The following is a distilled and edited transcript of an interview between Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley and Dan Abrams, ABC News&#8217;s chief legal analyst and host of “On Patrol: Live.” Catch the full interview on a new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire">weekend edition of Morning Wire</a>.
* * *
1. You have built a career at the intersection of law, media, and entertainment. What led you to create &#8220;<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/">On Patrol: Live&#8221;</a> and why do you think it has resonated so strongly with audiences?
Dan Abrams: I’m a lawyer by training and I used that to quickly pivot into media, where I ended up covering some of the highest-profile criminal cases from the last three decades. That background is, I think, why the producers came to me to host what is now “<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Patrol: Live</a>,” a live police show where we follow police departments in real time. This is a show that is different from any other police show out there because, unlike “Cops,” where it&#8217;s sort of a highlight reel of crazy moments, we’re actually live in eight or nine departments at once. So we&#8217;ll go to a department and we&#8217;ll see someone responding to a call and the officer doesn&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going to happen next. So, the audience joins the officers in that experience. I think that&#8217;s part of what makes the show so compelling.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Authentic storytelling matters. Live coverage provides a raw, unfiltered look at policing, allowing audiences to see officers as they really are rather than through a scripted or dramatized lens.</li>
</ul>
2. The show was the #1 entertainment program on Friday and Saturday nights in 2024 and was picked up for 90 more episodes. Why do you think audiences are still drawn to &#8216;cop shows,&#8217; especially after efforts to cancel them in 2020?
Dan Abrams: People are interested in policing. There is an element of uncertainty throughout the show. Watching police engage with the community is something people have long been interested in. There&#8217;s no other place where they can see it in real time. As a result, we try to follow a mix of departments around the country to make this a really compelling show year after year. We look for both geographical diversity and diversity of the size of the department. We&#8217;re in everything from Las Vegas – one of the top 10 biggest police departments in America – to Hensley, Arkansas, where we ride with the chief of the department.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Public interest in policing is unwavering. Despite political movements, the demand for real-time law enforcement coverage remains strong, demonstrating that audiences value transparency over ideology.</li>
</ul>
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3. &#8216;Live PD&#8217; was canceled in 2020 following the George Floyd protests. You’ve been vocal about your frustration with that decision. What was that experience like, and how did it lead to &#8216;<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Patrol: Live</a>&#8216;?
Dan Abrams: I thought it was a vast overreaction. That&#8217;s what I said when the show was cancelled – and I maintain it to this day. It&#8217;s important to talk about this because there&#8217;s going to be some other incident where a cop does something the cop shouldn&#8217;t have – and it might be really bad. And any good cop will tell you that the worst thing for good cops is a bad cop. No matter what career you&#8217;re talking about, considering there are hundreds of thousands of police officers around the country, you are going to have some bad cops. That doesn&#8217;t mean that the rest of the cops aren&#8217;t doing really good work.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Balanced perspectives are essential. In an era of quick, reactionary decisions, maintaining a steady and fair approach to evaluating law enforcement is crucial to understanding the complexities of policing.</li>
</ul>
4. What’s your take on shifting public attitudes toward law enforcement in the last few years? Do you think the narrative is changing?
Dan Abrams: I think there’s been a recognition that the “Defund the Police” movement was absurd. It didn&#8217;t work. And that&#8217;s why liberal cities around the country are refunding the police and rehiring police officers. They realized it made no sense. I&#8217;ll tell you, as soon as “Live PD” was canceled, I received outreach from people asking me about the project. So, from a show perspective, I think it was really just a question of when. In the immediate months after the show went off the air, however, to many, the show would have been too hot – couldn&#8217;t do it, can&#8217;t risk it, don&#8217;t want to risk the protests, don&#8217;t want to risk the backlash. I do think that has faded to some degree.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Public safety requires practical solutions. Knee-jerk policy shifts have real-world consequences, and restoring balance between law enforcement and community trust is a vital ongoing effort.</li>
</ul>
5. What’s next for you? Do you have any other projects in the works?
Dan Abrams: Well, I work on a lot of things. I host a daily radio show on Sirius XM on the POTUS channel. I&#8217;m still ABC News&#8217;s chief legal analyst. I own a company called Mediaite. I started &#8220;Law and Crime.&#8221; I&#8217;ve got a spirits company called Bottle Raiders, where we have an app that aggregates ratings of fine spirits and non-alcoholic drinks. So I&#8217;ve got my hand in a lot of projects, but “<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Patrol: Live</a>” is a passion project for me.
<ul>
<li>Why It Matters: Media influences public perception. Abrams’ dedication to covering law and crime-related content ensures that audiences have access to informed, balanced perspectives on critical legal issues.</li>
</ul>
* * *
That was Dan Abrams, producer of “<a href="https://www.reelz.com/show/on-patrol-live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Patrol: Live</a>” and this has been a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire">weekend edition of Morning Wire</a>.

