Conversion Of Police Desk Jobs Urged; Hands Free Law May Not Make Roads Safer; Satellite Radio Merger Moves Forward; Female Professionals Hit The Glass Ceiling
Conversion Of Police Desk Jobs Urged
A new report released Monday by City Controller Laura Chick says hundreds of Los Angeles police officers should be shifted from desk jobs to patrolling the streets. The study, which comes as Mayor Villaraigosa and Police Chief Bratton continue pushing to hire 1000 more officers, says civilian workers could fill those 565 LAPD positions. Guest host Ted Chen talks with City Controller Laura Chick about the studies findings, and Eugene O'Donnell, Professor of Law and Police Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, about the impact of higher numbers of cops on crime.
Hands Free Law May Not Make Roads Safer
Researchers say California's new cell phone law, requiring drivers to use a hands free device on July 1, may not make the roads any safer. Why? Drivers are still distracted even if both hands are on the wheel. Guest host Ted Chen speaks with the author of the new law, State Senator Joe Simitian, about the research and how it pertains to the new law. Ted also talks with David Strayer, Professor of Psychology at the University of Utah, and takes listener calls to find what Southern California drivers are doing on the road.
Satellite Radio Merger Moves Forward
The Justice Department on Monday approved Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s proposed $5 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., saying the deal was unlikely to lessen competition or harm consumers. The transaction was approved without conditions, despite opposition from consumer groups and an intense lobbying campaign by the land-based radio industry. The merger still requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission, which prohibited the combination when it first granted satellite radio operating licenses in 1997. Guest host Ted Chen talks with Jeffrey Yorke, Washington Bureau Chief and Business Editor for Radio and Records.
Female Professionals Hit The Glass Ceiling
In the past few decades, the gender pay gap between male and female professionals and executives has slowly narrowed. But in recent years, that gap has slowed down, stopped, and in some cases reversed. Why is this happening? AirTalk guest host Ted Chen talks to Portfolio magazine's Harriet Rubin about the surprising news, and what it means. Ted also talks with Warren Farrell, author of "Why Men Earn More," and Philip N. Cohen, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.