Legal
Legal matters are a core focus for local and state government agencies, encompassing the creation, interpretation, and enforcement of laws and regulations that govern public affairs. Legal frameworks ensure that government actions are consistent with the rule of law and protect citizens’ rights. Though by no means a perfect system – enforcement inequities continue to make the headlines – local leaders strive to create laws that work fairly for all.
The city’s police chief calls the cameras in street lights ‘a game changer.’ Critics aren’t so sure, especially given that the program was introduced as a way to save energy and money instead of a way to collect data in public spaces.
Before the 2016 presidential election, when Russian state hackers targeted voting systems across the country, the job of local election officials could have been described as akin to a wedding planner, who keeps track of who will be showing up on Election Day and ensures all the equipment and supplies are in place. Not any more.
A federal judge has ordered the city of Gardendale, Alabama, to pay nearly $740,000 in legal fees to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and another $106,400 in expenses for its 2014 attempt to create a predominantly white school district within city limits.
After federal agents detained two workers at the Bear Gulch wildfire, Commissioner Wayne Fournier advances an ordinance to bar uncoordinated arrests and safeguard first responders on fire lines
The American Paramedic Association outlines a paramedic-led framework to stabilize EMS policymaking and improve system performance
The program will also provide incentives based on how many undocumented immigrants provided by ICE the partner agency is able to arrest
The database includes information from 12,000 internal affairs investigations, which has been redacted in accordance with California public records laws
Trump administration officials say this practice is needed to safeguard ICE officers and their families from being harassed or threatened in public and online
A longtime Danville city councilmember was doused in gasoline and set on fire inside a magazine office by a man with a personal grievance, not linked to politics
The complaint argues suppressors are commonly used for lawful purposes such as hearing protection, hunting and home defense, and are legal in 42 states
ICE officials have defended the practice of officers wearing masks, saying immigration agents have faced harassment as they have gone about their enforcement
The county blocked delivery of key rescue equipment to Spokane after accusing the city of ending emergency preparedness agreements
Two of three judges agreed the law “meaningfully constrains” the constitutional right to keep arms by forcing gun owners to get rechecked before each purchase of bullets
The proposed legislation is named in honor of fallen Kansas City firefighter/paramedic Graham Hoffman, who was fatally stabbed by a patient
Waco’s police and fire chiefs are requesting a dedicated staff psychologist to support the mental health of more than 500 public safety personnel
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