NOTE: Faculty, if you are interviewed and quoted by news media, or if your work has been cited, and you have an online link to the article or video, please let us know. Contact us at news@csusb.edu.
Police lawsuits have cost L.A. nearly half a billion dollars since 2019, new data show
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 9, 2026
Zachary Powell, CSUSB associate professor of criminal justice, was interviewed for an article about the cost of lawsuits – nearly $480 million in the past five years – against the Los Angeles Police Department. The article reported on how the city attorney’s office decides on what cases to settle and what cases go to trial. It also noted that the city has seen a 20 percent increase in lawsuits in the last four years.
Powell said that although data suggest that use of force by police has decreased since 2020, the public has become “much more aware of police abuses and conduct than they ever were before.”
“I think people also ask a lot more questions in a jury setting,” he said.
Retired CSUSB professor: President’s comments about LA, San Diego as targets for Iran ‘not helpful’
NBC Los Angeles
Oct. 6, 2026
Brian Levin, founder of CSUSB’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism retired criminal justice professor, viewed Donald Trump’s comments on letting Iran “take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego” from a national security standpoint.
Extremism analysts “are very concerned about the timing,” he said. “We’re seeing unrest internationally. We’re also seeing loner plots internationally during a time of heightened tension … This is not helpful to give even untethered extremists and unstable people a template for where and how to attack.”
These news clips and others may be viewed at “In the Headlines.”