LAAPOA Says “Nope” to Maggard’s Leadership
LAAPOA’s strong disdain for the leadership of Deputy Executive Director of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security David L. Maggard Jr. is no secret. Since he first joined the City of Los Angeles in 2015 as the assistant chief of LAXPD, we have repeatedly called attention to his questionable management style. However, despite our concerns, in the five years of his employment, he has been promoted twice — from assistant chief to chief in 2016, and then from chief to his current director position in 2019.
Surge in Violence Shows Cost of Defunding Police
A small sign of a return to normalcy seemed to peek through over the Fourth of July weekend as families gathered by the pool and barbecue to celebrate the birth of this great country. But in cities all over the nation, a surge of gun violence over the holiday weekend gave citizens a bitter taste of what life may be like if policymakers continue to bow to extreme demands to defund the police. In Atlanta, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency and activated 1,000 National Guard members following an increase in shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that injured 31 people and killed five, including an 8-year-old girl.
Enforcing Street Food Vending During COVID-19
As coronavirus restrictions begin to ease up, certain businesses and venues across the country are reopening their doors to serve the public while adhering to social distancing and local and national health guidelines. During this time, many cities have stepped up to help business owners navigate, transition and adapt to the “new normal”; however, in the city of Los Angeles, a sizeable group of business owners were initially left out of reopening discussions — the city’s 50,000 street vendors. The omission creates a complicated enforcement challenge for police.
Defunding Police Is Not the Answer
Following nationwide protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the Los Angeles City Council introduced a motion to cut $150 million from the LAPD budget — a decision so apparently spontaneous and unilateral that the association representing the department’s command officers had to hear about it on Twitter, without any opportunity to discuss or address the issue. On June 8, the Los Angeles Times editorial board opined that this should be only the beginning of a process to slash the city’s policing budget. This is a dangerous and ill-thought-out idea that will bring further damage to the communities it purports to help and places the entire city’s safety at risk.