Prisons & Parole

Parole board rejects 'Onion Field' killer's compassionate release
Concluding a fabled chapter in Los Angeles crime history, the state parole board has rejected the final bid for the release of Gregory Powell, the notorious "Onion Field" killer whose 1963 kidnapping and murder of a Los Angeles police officer shocked the city and shattered the myth of the untouchable cop. Powell's doctor had determined that the 78-year-old inmate, who has been imprisoned since the slaying, is dying of prostate cancer and has six months or less to live, making him eligible for "compassionate release."
Los Angeles Times LAPPL Press Release Official Decision

State prison worker unions opt for contract changes to save jobs
As the state's massive prison and parole department begins a historic downsizing to cut costs and comply with court orders, it's getting a hand from organized labor. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association and five other unions have signed contract amendments for Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation employees that set aside some job protections, drastically cut employees' state-paid moving allowances and aim to reduce prison officer overtime costs.
Sacramento Bee

Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Vermont Square, Larchmont and five other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in seven L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Four neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Vermont Square was the most unusual, recording 24 reports compared with a weekly average of 16.3 over the last three months. Larchmont topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Teenage boy dies in suspected gang shooting in downtown L.A.
A suspected gang rivalry between two teenage boys left one of them dead after a shooting in downtown Los Angeles, police said Tuesday night. The two 16-year-olds were attending a continuation class downtown when they got into a confrontation, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The youths continued arguing outside, where one of them shot the other multiple times with a handgun in the tunnel by 3rd and Hill streets on Tuesday afternoon.
Los Angeles Times

Manhunt on for 5 men who stole $350K in watches
A search is under way for five men who smashed display counters at a Chinatown jewelry store and fled with more than $350,000 worth of high-end watches police said Tuesday. The crime occurred about 4 p.m. Saturday at Chong Hing Jewelry in the 900 block of North Hill Street, said Los Angeles police Lt. Paul Vernon of the Central Station. The suspects used pepper spray to stun the employees, and smashed glass display cases with hammers, Vernon said. One suspect disarmed a security guard, taking his .45-caliber handgun.
Torrance Daily Breeze

How do we police the flash mobs?
Thanks to social networks like Twitter and Facebook, "flash mobs" seem to be cropping up across the globe. The craze started off in 2003 as peaceful and often humorous acts of public performance such as mass dance routines or street pillow fights. But in recent years, the activity has taken a darker twist as criminals and thugs, using social networking, get large groups to gather on a moment's notice to participate in everything from robberies to fights to murder. Law-enforcement officials from Philadelphia to Las Vegas and Los Angeles to Portland have struggled to rein in flash mobs.
American Police Beat

Google deal with L.A. sours
Google's fairy tale deal to supply the city of Los Angeles and its police department with Google Apps and email is turning into more a black eye than a PR coup. Tuesday, a letter from Los Angeles CTO Randi Levin to Google prime contractor CSC surfaced that shows that the two-year-old deal is more troubled than previously thought. Dated August 17, 2011, but not public until now, Levin's letter stated that since Google/CSC were still unable to fulfill their obligations to provide a secure email and collaboration system, the city will not pay for the police department implementation - which never happened.
Gigaom

US lawmakers push to limit gov't mobile tracking
The U.S. Congress needs to pass legislation that would require law enforcement agencies to get permission from a judge before tracking suspects through their mobile phones, instead of the now-common practice of tracking a mobile subscriber's location after a prosecutor-issued subpoena, two U.S. lawmakers said Tuesday. Senators Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, and Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican, joined several advocacy groups from across the political spectrum to push for the passage of the Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance (GPS) Act, introduced back in June.
PC World

Immigration

Conservative activists propose initiative on illegal immigration
Conservative activists have submitted an initiative proposal targeting illegal immigration by imposing limits on financial aid and Medi-Cal benefits while requiring California law enforcement to work with federal immigration officials. State Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is responsible for preparing ballot language, received the proposal Monday from former state GOP chairman Tirso Del Junco, San Diego Republican Ted Hilton and Concord Republican Bill Siler. Proponents are calling it the "California Taxpayer Protection Act of 2012."
Sacramento Bee

City Government

Officials' embrace of Occupy L.A. loosens a bit over fiscal issue
Los Angeles elected officials have been assiduously wooing the Occupy movement, which inspired protesters furious at Wall Street to take over the grassy area around City Hall downtown - and public spaces in cities across the nation. But now the chief administrator says cracking down on banks, as protesters wish, could cost the strapped city at least $58 million. Some council members worry that L.A. can ill afford such a move.
Los Angeles Times

Measure would mandate fraud reports to controller
With a series of scandals rocking a number of city departments, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday asked for a measure to require workers to report any instances of fraud, abuse or waste to the City Controller's office. The 13-0 action came at the request of Controller Wendy Greuel and was carried by Councilman Dennis Zine, who has announced plans to run for controller in 2013. "The city has seen a number of situations that are embarrassing to the city and we need a way to find out what is going on and punish the wrongdoers," Zine said.
Los Angeles Daily News