“Thank You Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” Special Screening

5 Questions With Dan Abrams: The Enduring Appeal Of ‘On Patrol: Live’

5 Questions With Dan Abrams: The Enduring Appeal Of 'On Patrol: Live'

ABC News

Defund The Police

interview

Morning Wire

Police

Television

Hollywood star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/julia-roberts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julia Roberts</a> got torched on Tuesday when she slammed those looting during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wildfires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles fires</a> after she has overwhelmingly supported Democratic weak-on-crime policies.
On Monday, the 57-year-old actress posted a message on her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DExvYb-xdRF/">Instagram</a> about a SoCal Fire fund set up to “assist in providing Immediate and Long Term support for all those impacted” by the multiple wildfires burning in southern California.
“There is so much healing and help needed,” Roberts wrote. “We will get through this. #F.U.Looters. To donate and have a direct impact, please visit the link in my bio.” Her post follows reports that $10 million dollar homes were being looted after families have been forced to evacuate their mansions due to the fires raging in the area, the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14280151/Julia-Roberts-says-f-looters-10M-homes-continue-robbed-LA-fires.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline">Daily Mail</a> noted.
It was the line about “F.U. looters” that seemed to get everyone’s attention, with many on social media pointing out that the movie star has fundraised for Democrats who have supported things like Defund the Police and soft on crime DAs who refused to punish looters of Black Lives Matter riots and more.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Julia is a big supporter of CA Democrats and recently urged wives of male Trump voters to secretly vote for Kamala Harris. The same CA Dems she supported are the ones who made looting so easy for so long. At some point she needs to direct her comments to her mirror. 👀 <a href="https://t.co/uOhl2rhhja">https://t.co/uOhl2rhhja</a>
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1879023108650319990?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
“Julia is a big supporter of CA Democrats and recently urged wives of male [Donald] Trump voters to secretly vote for Kamala Harris,” one person <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1879023108650319990">wrote</a>. “The same CA Dems she supported are the ones who made looting so easy for so long. At some point she needs to direct her comments to her mirror.”
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Another person <a href="https://x.com/bonchieredstate/status/1878981007770374593">added</a>, “No one&#8217;s home should be looted. Also, people like Julia Roberts supported the policies that created this mess. Only getting mad when it starts to affect them instead of an inner-city Walgreens is pretty scummy.”
A third person <a href="https://x.com/TexasBelle/status/1878921618971578875">wrote</a>, “She voted for all of it. The thieves, the fires, the destruction. Her signature is on all of it. I&#8217;m finding it difficult to sympathize.&#8221;
While a <a href="https://x.com/TomiLahren/status/1879215187875512485">fourth person noted</a>, “Julia Roberts says &#8216;f*** you&#8217; to looters as $10M homes continue to be robbed during LA fires. Question, Julia, why is looting unacceptable now BUT in the name of George Floyd y’all were cool with it…”
During the 2024 election, Roberts made headlines when she narrated a cringe ad for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris">Harris</a> targeting the wives of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Trump</a> supporters, encouraging them to secretly vote for the Democratic candidate without telling their spouses, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/julia-roberts-tells-wives-of-trump-supporters-to-secretly-vote-for-kamala-in-cringe-ad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously reported</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/julia-roberts-tells-wives-of-trump-supporters-to-secretly-vote-for-kamala-in-cringe-ad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julia Roberts Tells Wives Of Trump Supporters To Secretly Vote For Kamala In Cringe Ad</a>

“Ticket to Paradise” Premiere – Red Carpet

Julia Roberts Torched For Slamming Looters Of LA Fires After Supporting Dem Policies

Black Lives Matter

California

Celebrities

Crime

Entertainment

Hollywood

Julia Roberts

Los Angeles Fires

U.S.

A leftist activist who pushed for defunding the police has been accused of spending charitable donations to pay for “lavish vacations” and designer clothing, according to a lawsuit filed in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington-d-c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington, D.C</a>. 
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb <a href="https://oag.dc.gov/release/attorney-general-schwalb-sues-nonprofit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> Brandon Anderson and his police “accountability” organization Raheem AI on Monday, alleging violations of the district’s laws governing non-profits. Schwalb said that Anderson used donations given to the charity to go on expensive vacations to Mexico and to buy high-end clothing. 
“Brandon Anderson misused charitable donations to fund lavish vacations and shopping sprees, and the Raheem AI Board of Directors let him get away with it,” Schwalb said. “My office will not allow people to masquerade behind noble causes while violating the law, cheating taxpayers, or stealing from their workers.”
According to the lawsuit, Anderson used $75,000 of the non-profit&#8217;s funds for personal use, including $40,000 on a luxury vacation rental service, $10,000 on hotels and Airbnbs, $10,000 on designer clothing, and $5,000 on emergency veterinary services. The travel costs reportedly included a stay at a Cancun resort and he buying clothes from luxury retailers <a href="https://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/11.25.2024%20Raheem%20AI%20Complaint%20Package%20%281%29.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">like</a> Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Bloomingdales, Farfetch, and Saks.
Schwalb said that Anderson had “unrestricted control” of the organization’s money because there had been no treasurer since 2020 and its board had implemented no oversight precautions. 
The lawsuit seeks to dissolve the organization and make Anderson repay funds used for vacations and clothing. It also accuses Anderson of not paying the deputy director of the organization for her work. 
“Not only did their financial abuses violate fundamental principles of nonprofit governance, but Anderson and Raheem AI failed to pay their employee the wages they had earned,” Schwalb said. 
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Anderson, who launched his organization in 2017, has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=691271211599982&amp;set=a.307670423293398" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoted</a> “building a world without police” and has lectured on why “defunding the police is an important next step for the country.” The activist wanted to <a href="https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/defund-the-police-activist-misappropriated-75000-in-donations-dc-attorney-general-alleges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replace</a> 911 calls, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/police-abolitionists-are-building-a-dispatch-app-to-replace-911/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling</a> Vice in 2022 that he wanted to build “a consortium of care that meets the needs of communities during their crises and in conflict.” 
His claims about starting the non-profit to honor a fiancé killed by the police have been scrutinized by media outlets like the New York Times, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/25/us/brandon-anderson-rahim-ai.html#:~:text=No%20homicide%20in%20the%20entire,run%2Din%20with%20the%20police." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that &#8220;no homicide in the entire state of Oklahoma&#8221; matched the incident described by Anderson.
The nation&#8217;s capitol has long been plagued by violent crime even as city leaders <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-says-he-will-sign-bills-blocking-d-c-s-radical-overhaul-of-voting-rights-criminal-code" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have sought</a> to decrease penalties for crimes like carjacking. Efforts to loosen up the city&#8217;s criminal code failed last year after the Republican-controlled House blocked the proposal.

