California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2019_Spring Magazine- FINAL | Page 10

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
MORE THAN JUST
PUBLIC SAFETY
By Corey Sianez, Buena Park Chief of Police
Use-of-Force, cannabis enforcement, and SB 1421.
We’re all very familiar with these topics and what
Cal Chiefs’ position is on each of them, but is public
safety the only thing we concern ourselves with? If
you answered yes, you’re correct. If you answered no,
you’re also correct. Our number one priority is public
safety; however, we can achieve this through other
means outside the scope of criminal justice. For the
past couple of years, we’ve supported numerous
efforts to address California’s housing and homeless
crisis, early start education programs, mental health
reform, and others. These issue areas may seem
to be out of our preview as law enforcement, but
we believe there is a nexus between homelessness
and education, and public safety.
It’s no doubt that law enforcement has taken on more
responsibilities over years that would not otherwise fall
under our jurisdiction. We’re not only asked to be peace
officers, but also social workers, mental health experts, and
educators to name a few. The law enforcement profession
has evolved, and so has our perspective. We’re no longer
just dealing with gangs, distribution of hard drugs, or
human traffickers. Instead, we find ourselves addressing
homelessness and troubled kids in high school and college.
These issue areas involve law enforcement in one way, or
the other. Regardless of what the situation might be, we’re
always the first to respond.
Being proactive, rather than reactive, can make the
difference between someone having a positive or negative
interaction with law enforcement. Some of these proactive
measures we’re supporting this year include measures
like AB 344 (Calderon) which would establish the New
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Beginnings California program. This
program would provide grant funding to
cities to implement employment programs
for homeless. We’re proud to support SB
40 (Weiner) and AB 1572 (Eggman) which
would establish temporary conservatorships
and redefine the definition for “gravely
disabled” so that more individuals can
receive the treatment they need. Cal Chiefs’
is also supportive of bills that focus on
preventing individuals from returning to the
criminal justice system after they’ve served
their time. This year we’re supporting SB
716 (Mitchell) which would require county
probation departments and the Division of Juvenile
Facilities to collaborate with California’s Community
Colleges, State Universities and UCs to provide access to
postsecondary academic and career technical education
programs. These measures give us an opportunity to be
involved and engaged with our communities in a more
positive and productive way.
Public safety will always be our number one priority.
We’ll continue to push back against proposals that put our
officers and communities at risk; however, we’ll also be
supportive of efforts to encourage our citizens to refrain
from a life of hardship. As our profession continues to
evolve, we need to begin to look at things from a holistic
view. Our mission is to serve and protect, but maybe we
can accomplish this in other ways outside of the norm. ■