Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4036 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JUNE 2016 If you read American Police Beat, you know that one of the latest trends in law en- forcement is for agencies to put stickers or decals on their vehicles that say, “In God we trust.” First Amendment support- ers aren’t crazy about the cultural identifiers, but the stickers are apparently very popular with police officers and community members alike. We’ve stopped cover- ing those stories because they’re everywhere and pretty much identical. But there’s a police de- partment in Austin, Arkan- sas that is going a different route. They’re putting stickers on their cars that read, “We the People,” from the preamble to the US Constitution. James Kulesa is the chief of the Austin Police Depart- ment. He says the idea behind the stickers is to foster a sense of inclusion and togetherness. For him the sticker affirms the fact that law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold the laws of this nation and the ideals of the Constitution, without bias or prejudice. The criticism of the “In God We Trust” stickers, ac- coding to some critics, is that they violate the First Amendment’s protections from religious oppression from the state. It also creates the im- pression that non-religious people are different from the police. “There is no question with this, and it covers every- body… and it means the of- ficers are part of the people,” Kulesa told reporters. “There have been no complaints about the phrase being on the vehicles.” In order to form a more perfect union by George Hofstetter C alifornians are realizing that they were sold a bill of goods on Proposition 47, the 2014 ballot measure that converted some felonies to misdemeanors. The campaign spin was all about reducing the pun- ishment for drug posses- sion. But proponents played down its dramatic softening of penalties for many non- drug offenses. The measure downgraded a host of serious felonies into misdemeanors, including all drug possession cases, repeated shoplifting, forging checks and, unbelievably, gun theft and possession of date-rape drugs. Under this law, more than 3,700 inmates have had their sentences reduced and been released from state prison. Drug addicts now often es- cape punishment for crimes they commonly commit to support their habits: shop- lifting, writing bad checks and any thefts under $950 — even of guns. And most semiautomatic pistols and revolvers are purchased new for less than $950. This leniency just facilitates continued addic- tion. Before Proposition 47, when prosecutors evalu- ated the appropriate degree of punishment to seek for someone accused of drug possession or theft, they studied the person’s criminal history. That history doesn’t mat- ter much anymore. Even someone who has been convicted and served time for a serious crime — such as armed robbery, kidnap- ping, or assault with a deadly weapon — can no longer be sent back to prison if convicted of a new theft or drug offense, because these have been reclassified as misdemeanors. As the Washington Post reported eight months into Proposition 47, “now more addicts were declining drug court, because spending a few days in jail on a misde- meanor charge was easier than 18 months of intensive rehab. “Without the threat of a felony, there was little incen- tive to get treatment. Drug court programs had closed in Fresno and Riverside. Enrollments had dipped by more than a quarter in many places across the state.” A Los Angeles Times story written at the same time reported the same thing in Los Angeles where only 73 of the 2200 drug offenders entered some sort of court- ordered treatment. Next on the horizon is a measure that will make Proposition 47 look like just the opening act of “criminal justice reform” failure. And that is Governor Brown’s proposed initiative to release tens of thousands of prison inmates early with the claim that they have “rehabili- tated.” George Hofstetter is president of the Association for Los Ange- les Deputy Sheriffs. ALADS is the collective bargaining agent for more than 8,200 deputy sheriffs and district attorney investigators working in Los Angeles County. George can be contacted at ghofstetter@alads. org. Prop 47 coddles crooks, increases crime Prop 47 coddles crooks, increases crime So called reformers have a very simple plan – turn dangerous law-breakers loose and let the chips fall where they may • Removes weight of duty belt off hips and lower back • Enables you to perform at maximum standards • Helps keep shirt tucked in during physical activity • No need to adjust duty belt when exiting vehicle • No need to hold duty belt when engaging in foot pursuits No more back pain The Back Defender is the only concealed belt suspension system approved for police duty WWW"ACK$EFENSE3YSTEMSCOM   (or)