Protests Erupt Across U.S. After Charges In Death Of Breonna Taylor Are Announced

Abolish The Police Activist Accused Of Spending Charity Money On ‘Lavish’ Vacations

Washington D.C.

A Democratic congressional candidate in a toss-up Arizona district gave a donation from local police officers to a bailout fund for criminals.
During the protests and riots in the summer of 2020, Kirsten Engel, a Democrat running against Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th congressional district, gave away the donation from the Tucson Police Officer’s Association (TPOA) to a far-Left organization that worked to defund the police and bailout criminals.
Engel admitted to receiving the $200 donation from the TPOA and then contributing that $200 to the Arizona Justice Bailout Fund in a 2020 post on Facebook. “I must disclose that my campaign did accept $200 from TPOA last year which was donated to the Arizona Justice Bailout Fund,” the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EngelForArizona/posts/pfbid02UXjD1xCGsJwTgAdPYRmLuAfXE6B9YSB9zmTmuyAPgRaA6iJuCBadg8j4V3pxZFUGl">post</a> reads. “I will not accept any future contributions from TPOA or any other police union.”
The bailout fund went to support the far-Left agitators who were arrested during the Black Lives Matter riots.
“Social justice leaders across the state are protesting against the consistent acts of police brutality we see every single day,” the <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/azjusticefund">donation link</a> says. “The Arizona Coalition for Change is launching the Arizona Justice Bailout Fund to support millennials and leaders of color arrested during the protests that have occurred in Phoenix and Tucson. Please contribute to this fund to help us support these freedom fighters.”
The bail fund was organized by the Arizona Coalition for Change, a radical organization that openly supported the movement to defund police departments, insinuating that they perpetrate racially motivated violence.
“In this era of state-sanctioned violence and the injustice our Black communities are facing, it is important to understand the fight activists within Arizona and across the nation are relentlessly leading &#8211; to &#8216;defund the police&#8217; for the reallocation of funding in other areas of need and into communities of color,” the organization <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AzC4C/posts/pfbid0wz3arGbuwGRD9xkFG3GTkYFq91RFWBx46WnG9KSat5XmfypUsQbEeZ2ccPFaqHxvl">wrote</a> online.
Engel’s donation to the organization is not her only connection to far-Left efforts to disempower police, however. The candidate, who previously served in the state legislature, has ties to the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Living United For Change In Arizona (LUCHA), organizations that have advocated for defunding the police, abolishing prisons, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is charged with deporting criminal illegal aliens.
One <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/az-dem-congressional-candidate-kirsten-engel-collaborated-with-anti-police-groups-while-in-state-legislature-emails-show/">recent investigation</a> by National Review found that Engel maintained a working relationship with the organizations, even asking them for support when crafting legislation on criminal justice.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Engel even encouraged voters to &#8220;consider donating to, getting involved with, and learning from&#8221; far-Left organizations like the Minnesota Freedom Fund, the same bail fund <a href="https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1267555018128965643" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supported</a> by Vice President Kamala Harris. The organization went on to <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/25/opinion/kamala-harris-support-for-bail-fund-that-freed-violent-criminals-shows-how-tough-on-crime-she-really-is/">bail out violent criminals</a>, including one individual who was freed after being charged with domestic abuse before going on to commit and plead guilty to murder.
The Democrat also <a href="https://freebeacon.com/elections/arizona-dem-signed-anti-cop-activists-slavery-reparations-pledge/">signed on to</a> a petition demanding reparations for slavery. The organization behind the petition called the Reparations Pledge PAC, was led by an activist who called defunding the police “a moral thing to do.”
Engel is currently projected to lose her race against incumbent Republican representative Juan Ciscomani, according to <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/arizona-6/">forecasting models</a>. The two candidates faced off in 2022, with Ciscomani receiving 50.73% of the vote to Engel’s 49.23%.
Engel’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Kirsten Engel

Arizona Dem Congressional Candidate Gave Away Donation From Police Union To Leftist Bail Fund

