California Criminal Defense Lawyers

After community leader Jesus “Chuy” Campos was shot and killed outside of this Fruitville area restaurant, the city has been under pressure to do something about rising crime in that area. Their solution? Installing numerous cameras on neighborhood businesses, cameras that will continuously monitor the comings and goings of Oakland citizens. [Read More...]

While we’re all aware of GPS monitoring being used on sex offenders, a newer program that monitors gang members is getting cut in half early-on in its life. Currently the state monitors about 950 gang members, according to the Sacramento Bee. But come July 1, that number must be cut to 400. [Read More...]

Last week OPD announced it would finally be equipping local police with the lapel cameras we reported they purchased late last summer. A total of 350 cameras will go into service in West and North Oakland, allowing police to record every interaction. [Read More...]

The California Supreme Court ruled that police officers are able to search through text messages on your phone without a warrant after you are arrested. The logic follows from the ability of the police to search anything on your person after you are under arrest, and they decided that searching through your phone follows from that right, similar to searching through a  notebook or written receipts you may have in your pockets. [Read More...]

As another police department in Orange County acquires new license plate tracking cameras an software systems, the massive privacy and monitoring capabilities of the surveillance state continue to grow without any serious consideration about the rights of citizens to be anonymous and left alone in a free society. [Read More...]

Even affluent and crime free cities like Malibu, California are getting aggressive with police surveillance and monitoring. There is a motion before the Malibu city council to order automatic licence plate scanning systems for mobile police vehicles and fixed locations in the city.

These systems capture license plates and instantly identify any drivers or vehicles who may be wanted by the police. [Read More...]

The San Francisco Chronicle reported this week that cops and citizens alike are showing support for the video cameras being used by police officers. Oakland police are just one of the agencies now testing cameras to see how they are received and the benefits they may have. [Read More...]

People classified as a “sexually violent predator” know they are  being watched constantly. These people have been released from prison and are sent back into society to live, though monitored strictly and forced to adhere to very stringent requirements. One man is back in custody after violating his release terms. [Read More...]

On the heels of the Jaycee Dugard case, California parole officers will be cracking down on sex offenders at all levels in an effort to put society’s collective mind at ease. Monitoring via ankle bands and increased contacts will be part of the newly implemented policies. [Read More...]

The California Supreme Court heard a case last week that may have granted some exceptions to the sex offender residential restrictions put in place with Proposition 83, or “Jessica’s Law”. However, they sided with the restrictions, maintaining that anyone released from prison after the enactment of the law are still subject to them. [Read More...]