Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Police drama, on and offscreen
The LA County Sheriff’s Department is getting a civilian oversight committee for the first time. The department has been plagued by scandal. Sheriffs have been convicted of assault and misconduct inside county jails, and former undersheriff Paul Tanaka was convicted of obstructing an FBI investigation into that abuse.
By Madeleine Brand • • 52m ListenThe LA County Sheriff’s Department is getting a civilian oversight committee for the first time. The department has been plagued by scandal. Sheriffs have been convicted of assault and misconduct inside county jails, and former undersheriff, Paul Tanaka, was convicted of obstructing an FBI investigation into that abuse.
The relationship between Hollywood and the police is closer than you might think. The Washington Post has a new five-part series on 100 years of police in pop culture.
Darrell Issa, the powerful eight-term Republican Congressman from Orange and San Diego counties is facing the re-election fight of his career, brought by a Democratic political neophyte.
Musician Leonard Cohen turned 82 years old in September. Over the last two decades, his voice has increasingly lost its range, turning into a deep, impressive baritone whisper.
Voters are considering two opposing propositions on plastic bags at grocery stores. Prop 67 would uphold California’s statewide plastic bag ban. Prop 65 would redirect the 10 cent bag fee away from the stores and into an environmental fund.
Image: Photo of Jack Webb and Harry Morgan from the television program Dragnet.
In this episode
5 storiesWill a new civilian oversight committee prevent police scandals?
The LA County Sheriff’s Department is getting a civilian oversight committee for the first time. The department has been plagued by scandal; sheriffs have been convicted of assault and misconduct inside county jails, and former undersheriff Paul Tanaka was convicted of obstructing an FBI investigation into that abuse.
Read the story12 minHow Hollywood has shaped our attitudes toward police
From the Andy Griffith Show to the Wire, Hollywood has had an enduring fascination with police. And vice-versa. The relationship between creatives and cops has been closer than one might think. The Washington Post has a new five-part series on 100 years of police in pop culture.
Read the story10 minWill the richest Congressman be jobless after election day?
For the first time in decades, Orange County might vote for a Democratic presidential candidate. That’s a big problem for Darrell Issa, a powerful eight-term Republican congressman from Orange and San Diego counties. He’s a reliable conservative who’s lead the charge on Benghazi, birtherism and other anti-Obama investigation.
Read the story6 minA conversation with singer Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen turned 82 years old in September. Over the course of the last two decades, his voice has increasingly lost its range, turning into a deep, impressive baritone whisper.
Read the story13 minSorting out California's plastic bag propositions
Two years ago, California became first in the nation to place a statewide ban on free plastic bags at grocery stores. But that law is on hold as voters consider two competing propositions. Prop 67 would uphold the statewide plastic bag ban. Prop 65 would redirect the 10 cent bag fee away from the stores and into an environmental fund.
Read the story7 min
