Latest news with #sheriffs
Yahoo
3 days ago
- 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.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NC legislators trying again to set age restrictions for buying edibles containing hemp THC
Rep. Timothy Reeder (R-Pitt) talks about a bill regulating the sale and purchase of edibles containing cannabinoids from hemp. (Photo: Screenshot from NCGA video feed) North Carolina lawmakers have proposed at least nine bills this year that seek more regulation on the sale and purchase of gummies, drinks, and vaping products containing compounds from hemp. Most of the bills seek to make it illegal for youth to buy snacks, drinks, and vape products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids or to keep them off school property. Legislators and sheriffs talked about one of the bills, House Bill 680, The Protect Children from Cannabis Act, at a Wednesday news conference. The bill would make it illegal for shops to sell consumables containing hemp compounds without a permit, and would make it illegal for people under 21 to buy them. The Alcohol Beverage Control Commission and the ALE would have investigative and enforcement powers. 'Currently, there's no age restriction on purchasing these intoxicating cannabinoids, and children do use these and buy these every day,' said Rep. Timothy Reeder (R-Pitt), one of the bill's primary sponsors. Onslow County Sheriff Chris Thomas said vape shops have opened near schools in his county to take advantage of the young customer base. It appears sellers are focusing on young customers, he said, 'because the young clientele is a customer for a long time.' An effort to regulate snacks containing hemp cannabinoids and banning the products from schools faltered last year when the state Senate attached medical marijuana legalization to a House bill. The House and Senate have been at an impasse over medical marijuana for several years. Reeder said he anticipates parties interested in regulating edibles will work together to pass a bill this session. 'I hope we can do something versus nothing,' he said. The Child Fatality Task Force noted in its annual report that the rate of emergency department visits in North Carolina related to cannabis increased 600% for children and teens younger than 17 and by more than 1000% among older teens since 2019. A 2018 federal law legalized hemp. The task force recommended banning sales of cannabis or hemp products to people younger than 21, child-resistant packaging, and package warnings.
Miami Herald
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
A look at Florida cities that have agreed to help find, arrest undocumented immigrants
More than two dozen cities across Florida, including Coral Gables in Miami-Dade County, Davie in Broward and Key West in Monroe, have agreed to collaborate with federal immigration authorities seeking to identify and deport undocumented immigrants. All 67 sheriff's offices across Florida recently announced that they had agreed to participate and deputize officers. State law requires law enforcement agencies that run county jails to enroll in the federal 287(g) program. Local police departments can choose to participate in any or all of three models of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement initiative. Read more: Florida's police and sheriffs on the vanguard of Trump's immigration-enforcement plans The three models, according to the ICE website, are: ▪ The Jail Enforcement Model, designed to identify and process removable immigrants — with criminal or pending criminal charges — who are arrested by state or local law enforcement agencies. ▪ The Task Force Model, which ICE says serves as a 'force multiplier' for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority — including stopping, questioning and detaining undocumented immigrants — in the communities they police. ▪ The Warrant Service Officer program, which allows ICE to train, certify and authorize state and local law enforcement officers to serve and execute administrative warrants on immigrants in their agencies' jails. So far, all cities in Florida that are participating have chosen to take part in the Task Force model. Read more: What will new immigration enforcement program look like? Miami-Dade Sheriff sheds light Hialeah's City Council will vote on Tuesday on whether to take part. Here's a list of the Florida cities whose police departments are participating in the program, according to ICE: ▪ Arcadia ▪ Belleair ▪ Blountstown ▪ Chattahoochee ▪ Clearwater ▪ Clermont ▪ Coral Gables ▪ Davie ▪ Deland ▪ Fort Walton Beach ▪ Gulfport ▪ Indian River Shores ▪ Indian Shores ▪Juno Beach ▪Kenneth City ▪Key West ▪Lake Placid ▪Marianna ▪Naples ▪Palm Beach Gardens ▪Panama City Beach ▪Panama City ▪Pinellas Park ▪Springfield ▪St. Augustine Beach ▪St. Augustine ▪St. Petersburg ▪Tampa ▪Tarpon Springs ▪Tequesta ▪Town of Palm Beach ▪Treasure Island
