investigations.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes the personnel files of peace officers and custodial officers private unless there is a special reason to see them.
  • Allows civilian law enforcement oversight boards or commissions to view these private files during investigations concerning officer conduct.
  • Requires these oversight boards to keep the records confidential and only look at them in closed sessions.
  • Also lets county inspector generals access some of these private records when needed.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Police departments
  • Civilian law enforcement oversight boards or commissions
  • County inspector generals

Terms To Know

civilian oversight board
A group of regular citizens who check on how police and jail workers do their jobs.
county inspector general
An official in a county government who checks if the government is following rules correctly.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only works if another bill, AB 1178 or AB 1388, also passes and this one comes last.
  • It does not specify when the new parts of the law will start working.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-06 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 383, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-06 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-24 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.

  4. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 50. Noes 16. Page 3472.).

  5. 2025-09-13 California Legislative Information

    Joint Rules 61(a)(14) and 51(a)(4) suspended. (Ayes 59. Noes 20. Page 3413.)

  6. 2025-09-12 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  7. 2025-09-12 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 23. Noes 10. Page 2999.).

  8. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  9. 2025-09-09 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  10. 2025-09-09 California Legislative Information

    Joint Rule 61(a)(13) suspended. (Ayes 28. Noes 8. Page 2568.)

  11. 2025-09-08 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  12. 2025-09-05 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  13. 2025-07-09 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  14. 2025-07-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (July 8).

  15. 2025-06-11 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  16. 2025-06-03 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  17. 2025-06-02 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 53. Noes 15. Page 1812.)

  18. 2025-05-22 California Legislative Information

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to third reading. (Page 1638.)

  19. 2025-05-05 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  20. 2025-05-01 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

  21. 2025-04-30 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (April 29).

  22. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  23. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  24. 2025-04-21 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.

  25. 2025-04-01 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  26. 2025-03-28 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.

  27. 2025-03-28 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

  28. 2025-02-20 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

  29. 2025-02-19 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 847, Sharp-Collins.
Peace officers: confidentiality of records.
Existing law, the California Public Records Act, authorizes the inspection and copying of any public record except where specifically prohibited by law. Existing law, with specified exemptions, makes confidential the personnel records of peace officers and custodial officers and certain other records maintained by their employing agencies. Existing law provides that this exemption from disclosure does not apply to investigations of these officers or their employing agencies or to related proceedings conducted by a grand jury, a district attorney’s office, or the Attorney General’s office.
This bill would additionally grant access to the confidential personnel records of peace officers and custodial officers and records maintained by their employing agencies, as specified, to civilian law enforcement oversight boards or commissions during
investigations or related proceedings concerning the conduct of those officers. The bill would require those oversight boards to maintain the confidentiality of those records, and would authorize them to conduct closed sessions, as specified, to review confidential records. The bill would additionally authorize a county inspector general to access those personnel records, as specified.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 832.7 of the Penal Code proposed by AB 1178 and AB 1388 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1178 or AB 1388 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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