Law Enforcement Agencies California

Until recently, identity theft was the kind of case some police detectives immediately shunted to that dusty file cabinet in the back of the squad room. The crimes--which involve crooks who assume other people's identity for the purpose of accessing credit cards and looting bank accounts--are among the hardest cases to crack.

State officials Thursday unveiled what they called the first high-tech database in the country to combat hate crimes. Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said the database will allow police departments statewide to use computers to call up names, mug shots and even the types of tattoos commonly used by particular individuals or groups linked to hate crimes.

Asserting that the state has no business scrutinizing local police, Gov. Gray Davis on Tuesday vetoed a controversial bill requiring the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement departments to collect racial and ethnic information on every motorist they stop.

California motorcyclists who defy the mandatory helmet law that takes effect at midnight tonight may be issued a ticket for a moving violation or get off with a warning--depending on which law enforcement agency gets to the violator first.

Labeling cocaine a hazardous material and an environmental toxin, state health authorities have ordered that it no longer be incinerated, leaving bundles seized from dealers and users to pile up in police warehouses and evidence lockers throughout Southern California.

Law enforcement agencies around California have earned more than $50 million in U.S. District Court proceedings under a 1984 federal law that allows them to keep up to 90% of the assets seized in drug cases.