Law Enforcement

Poor economy threatens police jobs, Atty. Gen. Eric Holder says
Years of recession and a slow economic recovery could lead to a decrease in the number of police officers, the first such drop in a quarter of a century, Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. warned Monday. The dire prediction, contained in a Department of Justice report, comes on the heels of a Federal Bureau of Investigation report that the overall crime statistics for 2010 had dropped, continuing a recent trend.
Los Angeles Times

Economic woes take toll on U.S. police departments
By year's end, nearly 12,000 police officers will have lost their jobs, and 30,000 positions in county and municipal departments will go unfilled, both direct consequences of a faltering economy that has forced deep cuts in local government budgets. The sweeping reductions, outlined in a Justice Department delivered Monday to the nation's police chiefs meeting in Chicago, put law enforcement on pace for its first job decline in 25 years.
USA Today

FBI releases 2010 statistics on law enforcement officers killed and assaulted
According to information released Monday by the FBI, 56 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty last year; 72 officers died in accidents while performing their duties; and 53,469 officers were assaulted in the line of duty. The 2010 edition of Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted released today provides comprehensive tabular data about these incidents and brief narratives describing the fatal attacks.
FBI Press Release

Calif. serial killer goes on trial for more deaths
A convicted serial killer should be found guilty of three additional cold-case murders that occurred in the Los Angeles area because his DNA was found on the victims' bodies, a prosecutor said in opening statements Monday. Michael Hughes, 54, is serving a life sentence for the murder convictions 13 years ago of four women in 1992 and 1993. He was charged three years ago with the strangulation deaths of 15-year-old Yvonne Coleman after she left her boyfriend's home and three other women in their 30s between 1986 and 1993.
Associated Press

Coming together for justice in the memory of Officer Ian Campbell
The members of the Los Angeles Police Protective League are extremely gratified that the California Board of Parole Hearings recommended against granting a compassionate release from prison to Gregory Powell, the infamous "Onion Field" cop killer whose 1963 murder of LAPD Officer Ian Campbell was chronicled in the best-selling book. We would be remiss if we did not take this opportunity to publicly thank the many who came together in the memory of Officer Campbell and in support of his family, friends and colleagues.
LAPPL Blog

Rand Corp. think-tank retracts study on medical marijuana dispensary closings and crime rates
A nonprofit think tank on Monday retracted a widely reported study that linked last year's closing of hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles to a rise in crime rates in surrounding neighborhoods. Santa Monica-based Rand Corp. said in a statement that questions raised after the study was released last month prompted an unusual internal review.
Associated Press

LAPD wounds man after he allegedly shoots friend
Police shot and critically wounded a man after he shot and wounded a friend in southeast Los Angeles, authorities said Monday. The officer-involved shooting occurred around 5 p.m. Sunday in the 10200 block of South Main Street, said Sgt. Cesar Mata of the Los Angeles Police Department's Southeast Station. "It started as an argument between friends," Mata said, adding that the suspect then shot the victim in the back. When officers arrived, "they confronted the suspect and an officer- involved shooting occurred," Mata said, reporting that the man was shot multiple times in the upper body.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Prisoner Transfers

Los Angeles jails see surge in inmates
Authorities are keeping a wary eye on swelling inmate populations as hundreds of extra criminals are sent to Los Angeles County jails under a broad shakeup of California's corrections institutions. Since Oct. 1, when the new rules took effect, the county has seen more than 700 extra inmates sentenced to county jail instead of state prison - a greater-than-expected rate that could mean the county's 17,000 or so beds are all taken by Christmas, Assistant Sheriff Cecil Rhambo Jr. said Monday. "We expected 170 a week," Rhambo said. "This is 235 a week."
Associated Press

Pensions

Villaraigosa puts teeth into his stand on pension funds
Worried about the prospects of a new round of budget cuts during his last two years in office, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has grown increasingly bold - some say too aggressive - in his attempts to influence panels that guide the city's huge retirement funds. The forceful approach is raising questions about how far a mayor should go in efforts to sway decisions by public pension boards, which under state law are supposed to remain free of political interference.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Villaraigosa to lead December trade mission to Asia
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plans to return to Asia on an 11-day trade mission in December with a contingent of city officials and business leaders. The delegation, which will include port, airports and tourism officials, will travel to Japan, South Korea and China, the city's three largest trading partners. The mayor and his cohorts plan to hold dozens of meetings and events with government and business leaders, seeking to encourage firms to set up shop in L.A., invest in local companies and do more business in the city.
Los Angeles Times