Latest news with #sheriffs
E&E News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Bill throws a lifeline to state and local search-and-rescue ops
Local search-and-rescue organizations could be reimbursed for their work on federal lands under a bill reintroduced by a Utah lawmaker. The measure introduced in its latest version last week by Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy is pitched as a way to aid cash-strapped sheriff's departments and others who respond to backcountry emergencies in national parks and forests, as well as on Bureau of Land Management properties. Similar bills have failed in past years to find the Capitol Hill trail that leads to the president's desk, and this year's renewed effort could again face uphill going. But in the search-and-rescue world where high tech joins horseback and high-angle rope work, the idea sounds appealing. Advertisement 'With most of our land federally managed, local sheriffs and towns are left to shoulder the costs of search-and-rescue operations without tax revenue to support them,' Maloy said, adding that the bill 'ensures our first responders have the resources they need to keep up with the growing demand.'
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump orders National Guard to Los Angeles amid fiery ICE protests
A protest in Compton against ICE raids escalated on Saturday afternoon when demonstrators set a car on fire, one of several heated scenes across Los Angeles that led President Trump to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to the region. In dramatic footage captured by the stringer service Key News Network, a white sedan is fully engulfed by a blaze in the middle of the intersection of Atlantic and Alondra boulevards while groups of onlookers, protestors – some waving Mexican flags – and sheriff's deputies in riot gear surround the flaming scene. KNN reported that several demonstrators were impacted by crowd control measures such as pepper balls and flashbangs to disperse the crowd – with one man seen on video bleeding from his face. While protests sparked by Friday and Saturday's ICE raids continue to erupt across Los Angeles areas, some turning violent, tensions are heightening between local and federal government officials. On Saturday evening, Governor Newsom announced on X that the state deployed additional California Highway Patrol units 'to maintain safety on Los Angeles highways.' 'The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate,' the post added. 'That is not the way any civilized country behaves.' In a follow-up post at 5:13 p.m., Newsom shared news that the federal government was starting to 'take over' the state's National Guard, calling the move 'purposefully inflammatory,' saying it 'will only escalate tensions.' 'The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery,' said the post. 'This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.' Less than 10 minutes later, President Trump threatened to increase federal forces in the following post on Truth Social: 'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass then posted a statement on X, calling it a 'difficult time for our city,' referring to both the federal immigration sweeps as well as ongoing recovery efforts following the deadly January wildfires. 'Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning,' read Bass' statement. 'We've been in direct contact with officials in Washington, D.C., and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward.' The White House released a statement shortly after, announcing that Trump officially deployed the 2,000 National Guard troops 'to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.' Los Angeles schools distributing 'red cards' to help immigrant families 'assert constitutional rights' 'In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles,' the statement read. 'The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs.' The statement also explicitly calls out political party leaders, saying, 'California's feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.' Joining in on the multi-social media platforms conversation, FBI Director Kash Patel posted to X, saying, 'Hit a cop, you're going to jail… doesn't matter where you came from, how you got here, or what movement speaks to you. If the local police force won't back our men and women on the thin blue line, we @FBI will.' In response to the federal government deploying the National Guard, Newsom posted another X post at 7:22 p.m., saying this decision was 'not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle.' 'Don't give them one,' concluded the post. 'Never use violence. Speak out peacefully.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LASD leans on each other for healing and rebuilding after Eaton Fire
The man tasked with helping Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies cope with tough situations is now needing support himself after losing his home in the Eaton Fire.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri Senate passes bill to fund sheriffs' retirement system
Sen. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, on the first day of the 2024 Legislative Session (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). A bill to fund pensions for Missouri sheriffs from new fees on court documents and a slice of the money the state pays counties to house prisoners passed the state Senate on a nearly unanimous vote Tuesday, potentially rescuing a retirement system that voters refused to support at the ballot in November. Last year, lawmakers appropriated $5 million of general revenue to the Missouri Sheriffs' Retirement System and placed a measure on the November ballot that would have imposed a $3 fee on court cases to keep it solvent in the future. The ballot measure was rejected by 61% of voters, leaving the 5% donation from sheriff's salaries in 114 counties and the city of St. Louis as the fund's only income. Those contributions totaled $89,502 in 2023, according to the system's annual report, while the system paid out $3.8 million in benefits to 147 retired former sheriffs, one disabled former