Behind the Badge
Vargas: Cops keep the peace at yet another Orange County protest
So, it’s Tuesday night, Oct. 31 and I make the decision to forego handing out Halloween candy and watching the World…
Browsing: Columns
Vargas: A woman beaten unconscious, witnesses take selfies with her motionless body
In a scene that has stirred outrage and concern across the country, an unidentified woman is kicked and punched by…
Vargas: A look at who killed California State Correctional Officer Elizabeth Begaren in 1998
I received the late-night phone call on Saturday, January 17, 1998. A woman had been shot and killed along the…
Vargas: I’m still a fan of body-worn cameras despite results of new study
The largest study to date on the impact of body-worn cameras on police use of force and complaints was just…
Vargas: Conspiracy fantasies have abounded in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre
It’s been over two weeks since the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas that claimed the lives of 58 people and…
Vargas: America woke up today to its deadliest mass shooting
Today, Oct. 2, the world woke up to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. As I write this,…
Vargas: Dueling protests are dangerous and challenging to police
Thousands of demonstrators from two groups with very different political views gathered in Laguna Beach Sunday to protest. For a…
NYPD Sergeant’s Benevolent Association has coined the term ‘Blue Racism,’ now heat is on
This week, the New York Police Department’s Sergeant Benevolent Association released a video titled “Blue Racism.” The video has received…
When it comes to demonstrations, police agencies only can do so much
The demonstrations in Charlottesville were tragic and heartbreaking. White nationalists, neo-Nazis and a variety of other groups chose to gather…
Vargas: Rubber chicken test no laughing matter for recruits
I entered the grounds of the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy in 1980. I was member of Class #50. It was…