December 2019 – Warning Bells article
This coin has another side
My guess is that you are being heavily exposed to something called “procedural justice.” Also, my guess is that all that exposure is directed toward your treatment of members of the public. Audits are going to be performed on your traffic and pedestrian stops where the tenets of procedural justice are going to be compared to your performance as revealed by the body-worn video. [Full article]
November 2019 – Warning Bells article
Finally, an attaboy/girl from the IG
In May of 2017, the Inspector General (IG) examined the Department and came up with 24 national best practice recommendations. On Oct. 1oth this year, at the request of the Police Commission, the IG presented a report on how LAPD was progressing on the
previous recommendations. “Overall, the OIG found that the Department has made great strides in implementing the recommendations adopted by the Commission,” the report stated. [Full article]
October 2019 – Warning Bells article
IG audit on GED stops
Now that the Los Angeles Times is done bringing out the worst of the story, what is the Inspector General of the Police Commission’s (IG) audit on gang stops really about, and what does it mean for your future? [Full article]
September 2019 – Warning Bells article
The ins and outs of League legal services
Negotiations regarding salary, benefits and working conditions are the main job of the League, but as an additional benefit, the League assists officers with legal problems. There are three primary ways that a League member can seek legal assistance from the League. They are: the Director’s one-hour program, the Legal Plan and requests through the Legal Committee. They can be confusing because each is different. Let’s look at them one at a time. [Full article]
August 2019 – Warning Bells article
Why?
Seems like a pattern doesn’t it? Seventy- two officers from the Philadelphia Police Department are being removed from the field pending investigation of improper remarks made on a private website. One-fifth of their department sidelined at a single stroke. Also, numerous border agents of the Customs and Border Protection service are under
investigation for remarks they made on a private website. [Full article]
July 2019 – Warning Bells article
The Peculiarities of H.R. 218
Its nickname is H.R. 218, but its real name is the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004. It also includes the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements Act of 2010 and the 2012 Defense Authorization Act Amendment. It comes under the provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968. Let’s stick with the nickname, H.R. 218. [Full article]
June 2019 – Warning Bells article
Just let them bleed out?
“This guy’s bleeding out; if we don’t do something, he is going to die. We need to go in and help him out!” That was the officer’s testimony at the Board of Rights. He did go in. The result was a suspension. [Full article]
May 2019 – Warning Bells article
Ins and outs of consent
This article has nothing to do with the #MeToo movement, but this is a subject that can get you in just as much trouble if you don’t understand the rules. When you are dealing with a member of the public while on duty, the law will classify the contact in one of three ways: a consensual encounter, a detention or an arrest. [Full article]
April 2019 – Warning Bells article
Administrative survival after a use of force
Officers do pretty well avoiding injury when force has to be used, however, not so well avoiding career injury after the use of force. The stress imposed during the use of force is over in minutes. The stress imposed by the Department review process, District Attorney review and civil suits will last for months, if not years. [Full article]
March 2019 – Warning Bells article
They’re baa-aack
Worse and scarier than the repeated “Poltergeist” movies, Democrat Assembly member Shirley Weber and her ACLU buddies have brought AB 931 back to life under a new, yet-to-be-determined name for 2019. The bill, meant to change the standards for uses of force, is reborn and will start its journey through the Legislature shortly. Basically, in their view, not enough cops are going to jail for uses of force, and this bill will fix that problem. [Full article]
February 2019 – Warning Bells article
Back to Basics
Metro and GED have all been recycled through a one-day training session that is essentially a review of fundamentals. Why? Probably because they conduct more observational detentions than any other units in the Department. They also took about 6,000 guns off the streets last year. The downside was that an audit of Body-Worn Videos and Digital In Car Videos turned up some problems on detentions, search and seizure, and filling out of field data reports. So, how do you correct those potential problems identified by management without killing the incentive of hardworking
officers? [Full Article]
January 2019 – Warning Bells article
Giving Credit When Credit is Due
Readers of this column probably know that I am not often complimentary on the actions of LAPD management. This is partly because, as the title of this column states, I am usually warning officers about how to avoid negative contact with the disciplinary system and sidestep career damage. However, fairness dictates that when management does perform admirably, it should be acknowledged, no matter how many
therapy sessions I have to attend to recover (just kidding). Thus, the tale of
the 13 proposals. [Full Article]
coming soon