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California – In May 2020, just two days after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a seemingly routine police encounter in La Mesa, California, turned into a local flashpoint in the national reckoning over racial justice. Twenty-three-year-old Amaurie Johnson was waiting for friends outside an apartment building when La Mesa police officer Matthew Dages approached him. The encounter quickly escalated, culminating in Dages forcefully grabbing Johnson’s shirt, pushing him onto a concrete bench multiple times, and arresting him.
Body camera footage captured Johnson’s reaction as he protested the officer’s actions: “Stop touching me, bro.” The video of the arrest quickly went viral, triggering protests in La Mesa that ultimately erupted into riots. Despite the aggressive nature of the arrest, Johnson was never charged with a crime. Dages, however, was later fired after an administrative investigation revealed he had made false statements in his police report—claiming Johnson was smoking in a nonsmoking area and had taken a fighting stance.
In the past, officers like Dages could leave one department and find employment elsewhere, a phenomenon widely known in police reform circles as the “wandering officer” problem. However, under Senate Bill 2 (SB 2), a law passed in 2021, Dages lost his certification, permanently barring him from serving as a police officer anywhere in California.
SB 2 established a formal system for revoking police certifications in cases of serious misconduct. Since its implementation, nearly 300 officers across California have been decertified for offenses including excessive use of force, dishonesty, and sexual assault. This includes 20 officers in San Diego County alone. The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) oversees these decertifications, marking a significant step forward in holding law enforcement accountable.
For Johnson, the outcome was a relief. “I’m happy at the end result of him not being an officer anymore,” he said. “Knowing my experience with him, he was just going to go ahead and do the same thing to somebody else.” Dages did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Since 2023, POST has received tens of thousands of officer misconduct reports, but the majority remain unresolved due to a lack of investigative staff. The commission has a three-year statute of limitations to take action on misconduct cases. If it fails to process cases in time, officers who should be decertified may escape scrutiny and remain on the force—a major concern for police accountability advocates.
Mitchelle Woodson, legal director for San Diego-based Pillars of the Community, emphasized the importance of follow-through. “I think any step towards holding those bad actors accountable is progress and a success,” she said. “But I do know that there is so much more that needs to be done.”
California lawmakers introduced SB 2 and other police reforms in response to widespread protests against racial injustice in 2020. These reforms included requiring the release of personnel files on officers who commit misconduct, mandating investigations of police shootings of unarmed civilians, and banning carotid restraints.
“There’s bad doctors, there’s bad teachers, there’s bad elected officials,” said former State Senator Steven Bradford, who authored SB 2. “We have to accept the fact that there are bad police officers.”
Governor Gavin Newsom heralded SB 2’s passage as a victory for racial justice, stating, “Today marks another step toward healing and justice for all. Too many lives have been lost due to racial profiling and excessive use of force.”
While SB 2 has been praised as a necessary measure for police accountability, law enforcement groups have expressed concerns about its implementation. Brian Marvel, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, has called for clearer definitions of serious misconduct and adjustments to the POST advisory board’s decision-making process.
“We cannot allow officers who commit serious misconduct to continue as members of the law enforcement profession,” Marvel said in a statement. “However, this legislation needed significantly more thought and consideration before implementation.”
Several law enforcement organizations, including the California Peace Officers’ Association and the San Diego Police Officers Association, declined to comment on the matter.
POST faced significant logistical hurdles in implementing SB 2, particularly because the law applies retroactively. Of the more than 35,000 cases under review, about half involve incidents that occurred before 2023. So far, the commission has completed investigations into more than 13,000 cases, resulting in nearly 300 decertifications.
In addition, 140 officers have had their certifications suspended while under investigation. Many others, including Dages, voluntarily surrendered their badges rather than go through the decertification process.
SB 2 represents a significant shift in how California holds police accountable, but its effectiveness will depend on sustained oversight and the ability of POST to process cases efficiently. While Johnson and other victims of police misconduct have seen justice served, the backlog of cases remains a critical issue.
As California continues refining its approach to law enforcement accountability, the fate of thousands of officers still under review will test whether the state’s commitment to justice can keep pace with its ambitions.
