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.
“We are taking bold steps now to protect our people and our skies before tragedy strikes,” Gov. Jeff Landry said
Forty-eight active shooter incidents were reported in 2023; in 2024, the FBI identified 24 incidents
The National Sheriffs’ Association president said the DHS list was issued without input on how to object to the designation, calling it arbitrary and damaging to trust
Officer Jeffrey Smith’s death resulted in a new law that extended eligibility for federal benefits to the families of officers who died by suicide
“It is incredibly important our hardworking correctional officers get paid what they deserve,” Gov. Jim Justice said
At the time of the 2019 killings, Michael Cummins was close to being arrested for probation violations
The report states there was also no captain on duty as a result of a staffing issue that left the Vierno Center eight captains short on the day the inmate died
San Francisco Fire Department Chief Jeanine Nicholson presented regulators 55 written reports of the robotaxis interfering with emergency response
Judge: Inmate’s constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment may have been violated after officials repeatedly scheduled his execution
Law enforcement agencies have seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in five years, the Justice Department said
All of the officers were found to have sincerely held religious beliefs that the arbiter found should have exempted them from the state’s vaccine mandate
Matthew Hamilton, the officer who was later fired and indicted for manslaughter in the death of Joseph Lopez, pursued “qualified immunity” from liability
People who are “not citizens, but are legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law” will be allowed to apply for PD jobs
The investigative tool can look collectively at an agency’s stops, searches, or arrests; use of excessive force; possible discriminatory policing and more
The bill presumes disabling or fatal infectious diseases were suffered in the line of duty as a result of injury due to uncapped needles
The bill proposed banning all geofence warrants; Law enforcement officials said passing the bill would hinder their ability to investigate crimes
The law would have made it illegal to knowingly film police officers 8 feet or closer if the officer tells the person to stop
The new bail schedules will correspond with pre-arraignment release terms based on the arrestee’s risk of endangering the public and skipping arraignment
The court ruled that monetary bail is not the “only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public”
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