2024 Election

Arizona

Democrat

While blue states in the West are losing police officers who are disillusioned with soft-on-crime policies, conservative Idaho is gathering them in great numbers.
The Idaho Peace Officer Standards &amp; Training (POST) reported that between 2019 and 2021, the number of officers from other states applying for certification more than doubled, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/blue-line-getting-thinner-west-coast-states-police-take-refuge-idaho" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“They come to Idaho where they can enjoy their career and make a difference,” Idaho Fraternal Order of Police President Bryan Lovell stated. “They see that, in large part, our communities are supportive of law enforcement and public safety.&#8221; Lovell stated that officers from other states said they were fed up with policies that defunded police departments or decriminalized drugs.
“The Seattle Police Department has lost more than 700 officers in the past five years and is at its lowest staffing level since the 1990s,” King 5 <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle-police-staffing-shortage-action-needed-councilmembers-say/281-c3f43855-f877-4ba9-a37b-aeaf27e1ec67" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in March.
“We&#8217;re already at critical levels &#8230; We are really struggling to make sure we maintain all the calls that are impacting, not just to maintain the calls, but also investigating those calls and also doing the other type of tactics that actually make for safer outcomes for the community,” Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said.
“I think if rock bottom was ever a thing, we are probably here,” councilmember Rob Saka echoed.
Regarding Portland, Oregon, which has just 1.26 officers per every 1,000 residents, 48th among the nation’s 50 largest cities, the Manhattan Institute <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/portlands-police-staffing-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posited</a>, “In the short run, the city’s particularly harmful riots following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, as well as its leadership’s embrace of the ‘defund the police’ movement, dealt a massive blow to police morale, driving mass resignations and retirements, which have continued to hamstring operations.”
“The LAPD is hemorrhaging officers, with more leaving the force than are joining it. Police Chief Michel Moore reported last week that sworn staffing had fallen to 9,103, down nearly 1,000 from 2019, the year that preceded the outbreak of COVID-19,” The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/lapd-lost-nearly-1-000-120008003.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in April 2023.
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Former California Highway Patrol officer Seth Horst, who moved to northern Idaho, commented on the tremendous public support for the police in Idaho, saying, “That is so powerful for the men and women in uniform up here to have that backing. It&#8217;s a pretty phenomenal place to do the job.”
He said of the blue states, “The district attorney doesn&#8217;t back them, there&#8217;s too much liability, so the department won&#8217;t let them enforce the law, which is their job. And that bugs a lot of people. They get a job up here, oftentimes taking a huge pay cut because the pay here does not compare to a lot of states. But it&#8217;s worth it to them to raise their families in a place that is safe and has those old-school values.”

City of Moscow Idaho police department

Red-State Idaho Sweeping Up Cops Disillusioned With Blue West Coast States

Idaho

Portland

Seattle

Much to the annoyance of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-school-teacher-with-no-interest-in-defunding-the-police-takes-stand-for-first-amendment-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenn Laird</a> refuses to go away quietly.
After decades as a Los Angeles teacher, Laird is involved in a messy <a href="https://www.freedomfoundation.com/labor/la-teacher-sues-utla-says-demand-to-defund-police-was-the-last-straw/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> with the union over its reluctance to allow him to opt out of membership and dues as prescribed by law. Last week, the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. 
What makes his experience so compelling for the public — and embarrassing for UTLA — is that Laird is neither a malcontent nor a union-basher by inclination. He is, in fact, a much-decorated educator who served for many years as UTLA campus chapter co-chair.
But when the union began advocating several years ago to “defund the police” and put students’ and teachers’ lives at risk, he’d had enough.
Over the years, Laird has witnessed countless violent acts on campus, including the death of a former student, and was outraged that UTLA would call for the removal of law enforcement from the district’s schools.
“I couldn’t in good conscience continue to pay dues to an organization that was campaigning against something that is so personal to me,” explained Laird. “I support fully funding the police to keep our students safe.”
He responded by opting out of his UTLA membership and requesting it stop taking his money to fund messaging with which he disagrees.
His legal right to do so is unequivocal. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in Janus v. AFSCME that unions could no longer take public employees’ money for use in political speech without their consent.
The ruling also specified that by agreeing to give money to a public labor union, workers are waiving their First Amendment right against compelled speech.
In the case of Glenn Laird, UTLA tried to have it both ways.
They told Laird his previous agreement was an effective waiver of his First Amendment rights, even though he signed it before Janus was even decided.
Even more to the point, the union refused to honor the terms of Laird’s actual agreement, which allowed him to end the deduction of his money. He specifically objected to the last union agreement he signed with UTLA by striking out the language supposedly restricting his ability to end his membership at any time with a felt marker.
UTLA kept taking his money without his consent anyway.
In other words, the First Amendment did not matter.
Left with no alternative, Laird took UTLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to federal court. Represented pro bono by the Freedom Foundation, he asked the court to rule on the scope of his constitutional rights, and to acknowledge UTLA’s violations.
But UTLA doesn’t want a judge to decide the constitutional claims.
Instead, its leaders cut him a check for the money deducted from his pay without his consent and asked him to please drop the case.
This tactic has become all too common among public unions trying to avoid their responsibilities under the First Amendment.
Laird refused to dismiss his lawsuit, and with good reason. Because his case is about more than the return of his money. In fact, Laird is donating the entire amount he received from UTLA to a nonprofit group that helps disadvantaged students in the Los Angeles area.
When judges at both the lower court level and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the union, the Freedom Foundation filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.
Glenn Laird’s case is about a judicial acknowledgment and vindication of his First Amendment rights by a federal judge. As long as unions can cut checks using their members’ dues dollars to make lawsuits disappear, judges will never have the opportunity to rule on the actual constitutional issues, rendering the First Amendment and Janus decision meaningless.
“Hopefully the Supreme Court will find my case worthy of making a ruling,” concluded Laird. “Janus set the stage, but now we need to build on that precedent so unions and lower court judges don’t continue to ignore the Supremes.”
While it should not take a federal lawsuit for unions to recognize their responsibilities under the Constitution, UTLA doesn’t get to put a price tag on the First Amendment and cannot kill a case by simply doing the right thing after the fact.
For one principled Los Angeles teacher, the fight is far from over.
* * *
Timothy R. Snowball is a civil rights attorney with Freedom Foundation, where his practice is focused on protecting the First Amendment rights of government workers to make their own decisions about whether to join or support public sector unions.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Supreme Court and Cherry Blossoms

