Protesters seek transparency in officer-involved shootings

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The exterior of the LAPD headquarters was turned into a makeshift movie screen Friday night. The projection was part of a protest by several organizations calling for law enforcement agencies to be more transparent when it comes to officer-involved shootings.

"Currently, the state of California does not collect or make available data on who the police stops, arrests or shoot," said Daisy Vieyra, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union. "In the year 2015, it's really shocking that we still do not collect this data."

Along with the controversial events in Ferguson and in Baltimore, organizers of Friday's event referenced Brendon Glenn, a 29-year-old who was shot to death by LAPD officers near Pacific and Windward avenues in Venice on Tuesday.

They also pointed to a fatal deputy-involved shooting near the 17200 block of Pires Avenue in Cerritos Thursday night. A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy shot and killed an unidentified driver who allegedly tried to run him over. Both recent shootings remain under investigation.

"We know from these cases, like the most recent one in Venice, that this is profiling by the police against people who don't have housing, profiling by the police against people that have mental conditions," said Kim McGill of the Young Justice Coalition.

Earlier Friday, officials at a state Senate hearing in Exposition Park said there needs to be more behavioral health training for officers.

"A big component of that is identifying, recognizing someone who is suffering from a mental illness crisis, being able to de-escalate these situations," said California Highway Patrol Capt. Rich Desmond.

The organizers of Friday night's protest called on lawmakers in Sacramento to pass two bills that would force law enforcement agencies in California to compile and release data on officer-involved shootings.