California

California Bluebook Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plan

As you read this, somewhere in California one law enforcement agency is providing mutual aid to another. Mutual aid is an everyday occurrence in a state as large and diverse as California. This is the continuation of the decades-long process of “neighbor helping neighbor.” The law enforcement mutual aid system is an ongoing cooperative effort among law enforcement agencies to ensure an effective and organized response to a wide range of emergencies. There is a misconception that mutual aid is something used only during a riot or disaster. The mutual aid system has been used successfully for many other situations, including large criminal investigations, deployment of special teams such as Special Weapons and Tactics Teams, Bomb Squads, etc.

California Redbook Law Enforcement Guide for Emergency Operations

The California Emergency Management Agency’s original Law Enforcement Guide for Emergency Operations was developed in response to the need for standardization and uniformity of organization and response on the part of law enforcement agencies involved in major multi-jurisdictional and multi-agency incidents such as a civil disorder, technological disaster, or natural disaster. The revised and expanded 2009 Law Enforcement Guide for Emergency Operations is designed to be a practical field-oriented guide to assist law enforcement personnel throughout the State of California with implementation of the Field Level Incident Command System. The intended primary users of this guide are watch commanders and field supervisors. The guide can also be an excellent emergency response tool for law enforcement managers, as well as line officers and deputies.

U.C. Davis Police Department Use of Force Policy

This policy recognizes that the use of force by law enforcement requires constant evaluation. Even at its lowest level the use of force is a serious responsibility. The purpose of this policy is to provide officers of this department with guidelines on the reasonable use of force. While there is no way to specify the exact amount or type of reasonable force to be applied in any situation, each officer is expected to use these guidelines to make such decisions in a professional, impartial, and safe manner. The use of force by law enforcement personnel is a matter of critical concern both to the public and to the law enforcement community. Officers are involved on a daily basis in numerous and varied human encounters and, when warranted, may use force in carrying out their duties.

U.C. Berkeley Police Crowd Control Policy

This Policy is to provide an outline of basic steps to be taken and/or considered by UCPD in the management of campus demonstrations. It is recognized that no policy can completely cover every possible situation and thus we rely on the expertise of the commanders and supervisors to manage the situation utilizing this policy as a guideline. This policy is primarily intended to cover demonstrations on campus and involving primarily University affiliates but many of the elements are applicable to any demonstration. “Demonstration”, for the purposes of this policy, includes a broad range of gatherings. Generally they are events with a significant crowd intending to express a particular point of view to others, often “The University”, and often through highly visible and possibly disruptive means. They are distinguished from peaceful meetings but may spring from them.

Occupy Oakland Eviction Notice

The City of Oakland and its police department support and protect the right of all individuals to engage in free speech and their right to assemble. However, this encampment is a violation of the law. You do not have permission to lodge overnight in Frank Ogawa Plaza. You must remove all tents, sleeping bags, tarps, cooking facilities and equipment and any other lodging material from the Plaza immediately. Your continued use of the Plaza for overnight lodging will subject you to arrest. Your activities are injurious to health, obstruct the free use of property, interfering with the comfortable enjoyment of the Plaza, and unlawfully obstruct the free passage or use of a public park or square. (California Penal Code sections 370 and 647(e) and Civil Code section 3479.) You must allow all persons, including Oakland Police officers and other emergency personnel, access to all areas of the Plaza at all times.

California Congressional Representatives Letter to President Obama on Medical Marijuana Crackdown

We write to express our concern with the recent activity by the Department of Justice against legitimate medical cannabis dispensaries in California that are operating legally under state law. As you know, in October of 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder issued formal guidelines for federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of cannabis for medical purposes. The guidelines were spelled out in a memo to United States Attorneys from then Deputy Attorney General David Ogden, saying in part that the Attorneys should not focus federal resources in their state “on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”

(U//LES) San Diego Fusion Center Tijuana Drug Cartel Ambush Analysis and Gang Collaboration

The intent of this bulletin is to provide Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) with a general knowledge of ambush tactics used by the Tijuana Cartel against Mexican LEOs in Tijuana, Mexico. The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Officer Safety Bulletin dated October 3, 2010, outlining Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations’ (DTOs) and San Diego street gangs’ use of Tijuana Cartel tactics in San Diego County, identified a need for a more comprehensive review of cartel tactics used south of the U.S. border.

LAPD Research Paper “Fighting Crime in the Information Age: The Promise of Predictive Policing”

Large police departments maintain dozens of databases. It is unusual to see these computer systems linked together to enable effective analysis. It is even more unlikely that other information sources, such as gunshot detection systems or dispatch systems, are linked into police analytical or fusion centers. Finally, police departments do not link their operations and information systems to other parts of the justice system or social services system. Thus, poor information sharing prevents good analysis and investigation. Even more troubling, poor information sharing can undermine efforts to intervene with individuals or neighborhoods to stop the cycle of violence. The best way to see the future and act appropriately is to have a complete picture of the current situation. Police must integrate their information and activities to enable situational awareness.

Graphic Photo of Kelly Thomas Victim of Fullerton Police Brutality

A photo of a 37-year-old schizophrenic homeless man named Kelly Thomas that was taken in the hospital by his father Ron Thomas, a former Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy. Thomas was fatally beaten by Fullerton Police officers on July 5, 2011 following attempts to search his backpack due to reports of someone “looking into cars” in the area. Multiple videos of the beating exist, including surveillance footage that has yet to be released by the Orange County District Attorney, and a large number of witnesses have come forward confirming the extremely excessive use of force by the six officers that were attempting to subdue Thomas. One officer in particular was reportedly responsible for beating Thomas repeatedly in the back of the head with a Taser until Thomas began to bleed profusely, as well as dropping his knee against the back of Thomas’ head leading to fractures in his face and the crushing of his windpipe. This officer has been identified as Jay Cicinelli, a former LAPD officer who was shot within weeks of leaving the academy and now only has one eye. The beating is now being investigated by the FBI.

(U//FOUO) LA-JRIC 82% of Cocaine in U.S. Contaminated by Veterinary De-worming Drug

In April 2011, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported up to 82 percent of all cocaine seized in the United States contained levamisole, a veterinary drug used to de-worm livestock. Law enforcement and public health officials in the United States are warning of serious public health consequences for drug users related to contaminated cocaine use.

(U//FOUO) San Diego Fusion Center: Hotels are Potential Bomb Labs

Hotels, motels, and other lodging facilities have been used by extremist individuals and groups as locations to manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in close proximity to their intended targets. Hotels, specifically rooms with kitchens or kitchenettes, allow these groups or individuals to greatly reduce the potential for a premature detonation. Given the short distance to the intended target the risk of premature detonation during transportation is minimized.