LAPPL Blog: The official blog of the Los Angeles Policy Protective League
Empty prisons in Michigan, empty coffers in Sacramento
By Paul M. Weber on 06/30/2009 @ 02:07 PM
Gov. Schwarzenegger got an interesting offer Monday from Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. But the California budget crisis may stand in the way of accepting it.
Granholm formally offered space in empty Michigan prisons to house some of the inmates California is running out of room for, according to an AP story. Michigan plans to close two prisons by the end of September. If California accepts the offer, it would save the jobs of about half of the 1,000 prison guards Michigan plans to lay off by Oct. 1.
Unfortunately, there’s no sign of a deal to close California’s $24.3 billion deficit. The state controller says he will have to start issuing IOUs unless lawmakers balance the budget by the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday. The state's deficit is roughly a quarter of the state's general fund and has been widening this year as tax revenue has plunged. Some $3 billion worth of IOUs will be issued in July unless a compromise on closing the deficit is reached quickly.
Will Michigan accept IOUs from California to house prisoners from the Golden State in lieu of setting a number of them free? Stay tuned…
The Michael Jackson connection
By Kristi Sandoval on 06/27/2009 @ 12:47 AM
From the moment the 9-1-1 call came in at 12:21 p.m. on Thursday, LAPD officers have been front and center in the breaking news story of Michael Jackson’s death. LAPD officers have received continuous and worldwide positive attention in their response and on-going handling of the event. Nobody has more experience handling high-profile deaths of this nature than LAPD officers. The expertise and professionalism displayed by the officers to the world further enhances the prestige of LAPD as a world-class law enforcement agency.
From the Homby Hills mansion to Jackson’s star on Hollywood Boulevard, LAPD officers have been seen handling the investigation and crowd control in close cooperation with the LAFD, L.A. County Sheriffs and other agencies. A great team effort, albeit a tragic situation for the Jackson family and fans.
Four more years!
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 06/26/2009 @ 12:40 PM
We don’t always see eye-to-eye with the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board, but this week we wholeheartedly agree with a Times Editorial applauding Mayor Villaraigosa’s decision to stick with Los Angeles and forego a run for governor.
The League understands the decision not to run for governor and to focus on the issues facing Los Angeles. Since he was elected in 2005, Mayor Villaraigosa has always put Los Angeles first. Even in tough economic times, the Mayor has made public safety his No. 1 priority. As a result, crime is at its lowest level in decades and the public understands that lowering the crime rate is a prerequisite for economic recovery in our city.
We look forward to working with the Department and the entire city government over the next four years. And it is reassuring to know that Mayor Villaraigosa will be in L.A., focused on the critical issues our city faces.
The bright spot in the L.A. Times poll
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 06/25/2009 @ 10:16 AM
Voter approval of LAPD is stronger than at any point in the last two decades, according to a Los Angeles Times poll of 1,500 registered voters in Los Angeles.
The widespread voter approval of LAPD is gratifying and not surprising. The high degree of public support for LAPD officers is a testament to the dedicated men and women who work day in and day out to establish relationships with residents on our streets and in our neighborhoods. We appreciate that residents are recognizing the more than 9,800 men and women of the LAPD for their professionalism and devotion to duty.
The Times poll results come at a good time. It further validates the League's efforts to promote full funding for law enforcement in all of our neighborhoods. Over the past four years, the City of Los Angeles has enjoyed unprecedented crime decreases not seen in decades, due to the hard work of the men and women of the LAPD. At the same time, by any objective measure, Los Angeles continues to be under-policed for its population and geographic size. Thus, reducing law enforcement presence in the city is not an option and could further erode the city's fragile economy by reversing the current crime-rate reduction trend.
Public safety: No. 1 priority with L.A. voters
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 06/24/2009 @ 02:59 PM
The League this month conducted its own survey as part of our Public Safety First campaign. Launched June 6, the campaign began with an initial email sent to 400,000 registered voters. Voters who responded to our first email were invited to participate in our survey.
