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Recent news stories about Orange County Sheriff and Los Angeles PD are using techniques to “stop crime before it happens” has people asking about the tech wonder known as predictive policing: what is it, how is it being used in California and what it means for criminal investigations. Let’s take a look. Predictive policing may…

Each year nearly 400,000 youth find themselves within the juvenile justice system. While juvenile arrests and detentions are trending downward, California’s rate of juvenile arrest and detention exceed those overall in the U.S. More than 86,000 juveniles are arrested in California each year. Transforming Juvenile Probation: Getting It Right A new report from the Annie…

A search warrant allows law enforcement to search you, your home or your business. Search warrants can be issued for a person, a residence, a business or almost any other type of location, such as a car, yard or outbuilding. No one is prepared for an onslaught of police officers showing up at your home…

If you have been served a restraining order in Orange County, you have legal rights and options to fight the restraining order and the allegations against you, and to present your side of the story. Restraining orders, also called protective orders, can be unfairly or not legally issued, or you may be falsely accused of…

Drug possession charges in California have gone through some major changes.  Recent California state laws have reclassified possession of many controlled substances to misdemeanors and have decriminalized others altogether. Even though many possession offenses are now considered a misdemeanor instead of a felony, a misdemeanor drug possession conviction can impact your life and opportunities. An…

Up until a few months ago, California was one of only four states that required lifetime sex offender registration for all sex offenders. The state has amassed over 100,000 names on that list, the vast majority of which involve low-level misdemeanor or nonviolent felony convictions. A new law will give most sex offenders a way…

Intentionally concealing a data breach could land company executives or employees in jail for up to five years if a proposed federal law comes to pass. Amid the flurry of high profile data breach hacks of 2017, three U.S. senators introduced the Data Security Breach Notification Act now working its way through the Congressional docket.…

For the readers on your nice list, that armchair criminologist you know, or to challenge your inner investigator during some holiday downtime, turn to one or two of the standout crime novels that came on scene this year. Here’s a shortlist of page-turners for you to investigate: MurderabiliaBy Craig Robertson “In this place you’ll find…

California laws that aim to provide specific protections to vulnerable individuals, such as elder and dependent adults and people with disabilities, carry with them legal requirements for reporting suspected or observed abuse. Just like in cases of suspected child abuse, California law also mandates that certain professional individuals report abuse or domestic violence in which…

Some important new juvenile crime reforms go into effect January 1, 2018 as part of a raft of legislation signed into law by Governor Brown this Fall. The reforms benefit youths and their families who find themselves caught up in California’s juvenile justice system. Among the reforms are provisions that expand the sealing of juvenile…