Law Enforcement

Suspect arrested in North Hollywood shooting
A 25-year-old man is being held in lieu of $1-million bail in connection with a fatal shooting in North Hollywood, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman said Sunday. Caitan Arrequin was arrested Saturday evening on suspicion of killing 43-year-old Rafael Flores Vaca in an apartment in the 7600 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Officer Karen Rayner said. The shooting occurred about 1 a.m. Saturday. Police responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. When they got to the apartment, officers found Vaca, who had been shot multiple times. He was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead there.
Los Angeles Times

3 LAPD officers injured in 2 separate traffic accidents
A Los Angeles Police Department cruiser was one of four cars involved in a traffic accident Friday evening near Chatsworth High School, an LAPD spokesman said. Two officers were in the cruiser when it crashed on Mason Avenue just north of Plummer Street about 5 p.m., said LAPD spokesman Cleon Joseph. Both were taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries, he said. In a separate incident, a third LAPD officer was taken to a hospital with minor injuries after a collision late Friday afternoon in Van Nuys, Joseph said.
Los Angeles Times

Dodgers to honor heroes at today's game
Members of the armed forces, law enforcement and fire departments will be honored during pregame ceremonies at Dodger Stadium today as the team conducts Heroes Night. Representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department will throw out a simultaneous ceremonial first pitch before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
City News Service

Homeland Security

LAPD key player in preventing attacks, chief says
LAPD Deputy Chief Mike Downing says it makes sense for police officers to play a key role in watching out for any terrorists on the streets of American cities. This attitude reflects a dramatic change in the role of local police departments after the 9/11 attacks. "There's nobody that knows the landscape better," Downing said. "We're out there seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Communities trust us." The Los Angeles Police Department now has the second largest anti-terrorism division in the country - after New York.
Southern California Public Radio

L.A. keeps watch as it reaches out
The terrorist attacks of 9-11, which killed nearly 3,000 people on the East Coast, sent change coursing deeply through the daily lives and lifestyles of people nationwide and around the world. Police presence was increased. Anger and anxiety emerged. Distrust surfaced - but volunteerism and a need for kinship also arose. For LAPD Cmdr. James Cansler, not a day goes by without his thinking about terrorism. Whether supplementing security at a football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena or patrolling festivals, Cansler said officers implement the same tactics of caution.
Los Angeles Daily News

Pensions

Legislation

Jerry Brown gets bill to ban "open carry" of handguns
The Assembly tonight sent Gov. Jerry Brown a bill that would make it a crime to openly carry an unloaded handgun in public. Assembly Bill 144 by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, targets the "open carry" movement, marked by gatherings of people displaying their firearms in public places to protest gun-control laws. The bill language exempts peace officers, military gatherings, gun shows and hunting.
Sacramento Bee

Politics

LAPPL endorses Joe Buscaino for City Council
After completing a comprehensive, non-partisan review, the Los Angeles Police Protective League on Friday announced its endorsement of Joe Buscaino for the Los Angeles City Council District 15 Special Election. In doing so, the LAPPL joins dozens of community leaders who have already pledged their support for Buscaino. "Joe Buscaino has dedicated his life to serving the community and protecting the public's safety, says Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.
LAPPL Press Release

City Government

Deputy Mayor Guillermo Cespedes, L.A.'s go-to guy on gangs
There were 11 gang shootings in Los Angeles over this year's Father's Day weekend, a holiday that can be bittersweet for young men alienated from their fathers. Deputy Mayor Guillermo Cespedes, who heads Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's anti-gang efforts, was so distraught over the carnage that he dragged himself home at the end of the weekend and sat down to write his letter of resignation. He labored over it for an hour or so. Then he put the letter away and went back to work.
Los Angeles Times