On the survey question of how important is it that public safety be maintained as the top priority in the new City budget, 94 percent of respondents answered "very important" and 4 percent answered "somewhat important." In response to the question of how important a role have LAPD officers played in the reduction in the City's crime rate over the past four years, 86 percent answered "very important" and 10 percent answered "somewhat important."
When voters were asked in our survey how they would rate their level of satisfaction with the way City Hall is setting priorities in the City budget, 62 percent answered either "highly dissatisfied" or "somewhat dissatisfied."
It is clear that LA voters recognize that the City is facing a budget crisis. Yet they want City government to maintain full funding of public safety to continue the crime reduction we have worked so hard to achieve. They understand that lowering the crime rate is a prerequisite for economic recovery in our City.
The results of the LAPPL survey strongly indicated that the public opposes reducing law enforcement resources in Los Angeles, including the number of officers policing the City and the civilian support staff who back them. Residents already feeling economically vulnerable must not be made more vulnerable to crime by reducing the City's commitment to law enforcement and public safety.
Have you signed the online petition?
By Public Safety First on 06/18/2009 @ 11:14 AM
If you haven’t already done so, please go to the League’s website and sign the online petition supporting full funding of LAPD to protect our salaries, benefits and pensions. Thousands of residents have already responded to our petition drive. Now we need all LAPPL members to join them. We can’t expect residents to support our goals unless we are ALL on the record for what we believe. We also need more members to sign up at our website for email updates from the League. Remember, we cannot use Department email for League news so everyone needs to registered with a current personal email address that they check often. Also, let us know when you change your email address so you don’t miss important communications, especially during this time of MOU negotiations.
Lakers win the championship and LAPPL scores a victory
By NewsWatch on 06/17/2009 @ 11:14 AM
The League’s political savvy and clout got put to a test this week when the Lakers won their 15th NBA championship. Your board became concerned when we heard talk at City Hall that the city foot the bill for city services relating to a parade and rally. As the fifth game was getting underway in Orlando Sunday night, we issued a media statement calling for city funds not to be expended for post-championship celebrating, and suggested the money come from the Lakers and other private sector sources. Following the big Lakers win Sunday night, Mayor Villaraigosa suggested the cost of the celebration be split between the Lakers organization and the city with the city’s share said to be $1 million.
The League took a leadership role in the debate and public sentiment was clearly on our side. Numerous elected officials publicly announced support for our position. By mid-day Monday, the Mayor was lining up private funding to pay for 100 percent of the cost of the parade and rally. We issued another media statement thanking the Mayor and other city officials for doing the right thing by not using city funds for the parade and rally. Local and national media cited the LAPPL’s stance on the issue as pivotal in ensuring precious city funds were preserved to help maintain city services and city jobs.
Postscript: The deployment for Wednesday’s parade and rally was one of the largest in the Department’s history. More than 1,800 officers were on duty to ensure a highly successful celebration an estimated 250,000 residents could enjoy with a high degree of safety and security. For the most part, everything went smoothly with plenty of enjoyment for fans and families.
"Drive Safely" campaign aims to decrease officer fatalities on the road
By LAPPL Board of Directors on 06/16/2009 @ 11:14 AM
Automobile accidents, motorcycle accidents and officers being struck by other vehicles all represent significant dangers for peace officers. In 2007, a record 83 law enforcement officers across the country lost their lives in traffic-related incidents. And 2008 was the 11th year in a row in which more law enforcement officers in the United States died in traffic-related incidents than from any other single cause of death, including gunfire.
The NLEOM has devoted an area of its website to the public awareness campaign. Visitors can sign the Drive Safely Pledge and receive a free bumpersticker to show police officers they care. Urge your family members and friends to sign the pledge to show their support for this worthwhile campaign. Click here for details.
TODAY show clip involving traffic stop collision
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