Peace officer records.

(1) Existing law requires peace officer or custodial officer personnel records and records maintained by a state or local agency, or information obtained from these records, to be confidential and prohibits disclosure in a criminal or civil proceeding except by discovery. Existing law provides that this prohibition does not apply to investigations or proceedings concerning the conduct of peace officers or custodial officers conducted by a grand jury, district attorney's office, or the Attorney General's office. This bill would instead provide that this prohibition does not apply to investigations or proceedings concerning civil rights violations investigated by the Attorney General's office or the criminal misconduct of peace officers or custodial officers conducted by a grand jury, district attorney's office, or the Attorney General's office. (2) Existing law authorizes a department or agency that employs peace or custodial officers to release factual information concerning a disciplinary investigation if the officer who is the subject of the disciplinary investigation, or the officer's agent or representative, publicly makes a statement he or she knows to be false concerning the investigation or the imposition of disciplinary action and the false statement was published by an established medium of communication, such as television, radio, or a newspaper. This bill would authorize disclosure of factual information concerning a disciplinary investigation if the officer who is the subject of the disciplinary investigation, or the officer's agent or representative, makes a false statement that is published by an Internet Web site affiliated with a newspaper.