L.A. Teacher’s Fight With Union Appealed To Supreme Court

L.A. Teacher's Fight With Union Appealed To Supreme Court

Education

Los Angeles

Readers Pass

Supreme Court

Teachers Unions

There was a record-breaking number of law enforcement officers shot in the line of duty in 2023, according to <a href="https://national.fop.net/reportshotkilled112024#page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the National Fraternal Order of Police. 
In 2023, there were 378 officers shot, a 60% increase since the FOP began tracking data back in 2018. The data also showed that 46 police officers were killed. “These horrifying statistics are a grim reminder of the War on Cops in this country. A stain on our society,” the FOP said. 
“Last year, over 330 police officers were shot in the line of duty. With the COVID-19 pandemic behind us and after so many Americans have seen the tragic consequences of the defund the police movement, it was our hope that these numbers would be a high-water mark,” FOP President Patrick Yoes <a href="https://fop.net/2024/01/record-breaking-378-officers-shot-2023-fop-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We were wrong.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The National FOP report on officers shot in 2023 has just been released and the results are horrifying!
378 officers shot, highest number since we started tracking the data.
60% increase in officers shot since 2018.
115 ambush attacks that resulted in 138 officers shot.
46… <a href="https://t.co/aR2vOeyi2b">pic.twitter.com/aR2vOeyi2b</a>
&mdash; National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/GLFOP/status/1742293645464686763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
There were 62 officers killed in 2022. Yoes said that fatalities were down due to improvements in medical trauma science and anti-ballistic technology.
“Many will often look at this data and just see numbers, but we must remember that they represent heroes — fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. This scale of violence against our officers is horrifying and simply unsustainable,” Yoes said. “It is no wonder that our profession is facing a recruitment and retention crisis. What father or mother would want their child to become an officer knowing the dangers they face every day?”
The FOP also said that police were targeted in ambush-style attacks. “There have been 115 ambush-style attacks on law enforcement officers this year. These ambush-style attacks have resulted in 138 officers shot, 20 of whom were killed,” the report said. 
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The report did not measure the amount of times police officers were shot at but were not struck. At the end the report featured the names and pictures of all the officers who were killed by gunfire this year. 
Yoes wants Congress to pass the Protect and Serve Act, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/743?s=1&amp;r=65" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which</a> “establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly assaulting a law enforcement officer and causing serious bodily injury (or attempting to do so).”
“Truthfully, the violence against those sworn to protect and serve is beyond unacceptable; it’s a stain on our society, and it must end,” Yoes said. “It is incumbent upon our elected officials and community leaders to stand up, support our heroes, and speak out against the violence against law enforcement officers.”
Anti-police sentiment spread through the United States following the death of George Floyd in May 2020. Some cities moved to defund their police departments, but later back tracked as violent crime increased.

Officers standing with hands behind

‘A Stain On Our Society’: Record Number Of Police Shot In 2023, Report Finds

Law Enforcement

Shooting

There are not enough police in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/austin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Austin</a> to handle multiple major emergencies as a result of the 2020 movement to “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/defund-the-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defund the police</a>,” according to a new documentary from The Daily Caller.
The documentary, called “<a href="https://lawless.dailycaller.com/optin1693416044525?sl=dailywire">Lawless</a>,” examines the effects of the anti-police movement across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd in May 2020. One of the cities Daily Caller investigators examined was Austin, Texas, where the city council <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/13/austin-city-council-cut-police-budget-defund/">voted</a> to cut the police budget by one third in August 2020 amid a wave of anti-police sentiment.
While Austin later voted to move funding back to the police department, it still faces massive staffing shortages and its chief of police <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/austin-police-chief-abruptly-retires-staffing-shortages-lack-police-union-contract" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resigned</a> in August. As of September, Austin <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/police/new-austin-police-officers-sworn-in/269-99244b89-dcda-4133-9d32-4b2b457b094a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was at least</a> 300 officers short of full staff.
“We are not a city that can handle parallel critical incidents,” Matt Mackowiak, co-founder of Save Austin Now, told The Daily Caller. “If we get to a situation where we have a serious bank robbery in North Austin, and something happening at [Austin City Limits Music Festival] at the same time, we will not have enough police officers to respond to both incidents.”
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Save Austin Now is a nonpartisan group <a href="https://www.saveaustinnow.com/who-we-are" target="_blank" rel="noopener">committed</a> to addressing the challenges facing Austin, including homelessness, high property taxes, and crime.
The budget cuts in Austin came alongside the national push by some Democrat politicians, including Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), to defund and dismantle police departments throughout the U.S.
At the same time, police departments across the country have struggled to stay fully staffed amidst a wave of resignations and a decline in new recruits. The Daily Caller spoke with law enforcement, politicians, and small business owners about the crisis in policing.
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“I want to signal a crisis,” Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/10/05/daily-caller-documentary-lawless-defund-police/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Our profession is dependent on the best and brightest stepping up and taking this job. And because of the actions, and because of the turmoil that has happened in the last two years, we have a crisis right now in manpower.”
The Daily Caller said the film “will expose the true human cost of turning against law enforcement. We are traveling across the country to discover the terror that has been unleashed upon American cities as a result of the &#8216;Defund the Police&#8217; movement. We will uncover how the movement became as powerful as it did and give a voice to the forgotten men and women who bear the brunt of the violence in their daily lives.”
TRAILER: 
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Lawless Thumbnails (3)

