First, Curt Fleming's wife, Jackie, and their 9-year-old son, Aiden, pinned on his badge. Then, by raising his right hand and swearing an oath to protect and serve, Fleming took his place as the Clovis chief of police at a ceremony Monday at police headquarters. It's a promotion for Fleming,...
Memorial Service Held for Sacramento Officer Tara O'Sullivan
SACRAMENTO — Tara O'Sullivan may have only been on the job with the Sacramento Police Department for a few months but law enforcement officials from across California mourned the slain officer Thursday morning as a longtime friend. An overflow crowd gathered at a memorial service for the 26-year-old rookie who...
Trump Threatens to Deport Millions Beginning Next Week
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is threatening to remove millions of people living in the United States illegally ahead of formally announcing his reelection bid. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement next week will "begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into...
Shouts, Tears, Votes Push Police Use-of-Force Standard Through Assembly
For an hour and a half Wednesday morning, California lawmakers lined up to speak for or against (but mostly for) one of the most high-profile bills of the year. One member of the Assembly, a former state cop, choked back tears as he wrestled with the implications of his vote....
Basgall Will Retire. Clovis Hunts for New Police Chief.
Clovis Police Chief Matt Basgall announced Thursday — one day after telling his staff — that he will retire on Aug. 2. “It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of the city," Basgall said in a news release. "The police department staff does amazing work every...
Police Won’t Fight California Use-of-Force Bill
SACRAMENTO — Major law enforcement organizations dropped their opposition Thursday to California legislation that strengthens standards for when officers can use deadly force, a shift that followed changes to the measure. The measure would bar police from using lethal force unless it is "necessary" to defend against an imminent threat...
Tech Can Aid Search for Wandering Adults with Dementia
LOS ANGELES — A new program that uses electronic bracelets to find missing people with dementia or autism has been launched in Los Angeles partly in response to the death of a 55-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease who wandered away from her husband during a visit to a museum. During...
Law Enforcement Backs Down on Deadly Force Standard—For Now, Anyway
The political landscape in California’s debate over how to curb police shootings shifted Tuesday as law enforcement groups agreed to drop the part of their bill that would lock in the current national standard for justifying the use of deadly force. The move—intended to sustain negotiations on what could be...
California Police Promote Measure to Limit Fatal Shootings
SACRAMENTO — Round two gets underway Tuesday in California's fight over how best to limit fatal shootings by police through nation-leading reforms. Legislators are debating a measure that proponents said would set a national precedent by creating statewide guidelines on when officers can use lethal force and requiring that every...
Trauma for Cops After School Shootings Is Largely Unstudied
LITTLETON, Colo. — The first SWAT team members to see the horror in the Columbine High School library had to step around bodies and ignore a wounded student's plea for help as they searched for shooters they didn't know had already died by their own hands. As member Grant Whitus...