Feature

Processions of patrol vehicles and fire trucks from local, state and federal public safety agencies in the Central Coast and Southern California rolled by local hospitals with lights and sirens activated to spread joy to health care workers and their patients during Operation Holiday Cheer on December 17 and 18. Read More

A total of 600 delegates representing 113 associations gathered at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert November 21–23 for the 72nd annual PORAC Conference of […] Read More

For those of us in law enforcement, the holiday season can be filled with highs and lows and what might best be described as a fierce pit of internal conflict. On the one hand, we feel a sense of joy and relief because we are still here. We made it! We triumphed over the BS. The horrors of 2024 are in the rearview mirror. We have prevailed through the politics and mandatory overtime, and we get to hit restart on some of our goals, both personal and professional.
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National Police Week is our time to pause and recognize those officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. It is about honoring the selfless service of fallen officers and a reminder and celebration of the over 800,000 officers who continue to serve at great personal risk. For those of us tasked with investigating officers’ responses to violence, it remains clear that officers risk more than their physical and mental well-being. Read More

In August, PORAC published a research brief on the current state of law enforcement staffing shortages in California. The brief highlighted first-of-its-kind research showcasing the inconsistent levels of law enforcement staffing across California, utilizing California Department of Justice (DOJ) data. Since the research brief was published, the DOJ released updated data about the number of sworn law enforcement officers in each county. Read More

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual international health campaign devoted to educating everyone about breast cancer and the importance of early detection and prevention. Although breast cancer is most common among women — one in eight, or about 13% of the female population, in the U.S. will be diagnosed in their lifetime — both men and women can develop the disease. Read More

On September 6, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its long-awaited ruling on California’s Senate Bill 2 (SB 2), which effectively prohibits permitted concealed carry of firearms in most of the state (Wolford v. Lopez, No. 23-16164, 2024 WL 4097462 [9th Cir. Sept. 6, 2024]). The split ruling upheld much of the injunction against SB 2 issued by the district court in May v. Bonta, but also reversed the lower court in several important regards. Read More

Police departments have been battling for decades to get proper care for injured officers through the workers’ compensation (WC) system with very limited or no success for conditions that could be reversed through timely and best-practice care. Despite existing “presumptions” of occupational vulnerabilities and labor codes mandating timely and evidence-based care, maneuvering through the WC system oftentimes exacerbates recoverable conditions because of automatic denials and delays. Read More

August 26 is National Dog Day, an observance founded in 2004 to celebrate the many contributions dogs make to humans’ quality of life and raise awareness of the importance of dog rescue and adoption. Read More

Whether chairing a small staff meeting or a large conference, there are a number of subtle leadership behaviors that are essential to ensure that the gathering is successful in terms of obtaining the candid views of the participants, creating a sense of inclusiveness and participation, identifying the various strengths and weaknesses of the issues discussed and determining best courses of action. Read More