New Doc Sheds Light On Dangerous Impact Of ‘Defund The Police’ Movement

New Doc Sheds Light On Dangerous Impact Of ‘Defund The Police' Movement

Austin

General

Texas

The Daily Caller

New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday that the city needs more cops as the NYPD remains down more than 2,000 officers since the pandemic.
“We can use more,” Adams told MSNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Morning Joe.&#8221; “I’m very clear on that.”
“The numbers are down, but based on the numbers, no one does it better than the New York Police Department,” Adams said.
The NYPD <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyc-mayors-nearly-500-million-gun-violence-plan-doesnt-include-more-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has seen</a> a wave of officers resigning and retiring in recent years.
The city currently has 33,582 uniformed officers, down from about 36,000 officers before the pandemic, NYPD data <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/16/nypd-needs-more-cops-mayor-adams/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a>.
So far this year, New York&#8217;s police force has seen 613 resignations and 1,042 retirements as of August. In January and February, 239 officers resigned, the biggest exodus since 2007, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/10/nypd-cops-resigning-from-force-in-2023-at-record-pace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NYPD pension data.
In March, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/10/nypd-cops-resigning-from-force-in-2023-at-record-pace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the “NYPD staffing emergency is approaching the point of no return.”
However, the hemorrhaging of officers appears to have slowed from last year, when the NYPD saw a record of more than 3,700 officers leave.
Also this year, the NYPD lowered its fitness standards to bring more women onto the force, a decision the mayor <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/01/nypd-kills-timed-run-requirement-for-new-nyc-cops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> had to approve.
“We must start recruiting young people to get back into the profession of law enforcement,” Adams, a former police officer, said on Monday.
Violent crime spiked in New York City during the pandemic. The numbers have started decreasing, but some crimes are still rising this year.
Shootings are down to 795 this year, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-city.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to police data, but that number is still <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/news/p0106a/overall-crime-new-york-city-reaches-record-low-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher</a> than the city&#8217;s 777 in all of 2019.
Murders are down to 312 so far this year, just below New York&#8217;s 319 <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/news/p0106a/overall-crime-new-york-city-reaches-record-low-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in all</a> of 2019.
Felony and misdemeanor assaults have both risen to a combined nearly 57,000 assaults so far this year. Car thefts have also risen to 12,600 thefts.
In July, Adams downplayed New Yorkers’ concerns about crime, saying all the media coverage “plays on your psyche.”
“They start their day picking up the news, the morning papers… and they see some of the most horrific events that may happen throughout the previous day,” Adams <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/12/nyc-mayor-eric-adams-blames-medias-crime-coverage-following-new-poll-that-residents-remain-concerned-about-personal-safety/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox 5.
However, even Alvin Bragg, the city’s progressive district attorney who has been accused of being soft on crime, said he worries about crime on the subway.
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“I know the statistics that transit crime is down, but when one of my family members gets on the train, I, too, get a knot in my stomach,” Bragg <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/city-under-siege-crime-perception-vs-reality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in July.
Adams added on MSNBC on Monday that he believes the problem extends beyond New York City and that “we have a law enforcement crisis across the country.”
In fact, other cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, and Nashville, have also struggled with a police shortage in recent years.
Many in law enforcement say departments are suffering from flagging morale thanks to a wave of anti-police sentiment that peaked with the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. In some cases, city councils slashed police budgets, leaving some police chiefs feeling abandoned as they are stretched thin trying to keep residents safe.
Resignations among cops were up 47% last year over 2019, and retirements were up 19% <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-experiencing-police-hiring-crisis-rcna103600" target="_blank" rel="noopener">among</a> 200 police forces surveyed by the Police Executive Research Forum.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-GUNS

