Another Sign of Decline in Proactive Policing
New data released by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) shows a significant drop in police-initiated contacts with the public over a four-year period. The finding adds to other evidence suggesting law enforcement officers are increasingly reluctant to make stops and use necessary force — not a surprising development, considering the highly charged public and political discourse surrounding policing issues today.
Attacked From All Sides
Last month, officers and the unions that represent them breathed a collective sigh of relief: Assembly Bill 931 was declared dead for the legislative session. The bill, authored by Assembly Members Shirley Weber (D–San Diego) and Kevin McCarty (D–Sacramento), would have raised the state standard for officers’ use of lethal force from “reasonable” to “necessary.” Soon after AB 931 was introduced to the Legislature, law enforcement organizations called the bill oppressive and anti-public safety.
The Need for Leadership Training in Law Enforcement
With the next retirement bubble fast approaching, many law enforcement officers from the baby-boom generation will soon be handing off the future of the profession to the next generation of officers. Departments have been anticipating this for some time now, but it’s been difficult for many of them to fill the void left by retiring officers.
What if LAXPD Had the Resources to Do Better?
Back in May, we applauded the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners’ decision to approve the building of a state-of-the art police facility that would consolidate all LAXPD operations in one 12-acre site. This major step forward in public safety at LAX shows the willingness of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to modernize the LAXPD to match the security needs of our massively expanding airport.
Governor Brown Signs SB 866 in Response to Janus
In the wake of the landmark decision of Janus v. AFSCME, Governor Brown signed SB 866 into law on June 27. The legislation was incorporated into the recently enacted state budget. The new law authorizes employee organizations to request payroll deductions and requires public employers to honor such requests.
