Star & Shield Magazine

The Evolution of 21st-Century Policing and Employee Wellness

On March 13, Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr. and I joined fellow California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations (CCLEA) members for their board meeting and annual legislative reception in Sacramento. CCLEA represents more than 40 law enforcement associations throughout the state of California. The coalition is dedicated to furthering law enforcement techniques and standards, improving peace officer welfare, fostering goodwill among members and ethically ensuring relationships with the public and the law enforcement community. Read More

Ten LASD Names to Be Engraved on National Memorial Wall

In early 2023, the names of 10 fallen officers from the Los County Sheriff’s Department were submitted for consideration for inclusion in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which is in Washington, D.C., at Judiciary Square, adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Museum. There are over 23,000 names of law enforcement officers on the National Memorial who have died in the line of duty throughout American history. Read More

Staffing Issues Continue to Stymie Progress

It’s been three years since the world and COVID collided, bringing about great uncertainty, health concerns, separation, anxiety, political differences, panic, overreaction, and personal and financial loss. With resilience, faith and some common sense, we have come through. On February 28, the state of emergency that fostered numerous mandates is now gone — and with it, most of the things that caused angst, arguments, early retirements, leaving the Department and even leaving California. Read More

Uniforms, Staffing, Transfers and Issues of Interest for Sheriff’s Security Personnel

Hello, fellow PPOA members. I hope everybody is in good health. Let’s get into the meat and potatoes of what’s occurring on the union side of issues and progress. The first issue as we continue to go through this year is the fact that we are still waiting for an opportunity to meet with Sheriff Luna regarding topics of interest to Sheriff’s Security Officers and Security Assistants. A prime example is the subject of our uniforms. The Sheriff is dealing with other topics, from funding to shortages and personnel issues. Read More

All Rise

Sheriff Luna recently came downstairs to the briefing room at East L.A. Station. For many of us, this was our first time meeting him or being around him. I mean, we all were around the last few Sheriffs all the time. We don’t know Luna. He came into our briefing room. I stood up. No one else did. I am not sure why, and I might not want to know. All I know is, when my Sheriff enters the room, I rise. I rose for all the others, including when I sat in a federal courtroom as a member of the public sitting in the audience section of the U.S. Federal Court as I watched my longest-serving Sheriff account for actions that were found illegal by a jury. Read More

PPOA Needs to Hear From You — What Are Your Priorities?

Greetings, fellow members. As the public safety pendulum continues to swing from safety in our communities to soft on criminal activity, 2023 is promising to be another challenging year. Unit 612 members are once again at the forefront of an attack from the L.A. County Civilian Oversight Report on Department Gangs and SB 2 implementation. These issues are no longer sitting on the doorstep, and PPOA needs to maintain a strong voice and continue to fight for and protect our members’ bargaining rights, Peace Officers Bill of Rights and civil service protections. Read More

Get Involved

Dear PPOA members, the County has forgotten about COVID. However, they continue the attack on our profession by calling us gang members and passed a motion of a multitude of recommendations to the Sheriff for implementation. The Department has a policy on gangs — there is a penal code addressing police gangs, along with the SB 2 reporting system to address police officer misconduct. What are the reasons for these recommendations?
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