NYC Mayor Says City Needs More Cops With Force Down More Than 2,000 Officers

Eric Adams

New York

New York City

NYPD

A former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/portland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Portland</a> city commissioner who pushed to defund the police <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2023/09/21/jo-ann-hardesty-portlant-politics-oregon-lawsuit-hit-and-run-police-racism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will get</a> a $680,000 payout from the police over claims that cops leaked information falsely implicating her in a hit-and-run.
Jo Ann Hardesty was briefly falsely <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/16/portland-police-association-president-resigns-amid-leak-investigation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">implicated</a> in a March 3, 2021, hit-and-run after a 911 caller mistakenly identified her as the driver of the vehicle that hit her.
Two Portland Police Bureau police officers allegedly <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/16/portland-police-association-president-resigns-amid-leak-investigation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leaked</a> the false implication of Hardesty to media outlets and others, but she was quickly cleared in the minor collision.
Hardesty, the first black woman to serve as a Portland city commissioner, then sued the city and the police in late 2021, claiming the alleged police leaks were racially and politically motivated.
Her lawsuit, which sought $5 million, was set to go to trial this month before the parties reached the massive $680,000 settlement. The payout <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2023/09/21/jo-ann-hardesty-portlant-politics-oregon-lawsuit-hit-and-run-police-racism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will come</a> from Portland&#8217;s police union and the two officers allegedly involved in the leak.
Hardesty said she hopes the settlement will prevent something like this from happening again.
“This settlement holds the Portland Police Association and the individuals accountable for their wrongful conduct and the unnecessary harm they caused,” Hardesty <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2023/09/21/jo-ann-hardesty-portlant-politics-oregon-lawsuit-hit-and-run-police-racism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Oregon Public Broadcasting.
“While this settlement does not make me whole, I’m hopeful that shining a light on this unfortunate situation will prevent others from having this burden brought upon them,” she said.
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The city previously <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/08/jo-ann-hardesty-settles-leak-lawsuit-against-portland-for-5000-and-written-apology.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">settled</a> its part of Hardesty&#8217;s lawsuit in August for $5,000 and a written apology from Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler.
At the time, the police leak also prompted Wheeler to launch an investigation into the leak&#8217;s origin.
Less than two weeks after the hit-and-run incident, the president of the Portland Police Association, Brian Hunzeker, resigned, the union <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/03/portland-police-union-president-resigns-over-serious-mistake-related-to-hit-run-report-that-named-commissioner-jo-ann-hardesty-in-error.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">citing</a> his &#8220;serious, isolated mistake related to the Police Bureau’s investigation into the alleged hit-and-run by Commissioner Hardesty.&#8221;
Hardesty&#8217;s lawsuit had accused Hunzeker and another officer of being involved in the leak.
In 2020, Hardesty was on the front lines of the push to defund Portland&#8217;s police department during the riots following the murder of George Floyd. In Portland, the daily, often violent protests drew hundreds and stretched into October.
During the summer of 2020, Hardesty <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2020/10/20/portland-police-budget-jo-ann-hardesty-chloe-eudlay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spearheaded</a> $15 million in cuts to the police budget. That fall, she pushed for the police department to lose million of dollars more.
Since then, Portland beefed up its police budget again after homicides ticked up and amid a police staffing shortage.
“I think people acknowledge that we’re at an inflection point in our city,” the mayor <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2023/05/17/portland-oregon-city-council-passes-7-billion-dollar-budget-city-fees-debate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> earlier this year as the city considered a budget with funding for dozens more cops. “Studies show people are choosing not to stay here. I see this as a critical moment in the city’s history that we should respond to.”
In July, 2020, Hardesty apologized for claiming that police &#8220;saboteurs&#8221; were infiltrating the protests and even starting fires.
Hardesty had said in an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=278967990045742&amp;ref=external" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online briefing</a> that, “I want people to know that I do not believe there’s any protesters in Portland that are setting fires, that are creating crisis. I absolutely believe it’s police action, and they’re sending saboteurs and provocateurs into peaceful crowds so they justify their inhumane treatment of people who are standing up for their rights.”
Hardesty, a firm progressive, ultimately <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2022/11/rene-gonzalez-with-law-and-order-focus-ousts-portland-commissioner-jo-ann-hardesty-in-contentious-city-council-race.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost her</a> reelection bid to another Democrat who ran as a law and order centrist.

Unrest In Portland Continues

Portland Police Will Pay Nearly $700,000 To Former Official Who Pushed To Defund Them

Courts

Oregon

San Francisco, which announced support for defunding the police after the death of George Floyd, is now trying to recruit cops — from Texas.
In July 2020, Mayor London Breed announced that $120 million would be cut from the police and sheriff&#8217;s departments. “Reforming our criminal justice system must go hand-in-hand with policy changes and budget investments to make our city more equitable,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/San-Francisco-plans-to-redirect-120-million-from-15447811.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;By redirecting funding from law enforcement agencies back into the African American community, we are putting our words into action, and we are doing it by listening to a community that for too long has been unheard and underserved.”
A subsequent soaring in <a href="https://abc7news.com/sfpd-budget-defund-the-police-department-funding/12321818/#:~:text=The%20initial%20calls%20from%20city,in%20fiscal%20year%202018%2D2019." target="_blank" rel="noopener">property crime</a> rate forced Breed to reverse course and the police budget was actually increased.
This month the city’s police department is visiting four Texas university campuses: Texas Southern University, Sam Houston State University, Prairie View A&amp;M University, and Texas A&amp;M University. The purpose is to recruit prospective cops. This will reportedly be the first time prospective candidates are tested out of California, according to the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/18/san-francisco-police-hunt-for-recruits-at-texas-colleges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Francisco Standard</a>.
Because of staffing shortages, overtime has increased dramatically; overtime hours <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/03/09/sfpd-pay-millions-more-for-officers-to-work-fewer-hours-why/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soared</a> 54% between 2021 and 2022. According to Supervisor Matt Dorsey, a former police communications staffer, the police departments full-duty police officers have been reduced by 335 from 2017. The city had 1,537 officers as of January; a police staffing analysis estimated the city needed more than 2,100 officers to work properly.
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This week, the San Francisco Deputy Sheriff’s Association <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco/san-francisco-deputy-sheriffs-association-budget-cuts/3322118/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Breed of stealthily  defunding the department, saying it discovered at a labor management meeting that San Francisco had initiated cuts to the sheriff’s budget. The association claimed that when it queried the city as to why, the city said it was broke.
“We want to be part of the solution, but time and time again, the mayor seems to block the sheriff from doing that. And this is another example. She’s cut the funding for those items and it almost seems like silent defunding, you know? For us and we’re trying to help,” Ken Lomba, president of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriff’s Association, stated.

