The City of Whittier is mourning the loss of one of its police officers this week after a senseless murder that has also reignited a heated discussion over criminal justice reform measures.
Officer Keith Boyer, 53, was shot and killed Monday after responding to a traffic incident at the intersection of Colima Road and Mar Vista Street in Whittier. Another officer, Patrick Hazell, was shot on scene but is expected to survive.
Boyer was a 27-year veteran of the Whittier Police Department and a father of two.
“He was the best of the best,” said Police Chief Jeff Piper, breaking down in tears as he described his beloved colleague and friend. Mayor Joe Vinatieri called it a "tremedously sad day for the people of Whittier and the Whittier Police Department."
On Tuesday, authorities identified the shooter as 26-year-old Michael Mejia, a repeat criminal gang member who was on parole at the time of the shooting. Almost immediately, an intense debate over the impact of criminal justice reform measures such as AB 109, Proposition 47 and Proposition 57 began.
“We need to wake up. Enough is enough. You’re passing these propositions, you’re creating these laws,” Chief Piper said. “It’s not good for our community, it’s not good for our officers.”
Mejia was on probation when he shot his cousin and, later, Officer Boyer. The state’s prison realignment program, AB 109, in particular has been blamed.
The state’s Department of Corrections has since said Mejia was not released early under realignment, but he was being supervised by county probation officials rather than state prison personnel per AB 109. Authorities say he also benefited from so-called “flash incarceration,” whereby AB 109 probation violators are sent back to the local jail for an average of 10 days rather than being returned to prison.
L.A. County Supervisors have called for an investigation into the incident to see if there was any failure of state or local protocol and whether recent reform measures may have contributed to the crime. The Los Angeles Police Protective League is also asking U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for an immediate review of AB 109 and Proposition 47.