LAAPOA Stands Up to Honor Fallen Heroes
This past year was unlike any that law enforcement — and the nation — has ever seen before. Between COVID-19, senseless attacks on police and an onslaught of tragic incidents, 2020 was the deadliest year in law enforcement history. While law enforcement may have gotten knocked down harder than ever last year, we will stand strong and proud with our brothers and sisters in blue for National Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15 and during National Police Week from May 9 to 15.
Honoring Officer Tommy Scott
Today is a solemn day for the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association (LAAPOA) as we remember Officer Tommy Scott, who was killed in the line of duty on this day 16 years ago. Scott was killed after stopping a suspicious man in a vehicle near the fence line at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). […]
Federal Court Rejects Exclusion of Holiday-in-Lieu Payments From Overtime
First responders know all too well that they won’t have every holiday off with their families. Public safety services are required every day of the year. This means that if your schedule lands on a holiday, you are required to work. To compensate employees for these schedules, public agencies and their unions often negotiate “holiday-in-lieu” pay.
LAAPOA Statement on the Conviction of Derek Chauvin for the Murder of George Floyd
Today, a jury of his peers found former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, while he was in police custody in Minneapolis. For the past year, and during the trial that started on March 29, the […]
LAAPOA Member Spotlight: Officer Michael Ahumada
In honor of Women’s History Month in March, LAAPOA featured female leaders who’ve helped move the Los Angeles Airport Police Department forward in a series of articles entitled “The Women of LAXPD.” We’ve decided to pick up where that series left off with a new series called the “LAAPOA Member Spotlight” where we’ll be highlighting […]
A Look Back at Pioneering Park Rangers
Have you ever studied the ceramic mural in the courtyard of the Griffith Park Visitor Center? The mural, designed and created by ceramic artist Elaine Katzer in 1987, gives a brief history of Griffith Park. In the final panel representing current times, Katzer chose two pioneering rangers to represent the park: Lucia Ruta, the first female ranger, and Doc Jefferson, the first Black mounted ranger.
The Women of LAXPD, Part 1: The Fight Is Far From Over
In our new series of articles entitled “The Women of LAXPD,” LAAPOA will highlight the women who make the Los Angeles Airport Police one of the most diverse departments in the country, with an emphasis on the female leaders who’ve helped move the profession forward. In honor of National Women’s History Month, LAAPOA also thanks the hardworking women […]
The New Attack on Law Enforcement — Personal Liability Insurance
By David E. Mastagni and Josh Olander Mastagni Holstedt, APC On December 18, David E. Mastagni testified before the California Assembly Select Committee on Police Reform to advocate for sensible reform and to oppose the ill-informed proposals to require law enforcement officers to purchase individual professional liability insurance. These proposals are no more than an […]
Now Is the Time for L.A. to Act on Its Commitment to Equity
In June 2020, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an executive directive to study and promote racial equity in the hiring, promotion and contracting practices of City departments, promising that the move “ensures our City leadership looks at every issue through a lens of racial justice [and] acts to end structural racism.” Despite this commitment, […]
Remaining United Through the Ups and Downs of 2021
While many in law enforcement hoped the new year would bring a return to normalcy, the beginning of 2021 has picked up where the unprecedented 2020 left off, with highly contagious COVID-19 variants spreading throughout the country, an attack on the U.S. Capitol and continued demands by a vocal minority to defund the police. All […]