Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for West Hills, Rancho Park, other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in nine L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Six neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. West Hills was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.5 over the last three months. Rancho Park topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD looks for leads in Porter Ranch home-invasion robberies
Los Angeles police Tuesday night were looking for three men involved in robberies at three Porter Ranch homes, including one in which a resident was tied up as robbers ransacked the place. One of the robberies occurred about 2:30 p.m. Jan 9 after two of the men ransacked a residence in the 1200 block of Dunblane Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The person who was tied up was not injured, police said. The men are suspected of breaking into two other homes in the area and taking jewelry and cash.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD in 'joint military training' exercises in downtown L.A.
Joint military training exercises will be held evenings in downtown Los Angeles through Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD will be providing support for the exercises, which will also be held in other portions of the greater Los Angeles area, police said. Training sites "have been carefully selected to ensure the event does not negatively impact the citizens of Los Angeles and their daily routine," a department official said.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Venice Beach boardwalk curfew draws large audience
Nearly 100 people packed a meeting room in Oakwood Park on Monday night to learn more about a midnight curfew being implemented on the Venice Beach boardwalk. The Venice Neighborhood Council's Neighborhood Committee invited Lt. Paola Kreefft, who overseas the Los Angeles Police Department's beach detail, and Arturo Pina, field deputy for Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th Council District includes Venice.
Venice Patch

A peculiar parking pattern
A high number of cars parked at downtown L.A. meters carry disabled placards that let owners park for free. When investigators target a specific area, they find that placard abuse "runs in the area of 30-40%," says Vito Scattaglia, deputy chief of investigations for the state Department of Motor Vehicles. And when you consider the state has issued more than 200,000 disabled placards, that's a lot of abuse. A common scam, Scattaglia said, is for a driver to use the placard his granny got legitimately. Another scam involves applications with forged signatures from doctors.
Los Angeles Times

County Jail

L.A. County Board of Supervisors seek jail alternatives
Reluctant to invest $1 billion to rebuild Men's Central Jail, the county Board of Supervisors sought alternative proposals Tuesday to address the growing inmate population. Sheriff Lee Baca's plan to modernize the 50-year-old jail remains on the table, but the board wants to also consider "alternatives to incarceration" such as house arrest and ankle bracelets. The county plans to hire a contractor to study the various options and report back by June 30.
Los Angeles Daily News

The Courts

High court decision backs law enforcement
>What do you call a federal court that changes facts to fit its argument and issues rulings so far outside established law that it's routinely chastised and reversed - often unanimously and without a hearing - by a higher court? You might call that court lawless and reckless, but here in California we know it as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The latest reversal of the 9th Circuit involved Burbank police officers responding to a reported rumor of a student threatening a school shooting.
LAPPL Blog

City Government

Buscaino's 15th District victory certified
The Los Angeles City Clerk's Office late Tuesday certified the Jan. 17 special election vote tally, announcing that Joe Buscaino won with 59.47 percent (10,830 votes) to Assemblyman Warren Furutani's 40.53 percent (7,381 votes). The certified results differed only slightly from the unofficial results, which showed Buscaino with 60.69 percent (9,734 votes) to Furutani's 39.31 percent (6,304 votes). The final tally brought together all of the ballots, including those that were not originally included in the unofficial results released on election night. The certified results now go to the City Council for approval.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Pensions