Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg says he believes the "100-year-old standard" of whether an officer-involved shooting is deemed reasonable after the fact determines whether it is justified needs to change to a specific set of policies designed to prevent officer-involved shootings.
"Everything ought to be about prevention. How do we protect the police and the community? The police need a clear standard, too. We don't want to be prosecuting officers willy-nilly."
Steinberg, who devoted much of his State of the City address in February to the Clark shooting, said today's decision by District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert not to charge the officers who shot Clark was not a surprise, but answered a different question---"did the officers commit a crime"---than the one the community is asking.
"We need to change the standard for future outcomes", said the mayor. "Today's announcement only deepens our commitment to help neighborhoods left behind for far too long. This should be a turning point, not a breaking point."
The mayor says safe zones are available for families and young people to gather and discuss D.A. Schubert's decision.
Asked about whether he would support calls for the officers involved in the Clark shooting to be fired, Mayor Steinberg said he would prejudice the process if he offered an opinion.