The organization, established in 1921, has a membership more than 25,000 officers and professional staff across municipal, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies in California.
[1] As of 2023–2024, CPOA is led by President Christie Calderwood, Chief of the Carlsbad Police Department.
[3] In 2017, CPOA opposed a campaign led by California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom to legalize marijuana in the state.
[6][7] In October 2019, Newsom signed a bill, AB 1215, which bans law enforcement from using facial recognition technology on body cameras.
[8] CPOA has opposed the bill, saying "threatens the future of effective policing and crime reduction".