.........
Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
LA Police Protective League

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Los Angeles
Police Protective League

the union that represents the
rank and file LAPD officers

 

Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch

Daily News Digest

from LA Police Protective League

April 12, 2011

Law Enforcement

LAPD officers who complained about ticket quotas are awarded $2 million
A jury awarded a pair of Los Angeles police officers $2 million Monday after determining that LAPD supervisors had retaliated against the officers for complaining about alleged traffic ticket quotas. Howard Chan and David Benioff, both veteran motorcycle officers with the department's West Traffic Division, sued the department in 2009, alleging that they had been punished with bogus performance reviews, threats of reassignment and other forms of harassment after objecting to demands from commanding officers that they write a certain number of tickets each day, according to the suit.
Los Angeles Times


SWAT officers search for gunman in North Hollywood shooting
Police were looking Monday for a gunman suspected of shooting another man at a North Hollywood apartment, where SWAT teams gathered in response to the incident. Police received reports about 10 p.m. Sunday of a shooting between two men in the 12000 block of Oxnard Street. Witnesses told police the shooter had run into the nearby apartment house, said Los Angeles police spokeswoman Norma Eisenman.
Los Angeles Times


LA motorcycle cop struck in NoHo hit-and-run
The search is on for the driver who hit a Los Angeles police officer and took off Sunday night. It happened in North Hollywood near Victory Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue. The officer was on his motorcycle when the hit-and-run occurred. The suspect continued driving northbound on Coldwater Canyon Avenue. The officer that was hit complained of wrist and back pain so he was taken to a hospital. He has since been released.
ABC7


Councilman Dennis Zine raises concerns over red light cameras
Councilman Dennis Zine expressed concern today about the viability of the city's red light traffic camera program. The Public Safety Committee grilled LAPD and Department of Transportation representatives today before ultimately voting in favor of a three-month contract extension with the company that currently runs the city's red-light traffic cameras. "The status quo is not acceptable," Zine said at the hearing.
Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles police union challenges vehicle impound policy
The labor union that represents Los Angeles police officers is trying to block the department's new, more lenient policy for unlicensed drivers stopped at DUI checkpoints. Chief Charlie Beck said the old policy was unfair to illegal immigrants. In a statement on its blog, the Los Angeles Police Protective League said that state law requires officers to impound the car of every unlicensed driver officers stop at DUI checkpoints - and that failing to do so threatens public safety.
Southern California Public Radio

Why are more police officers getting killed?
The police killings began Jan. 1 with the fatal shooting of a deputy in Ohio. And the violence has continued, reports CBS News justice correspondent Bob Orr. So far this year, 26 officers have been gunned down - 44 percent more than the 18 shot and killed at this point in 2010, according to National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund fatality statistics. Many of the fallen have been ambushed by violent career criminals with easy access to high-powered weapons.
CBS News


Immigration

Immigration: Federal appeals court blocks Arizona's law. Is the Supreme Court next?
A controversial Arizona law that sought to provide local authorities with vast new powers to control illegal immigration won't kick in anytime soon. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that key provisions of Arizona's law, known as SB 1070, would likely be found unconstitutional. The Obama administration sued the state last year arguing that only the federal government can create immigration laws.
Los Angeles Times


Prisons

On prisons, Brown ditches frugality message
For months, Gov. Jerry Brown has been telling Californians deep budget cuts are necessary to eliminate the state's $25.4 billion deficit. Spending for health care, the environment and education has already been cut. And more cuts are on the way. But the governor momentarily shelved his doom-and-gloom message Monday when he addressed a rally at the capitol organized by the state's powerful prison guards' union, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and Crime Victims United, a victims' rights group.
Bay Citizen


Collective Bargaining

Two state unions ratify pacts
Bargaining units covering state engineers and a broad swath of law enforcement officers have ratified their Memoranda of Understanding negotiated with Gov. Jerry Brown. Members of Professional Engineers in California Government, Bargaining Unit 9, approved the contract with 93 percent casting "yes" ballots and 7 percent voting "no." The union represents about 13,000 employees. It didn't announce the ballot count.
Sacramento Bee


Passing

L.A. political strategist Kam Kuwata dies at 57
Longtime Democratic political strategist Kam Kuwata was found dead Monday in his Venice home, officials said. He was 57. The longtime adviser to such political heavyweights as California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, South Bay Rep. Jane Harman and former Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn was found in his condominium after friends alerted police that they had not heard from him for several days. County coroner's investigator Joyce Kato says no cause of death was listed. However, authorities did not label the death suspicious.
Torrance Daily Breeze

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the LAPPL Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at:

www.LAPD.com


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~