Law Enforcement

Gas station attendant carried half-mile on car hood, LAPD says
Los Angeles police are searching for a driver who carried a Van Nuys gas station attendant for a half-mile after a dispute at the station. The incident occurred Friday at 11 p.m. at an Arco gas station on Victory Boulevard over a dispute at the cashier's window. The attendant, Jorge Grimaldi, stood in front of a customer's car in an attempt to stop him from leaving. The motorist drove the car forward. Grimaldi ended up on the hood, holding on for a half-mile as the car drove through a residential neighborhood.
Los Angeles Times

3 people wounded in shootings in South L.A., Sun Valley
Three people were wounded, at least one critically, in two separate shootings Wednesday night in Los Angeles, police said. In Sun Valley, at least one attacker opened fire on a man and woman shortly after 6:30 p.m. near Webb Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Shortly before 9 p.m., the LAPD received reports of shots fired in South Los Angeles near 79th and Figueroa streets in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood. At least one person was wounded and taken to a hospital, police said.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD receives fewer complaints against police
Complaints against the Police Department of Los Angeles, which include allegations of excessive force, discrimination, false arrest, use of racial epithets or illegal searches, among others, have been reduced by 15% last year thanks to a better job of outreach and a change of culture within the LAPD, police said Wednesday. For civil rights activists, however, the reduction shown in the latest report of complaints could be due to other reasons such as lack of confidence in the system of police scrutiny.
La Opinión

Panorama City man now missing for 4 months
Police on Wednesday asked for the public's help in finding a mentally disabled Panorama City man disappeared from home four months ago. Emilio Robles-Ramirez, 30, was believed to be heading to a landscaping job on April 17 when he left his home in the 9300 block of Van Nuys Boulevard at 7 a.m., according to LAPD. His family is "extremely concerned" for his safety because of health concerns, police said. Robles-Ramirez has a speech impairment and speaks mainly Spanish, according to the family.
Los Angeles Daily News

Copper thefts plague LA City streetlights
Neighbors in the Melrose/Fairfax area should be alert for people "working" on street lighting boxes that are located on the ground in the parkway next to or very near a street lighting pole. Those boxes contain valuable copper wire that crooks are looking for to resell at over $4.50 per pound. The 700 and 800 N. Block of Stanley Ave have been hit recently also affecting a portion of Waring Ave. The street lights have been dark on the 800 blk. for over a month, the 700 blk. for almost a week.
WEHO News

London riots should be a reality check
The tech savvy social networking "flash mobs" recently seen in London, Hollywood and Chicago have created a new threat to public safety. These individuals have manipulated technology for use in unprecedented criminal activity. Our political and law enforcement leaders need to look deeper into the economic, social and political motivation of these protesters; otherwise, it is likely other cities are going to become victims.
Joseph M. Peyton/Los Angeles Daily News

Bratton won't head Scotland Yard, British official decides
Former Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton will not be the next head of Scotland Yard, despite being called in to advise British Prime Minister David Cameron. Bratton had spoken openly of his desire for the office, but British Home Secretary Theresa May, who gets to choose the next commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, as the office is formally known, said the job must go to a holder of a British passport. She cited the office's responsibility for counter-terrorism.
Los Angeles Times

Homeland Security

Law enforcement alert warns of lone wolf threats
U.S. officials warn the threat posed by a lone gunman or a group with small arms is a serious concern to law enforcement. A joint intelligence bulletin issued by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI cites the July attack in Norway as one very deadly example. Anders Behring Breivik allegedly shot and killed 69 people on the Norwegian island of Utoya. Authorities say earlier that day a vehicle bomb made by Breivik exploded in Oslo and killed eight people. The U.S. law enforcement bulletin issued Tuesday warns Breivik's preparations went undetected.
CNN

Immigration

Does Secure Communities undermine L.A.'s Special Order 40?
On Monday night, as protestors and speakers sounded off on the federal government's Secure Communities immigration enforcement program during a town hall meeting in Los Angeles, one recurring theme involved a local police policy enacted more than three decades ago. "The trust factor is undermining Special Order 40," said Marielena Hincapié of the National Immigration Law Center, a legal advocacy organization, to a panel assembled by the Department of Homeland Security to gather input on the controversial fingerprint-sharing program.
Southern California Public Radio

Prisons

Prison tour counters charges of poor conditions
California prison officials tried to counter inmates' allegations of inhumane living conditions by opening a highly secure unit at Pelican Bay State Prison to reporters Wednesday, days before a legislative hearing into conditions there. More than 6,000 inmates refused state-issued meals at 13 of the state's 33 adult prisons during a three-week hunger strike that originated at the maximum security prison in Crescent City and peaked over the July 4 weekend.
Associated Press