Jim René is a retired reserve Detective with the San Fernando Police Department. Jim’s law enforcement career began in 1999 when he graduated from the LAPD Reserve Academy and was assigned to North Hollywood Division. Shortly thereafter, he joined the San Fernando Police Department and for a period of time was a “2-badger” for both LAPD and San Fernando PD, where he worked primarily in a patrol capacity. In 2003, Jim relocated to Texas for work but he continued his reserve service, traveling monthly from Texas to California to work his shifts as he does to this day. Working for 2 departments proved to be too much, so Jim left San Fernando PD in 2005 and focused solely on his LAPD service. During his time with LAPD, Jim was honored as a 3-time divisional reserve officer of the year. In 2014, Jim decided to return to San Fernando PD so after 15 years with LAPD, Jim later returned to San Fernando PD and was appointed Reserve Sergeant, Administration and Special Counsel until his assignment to Detective Division in 2024. In addition to his duties as a detective, Jim was responsible for the department’s Lexipol policy manual and advised command staff on policy matters for the department.

In 2012, Jim was appointed as the CRPOA General Counsel where he oversaw the CRPOA legal plan and counseled CRPOA members on all aspects of California reserve peace officer legal matters. He was the author of numerous articles on many legal topics of concern to California reserve peace officers, including firearms law, Constitutional law, use of force, employment matters, qualified immunity and similar legal issues. In 2013, Jim authored a lengthy article on the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) and is a subject matter expert on this federal law. He has represented reserve peace officers in their dealings with California law enforcement agencies on CCW’s, LEOSA, patrol rifles, and retirement credentials, among others. Due to pressing work-related matters, Jim retired from his position as General Counsel for the CRPOA in 2019 but has since that time remained an active and supportive member of the CRPOA.