OROVILLE – On October 13, 2021, State Parks Peace Officers Association of California (SPPOAC) President Matt Yarbrough and California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) Chief Counsel Kasey Clark traveled to Butte College to meet with 38 Parks Peace Officer Cadets who are approximately two weeks into their academy.

Over a pizza lunch hosted by SPPOAC, Yarbrough and Clark reviewed the main functions of CSLEA – collective bargaining, political action and legal representation – and stressed the importance of having legal defense coverage given the scrutiny that peace officers are now under.

Topics covered in the question and answer discussion included the agency’s obligation to defend officers sued for incidents arising from the course of employment and the new POST licensing procedures that are in development.

Yarbrough stressed the importance on focusing on doing whatever it takes to graduate and furnished the cadets his contact information for anyone who had problems along the way. “At some point you will be issued a State vehicle and assigned to work in some pretty awesome locations” said Yarbrough.  “Being a Parks peace officer is a great career so it is worth all the effort it takes to get through the academy process.”