Law Enforcement

Lawmakers bow to pressure, abandon effort to fix property confiscation laws

Government agencies will continue to have the power to confiscate private property in California – without a criminal conviction – after lawmakers bowed to intense lobbying pressure by agencies with a vested interest in maintaining California’s civil asset forfeiture system. “No

CA settles prison suit, curbing solitary

James Poulos September 3, 2015

A momentous court settlement has given new shape to California’s multi-year struggle with the courts over its criminal justice system, rolling back the state’s reliance on solitary confinement as a way of dealing with gangs and violence in prison. “Many such

CA death penalty goes on trial

James Poulos September 1, 2015

California’s practice of capital punishment has landed on a death row of its own. “The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hold a hearing in Pasadena on a lower-court decision that found California’s death penalty system unconstitutional and

Police video flap flares in Oakland

Chris Reed August 31, 2015

Several local police forces in California got on the police body-cameras bandwagon well before police killings around the nation in the summer of 2014 triggered a broad push for their adoption. The Rialto Police Department was the focus of a

CA lawmakers square off against drones

James Poulos August 17, 2015

In an all-too-real conflict between man and machine, a string of high-profile clashes between drones and public servants has helped spur an effort to crack down on the airborne bots in California. But at the same time, civil libertarian concerns

CA intervenes in Planned Parenthood video sting

James Poulos August 1, 2015

Undercover videos that sent Planned Parenthood into crisis mode have drawn the concern of California Attorney General Kamala Harris, whose interest in reviewing their legality helped put the Golden State at the center of a dramatic national controversy. Harris, embarked

New bill takes aim at drones near wildfires

Chris Nichols July 27, 2015

Fed up with private drones interfering with firefighting, a state senator has announced another bill to keep unmanned aerial vehicles away from hot spots. Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado, said SB168 would indemnify emergency responders who damage a drone during

Steinle killing shakes up Congress, CA

James Poulos July 25, 2015

With gripping yet measured words, Jim Steinle — whose daughter was recently slain in San Francisco by an unlawful immigrant released under the city’s rules — urged Congress to quickly pass new reforms. “While Steinle was careful to acknowledge that the

Questionable practices at CA prisons criticized

James Poulos July 17, 2015

After years spent under the glare of judicial scrutiny, California’s effort to clean up its prison system has run up against a fresh wave of challenges and controversy. Lawsuits, violence and Draconian measures have all increased costs while chipping away at support

Asset forfeiture reform draws bipartisan buzz

James Poulos July 11, 2015

Amid growing national concern over the practice of so-called civil asset forfeiture, bipartisan support has swelled in California to reform the practice, with a new bill poised to add Assembly to Senate approval. An emerging consensus Asset forfeiture, wherein law enforcement retains