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Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
LA Police Protective League

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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

May 11, 2011

Law Enforcement

LAPD, get a handle on officer lawsuits
With so many officer lawsuits going to trial instead of being settled, the Los Angeles Police Department should protect taxpayers by pursuing only those cases it can win. City Atty. Carmen Trutanich should insist on professionalism and excellence in defending these cases, and the City Council should inquire as to whether the city is adequately staffed in this area. The LAPD, meanwhile, has a responsibility to rid itself of supervisors who harass, discriminate or retaliate - violating the rights of police officers, opening up the department to lawsuits and ultimately wasting taxpayer money.
Los Angeles Times Editorial

Transient fatally shot by police was armed with a knife, authorities say
A transient who was fatally shot by an undercover police officer during a confrontation on a downtown street Tuesday afternoon was armed with a knife, Los Angeles police said. The shooting occurred about 12:20 p.m. near the intersection of 5th and Spring streets. It was initially reported that the man was shot during a robbery. But police now say detectives were walking in the neighborhood when they saw the 35-year-old suspect cutting up what appeared to be narcotics.
Los Angeles Times

Police search for two suspects in apparent gang-related shooting at Hollywood party

Police on Tuesday said numerous suspects have been arrested -- and two others are being sought -- in connection with the shooting death of a man gunned down in an apparent gang-related attack at a Hollywood party that left another person wounded. Lorenzo Smith, 22, of Los Angeles, was shot in the 1600 block of North La Brea Avenue at about 3:10 a.m. on April 17, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Smith died at the scene, police said. Another person who was wounded was treated at a hospital, and was expected to survive.
Los Angeles Daily News


Collective Bargaining

Closing ranks for public safety
When we preach public safety first, we mean just that. When someone dials 9-1-1, the caller is typically in urgent need of help from police, firefighters or paramedics, if not all three. Our city's residents expect and deserve a timely public safety response - especially when every minute counts. The League continually calls attention to the impacts of the city budget crisis on the LAPD. But we're also growing increasingly concerned about the effects of budget cuts on the Los Angeles Fire Department.
LAPPL Blog


Municipal Budget Crises

Budget committee suggests furlough days for LAPD officers, certain firefighters
A Los Angeles City Council committee voted Tuesday to recommend six furlough days for police officers and certain firefighters in January if labor talks are unproductive in the coming months. The proposal was the single biggest change made by the council's Budget and Finance Committee to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's proposed 2011-12 budget. Committee members said they did not favor Villaraigosa's plan to borrow $42.6 million to get through the coming year.
Los Angeles Times

$2.7M will go to City Attorney's Office
Even with a projected $336 million shortfall for the coming year, a city panel on Tuesday agreed to provide $2.7 million to offset cuts to the City Attorney's Office. The City Council's Budget and Finance Committee, as it began making changes to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's proposed $6.9 billion spending plan, generally agreed with the mayor's budget, with some minor changes. The budget will go to the full City Council for consideration.
Los Angeles Daily News


Sheriff rents out more jail beds

The cash-strapped Orange County Sheriff's Department is selling more empty bed space in the county's jails to house inmates for the U.S. Marshals in a deal that could make as much as $12.5 million a year. Dwindling property and sales tax revenues forced the department to slash $53 million from its budget over the last two fiscal years - threatening to cut into public safety services.
Orange County Register


Pensions

Pension reform measure could save billions, pose hidden costs
The controversial "Public Employee Pension Reform Act" - which would "reform the excessive pension benefits provided to current government employees" - would save billions over the long haul and give local governments more room to maneuver in tight fiscal times, according to an analysis by the Legislative Analyst. But government cannot taketh away, unless government also giveth, the LAO says.
Orange County Register


Immigration

More agencies challenge immigration fingerprint checks
Officials in California and beyond have begun to rebel against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security program that mandates jailhouse immigration fingerprint checks. All 58 of the state's counties are operating as part the "Secure Communities" program, which uses biometric data from arrestees to search for illegal immigrants. As of February, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had taken custody of nearly 72,000 people the past two years suspected of being in the country without permission from California county jails, federal data shows.
California Watch


Homeland Security

Officials: No immediate al-Qaeda threat to U.S.
Leaders of the nation's largest police organizations, briefed in the aftermath of the raid on Osama bin Laden's Pakistani compound, have been told that there are no immediate threats of reprisals or active terrorist plots that have been gleaned from an initial review of intelligence seized from the compound, police officials told USA TODAY. The briefing came after federal officials advised local law enforcement officials to raise their guard against possible retaliation immediately following the killing of the al-Qaeda founder.
USA Today

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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


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