Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Mission Hills, Chesterfield Square and 10 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 12 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Six neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Mission Hills was the most unusual, recording four reports compared with a weekly average of 0.9 over the last three months. Chesterfield Square topped the list of six neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Nine shot, one killed during dispute at South L.A. party
Nine people were shot, one fatally, during a shooting at a party in South Los Angeles on Friday night. The shooting took place on the 200 block of East 47th Street. Los Angeles police responded to a disturbance at the home. As officers arrived, they heard gunshots coming from the house. Police believe the shooting was the result of some type of dispute but don't have details. A 20-year-old man was fatally shot, a woman was critically wounded and the other victims suffered lesser injuries.
Los Angeles Times

Two police officers injured in crash during South L.A. pursuit
Two Los Angeles police officers were recovering Sunday after their patrol car crashed into a wall during a pursuit of a domestic violence suspect. The patrol car hit a retaining wall near Central Avenue and 96th Street at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday. Both officers were taken to a local hospital in stable condition, said Sgt. Matt Cundiff of the Southeast Station.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD scrambles to stay ahead of flash mobs
Had the tips never come in about new "threats" during Carmageddon, police may never have known until it was too late. Out in full view of the public, but buried somewhere in the mountains of chatter on Twitter, a flash mob was planning to form on the shuttered Mulholland Bridge, half of which was being torn down to make room for a car-pool lane on the 405 Freeway. In response, LAPD deployed extra officers around the bridge to head off any type of gathering spawned by the 140-characters-or-less tweets. The scouts and bikers were turned around, their planned assembly a failure. But it was a success for LAPD.
Los Angeles Daily News

Police recordings key part of Calif. beating case
As Fullerton police Officer Manuel Ramos approached a homeless man at a bus stop in July, he did what members of his department have been doing for a decade. He clicked on an audio recorder normally used to capture witness statements and exonerate officers accused of misconduct. But prosecutors say the recorder captured something entirely different: the officer murdering a defenseless man suffering from schizophrenia.
Associated Press

Prisons & Parole

Many unknowns as early inmate release approaches
The release of thousands of state prisoners to local counties is less than a week away, yet major aspects of the plan remain unknown to local authorities, triggering growing alarm and uncertainty. Under legislation passed earlier this year, the number of nonviolent, nonserious, non-sex offense inmates to be transferred to local jurisdictions throughout the state has been estimated at 33,000 to 46,000. Los Angeles County is expected to receive 8,000 early-release state prisoners over the next nine months, with roughly 1,500 expected to be released on or about Saturday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said.
Long Beach Press-Telegram

City Government

Self-service may be new city motto
If you live in San Jose, Glendale or certain parts of Los Angeles, you can point your camera phone at your neighborhood problem, snap a picture, type a description and hit send. The app forwards your GPS coordinates, along with the picture and description, to a city official who can arrange a fix. It's faster, easier and -- ideally -- cheaper than dialing. Los Angeles as a whole is a little slow in embracing service via smartphone apps.
Los Angeles Daily News

Fixing L.A.'s municipal code mess
For months now, city officials have been mulling whether to try out an alternative system for enforcing the Los Angeles Municipal Code - the register of offenses that includes nuisances and quality-of-life crimes such as parties that are too loud, and public safety violations such as construction without permits. It takes too long and costs prosecutors too much to go to court on each violation. Can't Los Angeles decriminalize many of these offenses and issue administrative citations much like parking tickets?
Los Angeles Times Editorial