Law Enforcement

L.A. school officer's story of being shot was inconsistent from the beginning
As it turns out, Jeff Stenroos became a suspect almost as quickly as he became a hero. While investigators scrambled to find out who shot the Los Angeles school police officer earlier this month in Woodland Hills, Stenroos told his tale haltingly, even grudgingly, officials said Friday, and, from the start, with unmistakable inconsistency.
Los Angeles Times

An act of betrayal that stands alone
The actions of Jeffrey Stenroos were a betrayal to the people of Los Angeles and the men and women of law enforcement. If proven to be a hoax, he wasted the already stretched resources of the LAPD. There is no question about the harm caused by such actions, and we are confident that the law will deal with him appropriately. The alleged allegations of an individual should not detract from the commitment and dedication of the men and women of the LAPD or the law enforcement community at large.
LAPPL Blog

White House seeks spectrum for public safety
The Obama administration is throwing its support behind a proposal to give a valuable chunk of radio waves to police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers to build a nationwide wireless broadband network for public safety. The announcement by the White House is a big victory for public safety officials, who have been lobbying aggressively for the wireless spectrum.
Washington Post

State & City Budget Crises

Fiscal crisis will hang over Brown's speech
When Gov. Jerry Brown appears before the Legislature this afternoon to give his first State of the State speech in nearly 30 years, it may be more about what the governor won't be saying than what he will. The state's $25.4 billion budget deficit looms over every conversation in Sacramento, and the new governor is busy trying to sell his proposed solution, a mix of spending cuts and tax extensions, that has a little something for everyone to hate. So it's unlikely that Brown will be rolling out any ambitious projects or plans because there's no money.
San Francisco Chronicle

Efforts to right L.A.'s finances highlight March ballot
In better times, Los Angeles city elections have served as vehicles for leaders' ambitious ideas - from expanding the city's solar energy capacity to building more than two dozen new libraries. This spring's contest testifies to an era in which city leaders cannot afford new promises and are having trouble keeping ones already made.
Los Angeles Times

The Courts

Prisons

Governor wants all juvenile offenders in county custody
Government reformers and youth advocates have long called for the state to get out of the business of juvenile corrections. Now they're backing Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to eliminate the state Division of Juvenile Justice and give counties responsibility for the state's most serious young offenders. Brown wants to eliminate the division in three years. High costs, poor treatment and other shortcomings have made the agency a target of critics.
Sacramento Bee

Cell phone penalties for prisoners must be tougher
When California prison guards discovered last year that mass murderer Charles Manson had obtained a cell phone and made calls and sent messages all over the world, it was graphic evidence of a smuggling epidemic. Prison personnel confiscate thousands of cell phones from inmates each year, and worry aloud that they're being used to plot crimes. But oddly, it's not a crime to smuggle them into prisons or possess them.
Sacramento Bee

Pensions

Moody's begins treating pensions like bond debt
A leading credit-rating agency, Moody's, has begun treating unfunded pensions like bond debt, giving California a combined tax-supported debt of $136.9 billion that is well beyond other states but also may be understated. The decision to add pensions to bond debt announced by Moody's Investors Services last week reflects concern about public employee pension costs, which are growing as state budgets plunge deep into the red during a lengthy economic downturn.
Calpensions