California
In 2017 there were nearly 120,000 full-time law enforcement employees in California; roughly 78,500 were sworn LEOs and 41,000 were civilian staff. Of sworn officers, about 48% were municipal police officers, 39% were county sheriff officers and almost 10% were with the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Follow this page to keep track of law enforcement news, the latest police jobs and police department updates in the state of California. Learn how major events in California have changed the law enforcement landscape nationwide, including the Newhall incident in 1970, the Norco shootout in 1980 and the North Hollywood bank robbery in 1997.
Shortages are especially acute in California, where declining support for the police has been intensified by legislation and regulatory policies
The #dontstealinseal campaign show the apprehension and jailing of suspected thieves in “Cops” meets MTV-style productions
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department take delivery of Bell 412EPX helicopters for emergency response assistance
Between March and June 2023, police said, three people they came to name the “Punch Crew” burglarized several restaurants, stealing about $80,000 from various businesses and causing about $160,000 in damage
Mayor Matt Mahan said that the Flock Safety cameras helped the city arrest around 200 suspects and recover $2 million worth of stolen vehicles last year
The charges were filed in relation to a 2021 incident where a man died after being restrained by Alameda Police officers; the previous DA stated that her office’s investigation found the evidence did “not justify criminal charges”
Sheriff Robert Luna stated that the suspect had a lengthy criminal history and documented gang affiliations and “had no business being in possession of a firearm”
Deputy Samuel Aispuro, 43, was sitting at a red light on a patrol motorcycle when he was shot; he was transported to the hospital in stable condition
Family members filed a lawsuit after a man was killed when paramedics placed a backboard on his back and directed a police officer to sit on it
Oakland Police Department Officer Jordan Wingate, who was voted “Rookie of the Year” in 2018, medically retired two years after the crash; he succumbed to his injuries on April 20
Analysis shows that an average of 31 recruits per academy class graduate to become officers, about half the number needed to keep pace with Mayor Karen Bass’ plan to reach 9,500 officers
The court stated that using the suspect’s thumbprint required no mental exertion on his part and fell into the same category as a blood test taken at booking
LASD deputies were stopped behind the suspect’s vehicle at an intersection when he reversed into a cruiser at high speed
The majority of the burglaries have been committed by groups of Chilean suspects who overstayed a 90-day visa; Detroit police say the burglars stake out homes for days in order to break in while they are unoccupied
“Those involved utilized chains, barrels and pipes to chain themselves together and block the roadway.”
New reforms include developing a policy to limit “pretextual stops” and revising training for investigatory stops
The suspects hit stores in search of limited-edition box sets of the toys, part of a trend of “Lego larceny”
Body camera video shows the officers negotiated for hours, deployed a mental health response team and used less lethal measures before the shooting occurred
The woman pointed a handgun at two Pacifica Police Department officers while attempting to flee the scene; both officers fired shots, fatally striking her
LAPD, federal investigators look to DNA, fingerprints, video to help crack multimillion-dollar heist
Officials say the thieves that stole about $30 million from a money storage facility seemed to have entered through the roof; investigators are requesting home security footage from the surrounding neighborhood
The man had fallen 50 to 60 feet from a trail in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said
LA County Sheriff James Barton, Deputy Charles Daly and Constables William Little and Charles Baker were honored with a metal plaque on the hill where they were killed in a shootout with a notorious bandit
“It’s taking some of the workload from us and shifting the resources to the appropriate responders,” said LAPD interim Chief Dominic Choi
A jury ruled that Officer Toni McBride was not treated unfairly by the department; McBride had alleged her career was threatened if she did not remove certain social media posts
“Our goal is to prompt critical thinking skills, promote academic excellence and reduce the high risk of incarceration and homicides among young African American males,” said Oakland Police Sgt. Robert Smith, who serves as Ok Program’s COO
The Oct. 29 incident occurred after the man randomly assaulted a church-goer; he fled from San Francisco police until a wheel “literally fell off” of the car he was driving
Sources familiar with the investigation said a burglary crew broke through the roof of the facility to gain access to the vault, but it is unclear how they avoided the alarm system.
Elk Grove Special Operations Lt. Nate Lange highlighted Aerodome’s potential to improve the city’s aerial operations
San Bernardino sheriff’s deputies were attempting to protect other officers when they shot and killed a teen girl who had been kidnapped by her father, a heavily-armed murder suspect
MOST POPULAR
- CHP: Video shows driver ‘deliberately’ crashed head-on into patrol vehicle parked along interstate
- Oakland PD officer shot, killed
- Incident analysis: Critical decisions and tactics after a pursuit turns into an assault
- Calif. sheriff’s shooting range gets $10 million upgrade to create dynamic training space
- ‘Rust’ armorer convicted of involuntary manslaughter in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on movie set