Law Enforcement

School officer confessed
An LAPD detective testified Monday the school police officer accused of faking a shooting in Woodland Hills confessed to the hoax days later and admitted he'd accidentally shot himself while cleaning a pistol. "He said he was scared," said Robbery Homicide Division Det. Dan Myers, and said Stenroos told him he decided to fabricate a story about being attacked by a pony-tailed burglar while riding to a hospital in an ambulance. Officer Jeff Stenroos, who's charged with several felonies, sat mostly expressionless in Van Nuys Superior Court while Myers recounted the investigation, and later, how he said Stenroos confessed 8-days after the alleged shooting.
KFI

LAPD: Thieves stealing third-row seats from GM SUVs in western San Fernando Valley
Residents in the western San Fernando Valley were warned today that thieves have been breaking into sport utility vehicles and removing the third-row seats. Investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department's Devonshire Division, based in Northridge, said the culprits have been targeting General Motors SUVs, swiping the rear seats so they can sell them. Police suggested that vehicle owners use bicycle-style cable locks to secure the third-row seats.
Los Angeles Daily News

Most police departments use old lineup methods
The decision by New Jersey's Supreme Court last week to overhaul the state's rules for how judges and jurors treat evidence from police lineups could help transform the way officers conduct a central technique of police work, criminal justice experts say. In its ruling, the court strongly endorsed decades of research demonstrating that traditional eyewitness identification procedures are flawed and can send innocent people to prison.
New York Times

USDOT warns drivers: 'Drive sober or get pulled over'
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday marked its annual enforcement crackdown and the launch of a nationwide, multi-year advertising campaign aimed at getting drunk drivers off the road: "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over." With new research showing fatal crashes involving drunk drivers occur most frequently between the hours of midnight and 3AM-when drunk driving crashes claim a life every 23 minutes-the efforts are particularly focused on nighttime enforcement.
Press Release

Prisons & Parole

Cooley predicts dramatic crime spike under state plan
Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley said California's plan to shift supervision of thousands of former state prison inmates to counties will be a "disaster" for L.A. He made the comment as the Board of Supervisors prepared to vote Tuesday on a plan to manage the felons. Under the state's plan, L.A. County assumes supervision of nearly 10,000 non-serious, non-violent, non-sex offender felons coming out of state prison over the next four years. State parole agents used to supervise these felons.
Southern California Public Radio

Legislation

Brown will now decide commutation bill
It's now up to Gov. Jerry Brown to decide whether victims and their families should have a say before some inmates are set free early. By a unanimous vote Monday, the Assembly sent Brown the legislation that was sparked by a killing near San Diego State University. Assembly Bill 648 would require a 10-day notification to prosecutors when a clemency application to the governor is filed. Prosecutors could then relay the request to victims and families who may want to protest.
San Diego Union-Tribune

Gov. gets bill to take prohibited guns off streets
The Assembly on Monday passed a Bay Area lawmaker's bill that would provide more resources to find and confiscate guns belonging to convicted felons and the mentally ill. SB 819 by state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, passed on a 48-23 vote; the state Senate had approved it June 1 on a 22-16 vote, so it now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. SB 819 - sponsored by state Attorney General Kamala Harris - would let the state Justice Department use money from the $19 Dealer Record of Sale fee that's collected on each firearm sale to enforce the existing Armed Prohibited Persons System program.
Inside Bay Area

Homeland Security

A key Sept. 11 legacy: more domestic surveillance
In one of the biggest changes to American life since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the government now collects vast quantities of information about its citizens. Thanks to new laws and technologies, authorities track and eavesdrop on Americans as they never could before, hauling in billions of bank records, travel receipts and other information. In several cases, they have wiretapped conversations between lawyers and defendants, challenging the legal principle that attorney-client communication is inviolate.
Los Angeles Times

Politics

It's legacy time for Villaraigosa
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa doesn't like to talk about his legacy. He's still moving forward, plowing through the work that is left for him to accomplish with two years remaining. Like it or not, though, this is what faces the mayor: He has the time and opportunity to make a significant mark on the history of his city, or he could squander his final months and go down as a failure.
Los Angeles Times Part Two: Antonio Villaraigosa's future

20 file for Hahn's L.A. City Council seat
In what could be a record number of candidates to line up for the 15th District, 20 people have formally filed to run for the open Harbor-to-Watts seat on the Los Angeles City Council. The seat was left open when Janice Hahn won a bid for Congress in July. Filing closed at noon Saturday, leaving declared candidates with the next task of collecting the required voter signatures on nominating petitions.
Torrance Daily Breeze