After Silicon Valley Bank’s Failure, Regional Banks Face Greater Scrutiny

San Francisco Has Severe Cop Shortage After Defunding Push. Now It’s Recruiting — In Texas.

San Francisco

The Minneapolis Police Department has been hemorrhaging officers ever since George Floyd&#8217;s death in Minneapolis police custody, and the force&#8217;s staffing crisis recently hit a new low.
With just 585 sworn officers, the city&#8217;s police force last month dipped to its lowest staffing level in at least four decades, the Star Tribune <a href="https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-police-staffing-levels-reach-historic-lows-amid-struggle-for-recruitment-retention/600305214/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The city now has one of the lowest ratios of police officers to city residents out of 22 cities the outlet analyzed, with 1.4 officers for every 1,000 residents.
Only Portland had a lower ratio with 1.3 officers for every 1,000 residents, the Star Tribune reported. The national average is 2.4 officers per 1,000 residents.
The result in Minneapolis has been longer police response times and officers who are stretched thin. Sometimes no one is available to man the desks at police stations, the outlet reported, meaning residents who come to file a police report find a locked door and a handmade sign telling them to dial 911 in an emergency.
&#8220;This is absolutely not sustainable,&#8221; Police Chief Brian O&#8217;Hara <a href="https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-police-staffing-levels-reach-historic-lows-amid-struggle-for-recruitment-retention/600305214/?refresh=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Thank God for all these other agencies that are filling this gap.&#8221;
The Minneapolis police force was thrown into chaos in 2020 after George Floyd&#8217;s police killing when the video of Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd&#8217;s neck went viral.
Minneapolis along with many other U.S. cities saw months of protests and riots in response to Floyd&#8217;s killing, often involving destruction of property and clashes with police.
Chauvin was ultimately convicted on murder charges in 2021 and sentenced to decades in prison.
Since the upheaval of 2020, the Minneapolis police force has lost officers faster than it can hire new ones, but it is not the only city with a police staffing crisis. The U.S. is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-police-hiring-crisis-is-gripping-u-s-cities-and-towns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">facing a police officer shortage</a> that spans from large cities to small towns across the country.
Many in law enforcement say departments are suffering from flagging morale thanks to a wave of anti-police sentiment that peaked with Floyd&#8217;s police killing. In some cases, city councils slashed police budgets, leaving some police chiefs feeling abandoned as they are stretched thin trying to keep residents safe.
Resignations among cops were up 47% last year over 2019, and retirements were up 19% <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-experiencing-police-hiring-crisis-rcna103600" target="_blank" rel="noopener">among</a> 200 police forces surveyed by the Police Executive Research Forum.
In New York City, the NYPD <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyc-mayors-nearly-500-million-gun-violence-plan-doesnt-include-more-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has seen</a> an alarming wave of officers resigning.
In January and February, 239 officers resigned, the biggest exodus since 2007, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/10/nypd-cops-resigning-from-force-in-2023-at-record-pace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NYPD pension data. Also this year, the NYPD lowered its fitness standards in order to bring more women onto the force, a decision the mayor reportedly had to approve.
“The NYPD staffing emergency is approaching the point of no return,” <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/10/nypd-cops-resigning-from-force-in-2023-at-record-pace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch in March.
In Los Angeles, the LAPD is <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lapd-shrinks-9000-officers-fewest-cops-generation-rcna98672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than</a> 300 officers short and down to fewer than 9,000 officers, the fewest since the 1990s.
San Francisco is about 600 officers short, but the city <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/new-san-francisco-police-hires-reach-three-year-18263146.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been</a> able to attract more recruits lately.
Austin, which is also battling a crime spike, is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/union-says-austin-police-dept-battling-crime-spike-hundreds-of-officers-short-after-defund-the-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than</a> 500 officers short, resulting in 911 callers being put on hold, according to a union representing the cops.
Nashville’s police department is short 170 officers.

Minneapolis City Council Announces Support For Dismantling Police Department After Death Of George Floyd

Minneapolis Police Staffing Falls To Lowest Level In Four Decades After George Floyd’s Death

Minneapolis Police Staffing Falls To Lowest Level In Four Decades After George Floyd's Death

George Floyd

Minneapolis

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