Law Enforcement

LAPD looks for leads in slaying of Wilmington man
Los Angeles police Monday night were seeking the public's help in solving the slaying of a 21-year-old man in Wilmington. Ernesto Reyes was gunned down by an attacker who pulled out a handgun and fired several rounds, the L.A. Police Department said. The shooting occurred about 9:30 p.m. Sunday in the 400 block of East L Street. Reyes, a Wilmington resident, died of his wounds at a hospital, the LAPD said.
Los Angeles Times

Civic Center slapper sought
A man was arrested last Friday on suspicion of assaulting four people in the Civic Center area of downtown Los Angeles, and police sought a second man as a suspect in a fifth similar crime. Jermaine Moran allegedly slapped, punched or pushed three women and a man in separate assaults between Jan. 3 and Thursday night, Los Angeles police Lt. Paul Vernon said.
Fox11

LAPD lowers age requirement for cadet program
As the LAPD continues its push for community-based policing, it now has for the first time lowered its age requirement for cadets, who are based at 23 divisions across the city. The program is now looking to recruit 13- to 20-year-olds for its new academy class, which begins Jan. 28. The minimum age used to be 14.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Hackers-for-Hire are easy to find
Sitting in his Los Angeles home, Kuwaiti billionaire Bassam Alghanim received an alarming call from a business associate: Hundreds of his personal emails were posted online for anyone to see. Mr. Alghanim checked and found it to be true, according to a person familiar with the matter. The emails included information on his personal finances, legal affairs, even his pharmacy bills, this person said. Cost to hire the hackers: about $400.
Wall Street Journal

The Courts

Officers justified in invading home without warrant, court rules
Burbank police officers investigating a rumor that a truant teenager was planning to "shoot up" Bellarmine-Jefferson High School five years ago were justified in invading the student's home without a warrant because of concerns that violence was imminent, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday. The unanimous, unsigned decision by the high court served as fresh censure of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, with which the justices are frequently at odds.
Los Angeles Times

Supreme Court rules warrant needed for GPS tracking
In a major decision on privacy in the digital age, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that police need a warrant before attaching a GPS device to a person's car. The ruling, which marked the justices' first-ever review of GPS tracking, was unanimous. The justices divided, however, on how the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures applies to such high-tech tracking.
USA Today

California counties revamping bail policies
Some California counties are changing long-held policies about who must remain in jail while awaiting trial, allowing judges to free criminal defendants based not on whether they can afford bail but whether they're a risk to public safety. Public policy experts say the shift is overdue, given the crowded conditions at many county jails and a new law that is filling them with convicts who in the past would have served time in state prisons.
San Francisco Chronicle

City Government

15th Council District election results could be certified by Tuesday
Results from last week's special election for the Los Angeles City Council's 15th District seat could be certified as early as Tuesday. City Clerk June Lagmay said Monday that the official canvass of the runoff election won by Joe Buscaino was nearing completion and that the final tally of all outstanding ballots would begin at 1 Tuesday. Once the clerk certifies the results, a report will be prepared for the City Council to be presented at a future meeting. That will clear the way to schedule a date for Buscaino to be sworn into office.
Torrance Daily Breeze

L.A. lost out on more than $125 million in federal money
Los Angeles lost out on more than $125 million in potential federal stimulus money because of a lack of oversight across the various departments pursuing the funds, City Controller Wendy Greuel said Monday. In an audit of the city's application processes for competitive grants from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Greuel found that the lack of a centralized body to oversee the city's scattered departments led to a series of oversights that reduced the city's share of the billions in funding awarded across the country.
Los Angeles Times

Homeland Security

Counterterror, emergency response centers not sharing information
Dozens of high-tech command centers built or beefed up throughout the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to promote better information sharing and disaster preparation have struggled to do just that. A decade later, federal auditors found that two networks - one heavily focused on law enforcement and the other on emergency management - are often unaware of what the other is doing and in the process might be missing critical opportunities to improve efficiency.
California Watch