Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Granada Hills, Sawtelle and six other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in eight L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Five neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Granada Hills was the most unusual, recording five reports compared with a weekly average of 1.3 over the last three months. Sawtelle topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Police ask public's help to find Venice woman missing a year
Police used Thursday's first anniversary of the disappearance of a 53-year-old Venice woman to ask for the public's help in locating her. Nancy Barrett was last seen July 14, 2010 around 4:45 p.m. near her home in the 2600 block of Grand Canal Court, said Officer Gregory Baek of the Los Angeles Police Department. "Barrett moved from her apartment to her car, which was parked in front of her former home," Baek said. "She abandoned her car and possessions and left the area under unknown circumstances."
Los Angeles Daily News

2 arrests after man shot dead at LA strip club
Police say a man was fatally shot at a Los Angeles strip club, and they have arrested another man and a female club employee. Police said in a statement Saturday that officers responding to shooting reports at VIP Showgirls in North Hollywood found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim, 30-year-old Thomas Valdez of Santa Clarita, was declared dead at the scene. Detectives believe Valdez and the suspect, 30-year-old Ramonta Forte of North Hollywood, got into a fight that escalated.
Associated Press

17-year-old victim of apparent gang shooting in Lincoln Heights
A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot in Lincoln Heights on Saturday night in what police say was apparently gang-related violence. The boy, whose name was not released, was riding his bicycle through the mostly industrial area on the 300 block of West Avenue 33 when he encountered people suspected of being gang members, Los Angeles police said. They allegedly opened fire on him as he attempted to pedal away, authorities said.
Los Angeles Times

California criminal database poorly maintained
The criminal records system California relies on to stop child abusers from working at schools and violent felons from buying guns is so poorly maintained that it routinely fails to alert officials to a subject's full criminal history. The computerized log exists to provide an instant snapshot of a criminal past, informing police, regulators and potential employers of offenses such as murder, rape and drug dealing in a person's background. But nearly half of the arrest records in the database don't say whether the person in question was convicted.
Los Angeles Times

Police led on three hour police chase from LA to Riverside County back to LA
A man with a "lengthy arrest record" led several law enforcement agencies on a high-speed, 160-mile pursuit that lasted nearly three-and-one-half-hours and ended when California Highway Patrol officers stopped his car with a spike strip on Interstate 5 in the Grapevine, authorities said. The pursuit of the 2011 black Hyundai began as an attempted drunken driving stop by Los Angeles police around 7:30 p.m. Saturday near the Topanga Canyon Boulevard offramp of 101 Freeway. The driver refused to pull over and the chase was on.
City News Service

405 Reopening

'Carmageddon': LAPD thanks celebrities for Twitter help
The Los Angeles Police Department announced on Friday that more than 30 celebrities responded to the department's call to send out tweets urging resident to avoid the 405 Freeway when it is closed this weekend during "Carmageddon." The department said in a statement that when added together, the celebrities who participated had more than 100 million followers on the social media service.
Los Angeles Times

Politics

Death penalty threatens to once again embroil Brown
The death penalty, the polarizing issue that has shadowed Gov. Jerry Brown's political career, threatens to embroil the governor once more with a bill to abolish capital punishment making its way to his desk. This go round, however, could turn out much differently for Brown, political analysts suggest. For one, a legislator, Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, is taking the lead on abolishing the death penalty, not Brown. Plus, her bill must be approved by voters, who appear to have shifted from their hard line, pro-capital punishment stance of previous years.
Contra Costa Times