sheriff, and 52 spouses. The administrative costs of the system were $244,454. Prior to 2021, the retirement fund was supported by the court fee but the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that year that it was unconstitutional because it represented a hurdle for citizens to access the courts. Sheriffs currently receive a $10 fee to serve papers in a civil case initiated by a private party, money that is deposited in a special fund to support increased pay for deputies. The bill would raise that fee to $15 in most counties and $20 in the largest, those of the first and second classification, with the extra money going to the retirement system. The bill would maintain the contribution at 5% of salary, and shave $1.75 off the daily amount the state pays for housing prisoners convicted of felonies and sentenced to a term in a state prison. The state currently pays $24.95 per day and whether that amount will be increased by 50 cents per day is an issue to be decided in state budget negotiations. Sheriffs in counties of the first and second classification are paid 80% of the salary of an associate circuit judge, or $130,720 for the year. In other counties, the salary is calculated as a smaller percentage of the judicial salary, based on assessed value of property, with the lowest being about $70,300 per year. There is an exception among the larger counties. Dwayne Carey, the sheriff of Boone County, is paid $174,116 annually because of an anomaly in how the pay was established and a legal inability to reduce it during his tenure in office. State Sen. Rusty Black, a Chillicothe Republican handling the House-passed bill in the Senate, said the bill will put the system on track to pay all its current and future obligations. The fund, he said, currently has about 70% of the money it needs, based on estimates of future market returns and contributions. 'With these three legs on the stool, jail reimbursement, sheriffs (contributions), and then the processing fee, hopefully we're going to raise, the estimate is, somewhere around $3.8 million,' Black said. That would make the system fully funded in about 20 years, he said. The bill needs a final vote in the House before going to Gov. Mike Kehoe for his signature. The budget that must be passed this week also includes $2 million more from state general revenue to keep the system afloat. The budget language also includes a prohibition on using pension system funds for political contributions, a reaction to the fund donating $30,000 to the unsuccessful ballot measure campaign just weeks after receiving the infusion of state cash. The bill began in the House as a proposal to limit the impact of a court judgment on retirement benefits for members of the St. Louis Police Department. The bill has grown to also include: Provisions banning state-established pension funds from making investments where environmental, social or governance concerns influence financial decisions 'in a manner that would override…fiduciary duties'; A ban on pension fund investments in Chinese securities and the withdrawal of funds from pooled investments that include shares in companies based in China or controlled by its government or ruling Communist Party. Funds would have until 2028 to comply; A requirement that Kansas City police officers retire at age 65 or after 35 years on the job, whichever is earlier. The bill required portions of two days to debate in the Senate, where a provision doubling a pension tax exemption for lower-income retirees was stripped from the bill. The tax cut would have reduced state revenue by about $140 million annually. Democrats questioned several provisions. State Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat, said he was surprised to see the provisions barring investment decisions based on governance next to the provision banning investments in China because it is out of political favor. 'I can see both pieces making sense,' Webber said. 'It's just weird to see them both together.' 'That's where you and I work,' Black replied. 'Some days, bill after bill, they all lay together and it seems like we'll all be singing Mary Poppins songs and flying with an umbrella. And then sometimes we end up with stuff like this, that right one right after another in a spreadsheet, and they seem opposite of each other.' The failed ballot measure would have also authorized a court fee to support the pensions of elected prosecutors. 'Do you think that's probably the last fix we'll need on the sheriffs for a while?' state Sen. Tracy McCreery, an OlivetteDemocrat, asked Black. 'I hope so,' he said. 'Prosecuting attorneys are next in line.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
27-04-2025
Sheriff's deputy killed, another injured during shooting at traffic stop in Georgia
EVANS, Ga. -- Two Columbia County deputies were shot during a traffic stop Saturday evening, and one of them is dead, law enforcement officials said. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office confirmed the death around 6:30 p.m. of the deputy and said the other deputy was taken to a hospital, the WDRW television station reported. The suspect was identified as James Blake Montgomery, who was in a camper near Mile Marker 194 off Belair Road, Columbia County deputies told WDRW. Helicopters and drones are in the air as authorities work to capture Montgomery, the deputies said. Officers were heard on police radio saying to take a photo of the suspect 'in the trailer,' WDRW reported. Apparently the focus was the Arrowood Mobile Home Community off Wrightsboro Road about three blocks west of Jimmie Dyess Parkway, the TV station said. Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement on X about the shooting. 'Marty, the girls, and I are praying for the loved ones and colleagues of the Columbia County sheriffs deputy that has fallen in the line of duty, as well as his fellow law enforcement officer injured tonight while protecting his fellow Georgians,' Kemp said. 'As they remain in our hearts and prayers, we're also painfully reminded of why those who wear a badge have more than earned our enduring respect and appreciation.'
