Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Woodland Hills, Manchester Square and 12 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 14 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Two neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Woodland Hills was the most unusual, recording six reports compared with a weekly average of 2.0 over the last three months. Manchester Square topped the list of 12 neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Tagger killed in Lake View Terrace drive-by shooting, police say
A young man was fatally shot while spraying graffiti in Lake View Terrace early Sunday morning, police said. The victim was tagging on Terra Bella Street at about 2:35 a.m. when unknown suspects drove by and shot him, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Bruce Borihanh. Coroner's officials identified the victim as Alfonso Covarrubias, 17, of North Hollywood. The victim died at the scene. Borihanh said investigators believe the shooting may have been gang-related, but police have no description of a suspect or vehicle.
Los Angeles Times

Finest moment?
On November 30, long after encampments in other cities had been forcibly removed, our officers were finally given orders to disband the Occupy L.A. camp. The operation was efficient, orderly and involved a minimal use of force. The mayor lauded it as the LAPD's "finest moment," and indeed this was a job very well done, but to say that this was their finest moment did a disservice to our men and women in blue.
LAPPL Blog

Traffic death rate falls to record low
Traffic deaths in 2010 fell to their lowest levels in more than 60 years, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Safety technology in vehicles has made huge leaps in recent years and has lowered death and injury rates in collisions. Even the base models of 2012 vehicles are now required to have antilock brakes, electronic stability control, tire pressure sensor monitors and multiple airbags.
Los Angeles Times

Hollywood gunman shot dead by policeman from movie set
A gunman opened fire on motorists in the heart of Hollywood on Friday, wounding three people before he was shot to death by an off-duty police officer who had been working on a nearby film set. The bizarre mid-morning incident, which some witnesses initially mistook for a movie, touched off fear, confusion and panic at the famed Hollywood intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street.
Reuters

Music executive remains in critical condition
A music executive wounded by a gunman who opened fire on motorists in Hollywood on Friday remained in critical condition Sunday morning, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center spokeswoman Simi Singer said. Gunman Tyler Brehm, 26, began firing a .40-caliber handgun at motorists at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street, police said. He shot at a silver Mercedes-Benz coupe that former Death Row Records executive John Atterberry was driving, striking him three times in the face and neck, police said.
Los Angeles Times

Gunman asked man videotaping for more ammunition
As he randomly fired on drivers and pedestrians in Hollywood Friday, a gunman turned to a man videotaping the scene from a building above and asked for more ammunition. The bizarre incident was captured on tape by Chris Johns, CEO of Support Save Solutions, who videotaped the shooting that wounded one passing driver and ended when the gunman was fatally shot by police.
Los Angeles Times

Prisoner Transfers & Jails

California's county jails struggle to house influx of state prisoners
The early release of inmates in some parts of California is accelerating as officials at county jails struggle to accommodate state prisoners flowing into their facilities. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department planned to begin releasing about 150 inmates Friday because of overcrowding in county jails. Sheriff Rod Hoops has decided to release the inmates, mostly parole violators or those convicted of nonviolent crimes, over the next five days.
Los Angeles Times

Sheriff proposes new $1 billion jail
Men's Central Jail is an imposing hulk of concrete and steel that hides a lot of vulnerabilities. Both Sheriff Lee Baca and advocates for inmates agree the largest jail in the world - built nearly half a century ago - should be condemned. They differ, however, on what to do next. Baca is proposing to spend at least $1 billion to tear down all or a portion of Men's Central Jail and erect a new jail in its place. If approved, it would be the county government's largest building project in history by far.
Long Beach Press-Telegram

In California, a plan to charge inmates for their stay
A one-night stay in this city's finest hotel costs $190, complete with sumptuous sheets and a gourmet restaurant. Soon, a twin metal bunk at the county jail, with meals served on plastic trays, will run $142.42. Prisoners with no assets will not have to pay, but the county has the ability to garnish wages and place liens on homes under the ordinance, which goes into effect this week.
New York Times

Capital Punishment

Death penalty's cost to California more than $120 million a year
As district attorney in Los Angeles County for eight years, Gil Garcetti made the decision many times to use all the resources and power of his office to persuade a jury to condemn a person to death. For that he has no qualms. "It wouldn't bother me at all if a person that we charged was actually executed," he says. But that hasn't happened. The average delay is 24 years between a judgment of death issued by a jury and the completion of a condemned inmate's judicial review in state and federal courts.
Ventura County Star