LEGISLATIVE
Legislative Update : Pandemic and Politics
By : Jonathan Feldman Legislative Advocate – California Police Chiefs Association
The global pandemic changed the way
we all live and work . In isolation , that alone would have been enough to forever shift the day-to-day operations of frontline emergency service providers . Add to that the resurgence of a sustained movement against racial inequalities and police use of force , and 2020 marks one of the most significant watershed moments in the political history of law enforcement . As policy makers and agencies were adapting to respond to the rapid changes and new challenges , the California Legislature introduced a number of measures , both in response to the pandemic and call for police reform , that would have been devastating to law enforcement . In order to defend against these measures under the unprecedented circumstances , Cal Chiefs relied on new tools and tactics that have forever altered how to advocate for public safety .
At the start of the pandemic in March , the California Legislature closed their doors to the public as a statewide quarantine was issued . This was a dramatic shift for the Legislature , which normally heavily relies on public hearings , testimony , meetings , rallies , press conferences and coalition gatherings to conduct business . Advocates and lobbyists who typically walk the halls of the Capital in Sacramento to press issues on behalf of various special interests were now prohibited from those typical activities . After the events of Minneapolis generated resilient and sporadically violent protests , which led to more the two dozen bills being introduced on police reform , it became imperative that Cal Chiefs found new avenues to effectively lobby against major and complex issues . Developing new tools and tactics towards this endeavor became critically important .
Communication shifted as a result of the initial quarantine period , which aided in normalizing new methods for sharing and disseminating information . Online video conference calls became daily occurrences , and technology platforms expanded to meet growing needs . Cal Chiefs started hosting weekly “ All-Chiefs ” calls originally geared to sharing information about the coordinated statewide response to COVID-19 . More than 200 chiefs averaged on each call , realizing the potential to quickly update large groups of chiefs all at once without the limitations of static emails and written memos .
10 CALIFORNIA POLICE CHIEF | www . californiapolicechiefs . org