Law Enforcement

LAPD investigates slaying of 2 teens in Wilmington
As Los Angeles police investigated the two latest slayings in Wilmington, officials were planning a community meeting later this week to address the violence that has gripped the area since the beginning of the year. Since January, seven people have been killed in Wilmington and several others have been wounded in a rash of shootings, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles Times

Crime alerts for El Sereno and eight 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. Seven neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. El Sereno was the most unusual, recording 11 reports compared with a weekly average of 2.1 over the last three months. Harvard Park topped the list of two neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Police Commission to consider car impound policy
The Los Angeles Police Commission today will consider a proposal to amend the Police Department's policy of impounding the cars of unlicensed drivers, a plan that has drawn heated rhetoric from both sides of the issue due to its connection with illegal immigration. At the urging of immigration activists, civil rights groups and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Police Chief Charlie Beck proposed a policy last fall and a revision in January that would drop a required 30-day vehicle impound for unlicensed drivers who are stopped by police - under certain criteria.
CBS2

LAPD police union challenges Chief Beck's more lenient impound policy, charges 'political correctness'
The Los Angeles Police Protective League accuses LAPD Chief Charlie Beck of "political correctness" as he seeks to implement a more lenient car impound policy. The police commission is scheduled to vote on Beck's proposed policy at its meeting Tuesday. Observers expect the panel, appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who back's Beck's policy, to approve it. In a letter to the department, the union that represents rank-and-file cops warns that Beck's proposed policy would endanger public safety by allowing unlicensed drivers to retrieve their cars more quickly.
Southern California Public Radio

10 arrested at Academy Awards; most tried to sneak in, LAPD says
The 10 people police arrested at the Academy Awards included actress Sean Young, two sisters with phony credentials and a purse snatcher, authorities said Monday. Most of the arrests, which include misdemeanors and felonies, were for fraudulent, lapsed or nonexistent credentials, said LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith. The LAPD, SIS security and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have been "very serious" about enforcing the law "to the letter" at the Oscars, Smith said.
Los Angeles Times Related: Never-before-seen robot aids Oscars security

LAPD releases photos of new Northeast Station
Construction of the of the new Northeast LAPD station won't begin until the summer of 2012, but the public got a sneak peek at what the facility will look like through the department's Facebook page on Monday afternoon. The Los Angeles City Council in July unanimously approved a $29.45 million plan to replace the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Division station on 3353 San Fernando Road. The new station will be located at the intersection of San Fernando Road and Treadwell Street in Glassell Park.
Eagle Rock Patch

North Hollywood shootout, 15 years later
For the dozens of officers called to respond to the bank robbery in North Hollywood 15 years ago, it was like looking into the face of hell. "They were demons, devils," LAPD Assistant Chief Michel Moore now recalls of Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu, who wore black ski masks, reinforced military-grade body armor and armed themselves with automatic weapons as they attempted their long-planned robbery of the Bank of America branch. Moore, then a watch commander in LAPD's Wilshire Division, was one of the hundreds of officers summoned from throughout the city to the call of "Shots fired, bank robbery in progress" on Feb. 28, 1997.
Los Angeles Daily News

Prisons

California prisons face maximum security shortage
Last year, California began complying with a federal court order to reduce its prison population by shifting thousands of low-level felons to county custody. It's called "realignment" and although it helped bring down the number of inmates in prison, it won't solve another problem: Where to put the thousands of serious and violent inmates. The number of inmates in state prisons has already dropped by 16,000 since realignment took effect in October.
Southern California Public Radio

Legislation

California lawmaker wants to reduce charges for drug possession
A state lawmaker proposed Monday that the charge for simple drug possession be revised from a felony to a misdemeanor, arguing it will help reduce overcrowding in California's prisons. State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said his SB 1506 is co-sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP and would follow the lead of 13 other states. The bill would apply to possession of cocaine, heroin, hashish, methamphetamine and amphetamines, among others.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

LAPPL endorses Dennis P. Zine for Los Angeles City Controller
The Los Angeles Police Protective League on Monday officially announced its endorsement of Dennis P. Zine for Los Angeles City Controller. The LAPPL joins a growing list of public officials and community leaders embracing Zine's candidacy. "With the City's finances still on shaky ground, we need a Controller who has a detailed understanding of City government and the financial pressures we face. Dennis Zine brings over four decades of committed public service to the position of City Controller," said Tyler Izen, President of the LAPPL.
LAPPL News Release