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.
Animals
A CHP officer assists some good Samaritans with the rescue of 10 adorable puppies abandoned during a ferocious storm
Nurses can travel freely — could a similar licensing approach help police personnel shortages?
An increase in state law enforcement personnel to address the ongoing public safety crisis within Alameda County yields positive results in a short period
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
Burglary
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
Officers deployed TASERs and bean bag rounds at the suspect before the shooting
Shortages are especially acute in California, where declining support for the police has been intensified by legislation and regulatory policies
The network of cameras will provide real-time crime alerts, alerting authorities when a suspected crime-linked vehicle is spotted
The boy had stopped the car “oddly” in the middle of an intersection when an officer ordered him to move; he sped off, leading the officer on a short pursuit into a parking lot
The officer, who is still with the department but was demoted to a position that separated him from his K-9 partner, alleged that he was called names, maligned by false rumors and retaliated against by department leaders
The #dontstealinseal campaign show the apprehension and jailing of suspected thieves in “Cops” meets MTV-style productions
Patrick James Berhan allegedly enlisted his girlfriend to take online college classes in his name in order to receive a pay bump and advertised her cheating service to other officers
The deputy, who was identified in a post on the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page only as Deputy Aviña, helped the woman and others evacuate after two homes caught fire
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is implementing a 911 screening process that involves a few short questions to determine if a deputy or a mental health expert will respond to the call
The suspect, who was on meth, refused Officer Toni McBride’s commands to drop a box cutter as he continued to move toward officers at the scene of a car crash
Tracy police deployed a BearCat Armored Recovery Vehicle and a drone to respond to a kidnapping where the victim was held at gunpoint by two individuals at a home
The request comes after the department posted a photo of suspects with their faces hidden by the yellow heads, writing that they did so to comply with a new state law
Floyd Mitchell has worked in law enforcement for more than 30 years, most recently serving as police chief in Lubbock, Texas
San Diego police Assistant Chief Scott Wahl is a 25-year veteran of the department and a lifelong San Diego County resident; he is set to take office in June
The Flock Safety camera system will be installed at 100 intersections to combat organized retail theft, motor vehicle theft, and support other critical public safety needs
The suspect fled in the stolen vehicle, then on foot, before being taken in by a K-9 team
‘Operation Safe Cities’ will train police detectives to prepare federal cases against gun crime suspects; leaders believe that prosecuting suspects on federal charges will allow for harsher penalties
MOST POPULAR
- 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
- LAPD survey finds officers rated VR training ‘excellent,’ want more
- CHP crime crackdown in Calif. city yields 211 arrests, 127 stolen vehicle recoveries
- LAPD academy classes producing half the graduates needed for minimum staffing