Law Enforcement

Mayor's policy to end seizure of vehicles of unlicensed drivers panned
Last weekend, an unlicensed driver ran down a 60-year-old woman trying to cross the street in Panorama City, killing her. The death renewed calls Monday to reverse a pending city policy to go easy on unlicensed drivers - many of them illegal immigrants - by not immediately impounding their cars. "The tragic accident in Panorama City shows how the mayor's new policy can result in innocent people being injured or killed," said Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, in a statement. "The mayor's directive puts politics above public safety and should be rescinded."
Los Angeles Daily News

Policing in a dangerous time
Anyone hoping we would see a downturn in assaults on police officers - in Los Angeles and nationwide - has to be deeply disappointed by statistics released last week by LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. Chief Beck reported to the Police Commission that assaults on LAPD officers are up 26.7 percent this year compared with 2010. He noted that as assaults on police officers increase, so do the number of officer-involved shootings - up 58.8 percent this year. The Chief's reports were concurrent with other somber news.
LAPPL Blog

Annual LAPD toy giveaway, concert brings families together
The line for toys may have stretched for blocks, but the gratitude among parents of the thousands of children who received an early Christmas present on Sunday was far greater than the long wait. As part of the Los Angeles Police Department's annual San Fernando Valley holiday toy giveaway and concert, children received dolls, remote control race cars and small electronics, thanks to donations from churches, community groups, local businesses and residents, who gave enough toys and food to provide plenty of cheer to a community in a need.
Los Angeles Times

Security cameras put 'eyes' on Van Nuys Boulevard
Hoping to deter crime in Pacoima, the Los Angeles Police Department showed off eight new security cameras that were recently installed on Van Nuys Boulevard between the Golden State (5) Freeway and Foothill Boulevard. The safety initiative was spearheaded by City Councilman Richard Alarcon, who unveiled the equipment at the LAPD's Foothill Area division Monday morning. "When revenue is down, we have to be smarter about fighting crime with what we have," said Alarcon, who used Community Redevelopment Agency funds to pay for the $300,000 project.
Los Angeles Daily News

Analysts: Better policing behind cut in crime
The latest FBI figures show there's a lot less violent crime across the country this year, a trend experts attribute to a larger investment in crime prevention by government and law enforcement. The 6.5 percent drop in violent crime continues a five-year decline that shows the numbers of murders, rapes and robberies steadily falling. Crime analysts credit an aging population, stiffer prison sentences and better policing.
CBS News

Advocates of scaling back California's tough Three-Strikes law hope for place on ballot
Buoyed by a favorable financial analysis, advocates of an initiative to scale back the nation's toughest "three-strikes" law will soon launch a signature-gathering drive to put the measure on California's November ballot. Revising California's law would save state taxpayers tens of millions of dollars a year initially and up to $100 million a year in the long run, according to supporters, largely in reduced prison and parole costs. A brief analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office will appear on the ballot itself as well as on signature petitions.
San Jose Mercury News

In California mental hospitals, assaults rarely a crime
Violence in California's psychiatric hospitals has been increasing, partly because the kind of patients treated at the hospitals has changed. Generally, people with mental illness aren't especially dangerous. But these days, about 90 percent of the patients in California's mental hospitals are committed by the criminal justice system. They've been found not guilty by reason of insanity, for example, or incompetent to stand trial.
NPR

Homeland Security

TSA screenings aren't just for airports anymore
The Transportation Security Administration teams are increasingly conducting searches and screenings at train stations, subways, ferry terminals and other mass transit locations around the country. The TSA's 25 "viper" teams - for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response - have run more than 9,300 unannounced checkpoints and other search operations in the last year. Department of Homeland Security officials have asked Congress for funding to add 12 more teams next year.
Los Angeles Times