Law Enforcement

Community rallies to support family of fallen sheriff's Deputy Jeremiah MacKay
Since the death of San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Jeremiah MacKay, the community has rallied in support of the 35-year-old Redlands man's family and friends. Fundraising efforts in the Inland Empire and beyond have been announced in the past few days that will benefit MacKay's memorial fund. And it was also announced through social media sites dedicated to MacKay's memory that several people have donated hotel rooms for family and out-of-town guests planning to attend today's funeral in San Manuel Amphitheater near Devore.
San Bernardino Sun

Police hiring boom hits Bay Area departments
After years of cutbacks, layoffs - and now climbing crime rates - police departments throughout the Bay Area have begun taking on new recruits again. Over the past five years, of 13 Bay Area police agencies surveyed by this newspaper -- including the California Highway Patrol, Oakland and San Jose -- all but one have shed officers, a total of 981 cops, leaving 6,637. That's a loss of 12.8 percent, forcing some departments to focus on responding to crime rather than preventing it.
Bay Area News

Supreme Court limits detention powers in searches
Suffolk County (N.Y.) Police detectives who detained two suspects, while officers searched a dwelling exceeded the scope of their search warrant, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the search was not reasonable. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in Bailey v. United States. The detectives obtained a search warrant in July 2005, after getting a tip that a heavyset black man named "Polo" had a gun and drugs in his basement apartment, reports Courthouse News.
Police Magazine

Immigration

Legislation

Doug McIntyre: New bill throws innocents under the bus
On Valentine's Day, Assemblywoman Brown, D-San Bernardino, expressed her love for unlicensed drivers by introducing AB 335, a proposed law that would "amend the current law that requires a police officer to impound a car if the person is found driving a vehicle without a license or driving with a suspended or revoked license." Don't you just love it? I mean what possible harm could come from getting unlicensed drivers back behind the wheel as quickly and conveniently as possible?
Los Angeles Daily News

Prisons & Parole

Jerry Brown upheld 80% of parole recommendations in 2012
Jerry Brown continued last year to use his power to block decisions of the state parole board relatively sparingly, letting about 80 percent of convicted killers' parole releases stand. Brown reversed 91 of 470 parole grants in 2012 and returned two cases to the state Board of Parole Hearings for reconsideration, according to a report to the Legislature released today. Brown's record in 2012 is similar to the first year of his term, when he let stand roughly 82 percent of parole board decisions.
Sacramento Bee

City Election

Greuel accuses Garcetti and Perry of lying about her record
The Los Angeles mayor's race took a sharp negative turn Wednesday as City Controller Wendy Greuel accused rivals Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry of lying about her record to distract from their own spending of taxpayer money on wasteful travel and perks. Her broadside came after weeks of relentless attacks on Greuel by the two City Council members and Kevin James, a former radio talk-show host.
Los Angeles Times