LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Police Commission approved Dec. 14 an updated department policy to comply with Senate Bill 98 (SB 98), which exempts media professionals from having to comply with police dispersal orders while covering protests, marches, and other types of demonstrations.
The legislation states that “law enforcement shall not intentionally assault, interfere with, or obstruct journalists” covering protest demonstrations and other civic actions. It also bars officers from citing journalists for failure to disperse, and bars officers from violating or interfering if journalists are solely gathering, receiving, or processing information.
