Law Enforcement

Rise in burglaries may be tied to inmate early release
A rash of burglaries in the San Fernando Valley has some wondering if the inmate early release program could be to blame. While it is too early in year to get stats on the people committing these crimes, the Los Angeles Police Department has noted a trend. "Of the people that we are arresting associated with property crimes, we find that they are people who already have arrest records," said LAPD Captain Paul Snell with the Van Nuys Division. "And many of which have already been in state prison."
NBC4

LAPD Commission rubber stamps illegal alien-friendly impound policy
When the vote finally came, the only question that remained was whether or not it would be unanimous. It was a foregone conclusion that the Los Angeles police commission would rubber-stamp LAPD Chief Charlie Beck's plan to all but ignore the California law that allows police officers to impound for 30 days any car they find to be driven by someone without a driver's license. In the end, only one commissioner voted to oppose the measure, and in doing so he pulled away the veil of legitimacy and legality behind which Beck and the other four commissioners continue to hide.
Jack Dunphy/Pajamas Media

Anti-defamation league to honor LAPD North Hollywood Division officer
The ADL Helene and Joseph Sherwood Prize for Combating Hate will be presented today to a variety of law enforcement agency recipients for successful efforts to counter racial violence. The awards will recognize a variety of efforts, including the investigation and prosecution of anti-black groups and white supremacists in Azusa, Canoga Park and Orange County, said Laura Eimiller of the FBI. Also being honored will be Senior Lead Los Angeles Police Department Officer Manuel Arreygue for his work with various religious communities in North Hollywood and Valley Village to "bridge the gaps" between diverse groups.
City News Service

Surveillance technology for investigations and crowd control
As the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States, Los Angeles is home to four million residents and the mecca for most of the entertainment industry's high-profile events. The almost constant stream of celebrity-infused happenings that require serious crowd control keeps the Los Angeles Police Department very busy. Knowing the city could always be target, the Counter Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau of LAPD several years ago began to seek out a surveillance system that includes cameras easily installed on a temporarily basis for covert investigations-- as well as for pre-planned public events in order to manage crowd safety.
Computerworld

Homeland Security

LAX bomb plotter's sentence in 2005 overturned
A 22-year sentence was unreasonably lenient for Al Qaeda-trained terrorist Ahmed Ressam, who drove a trunk full of powerful explosives into the United States from Canada with the intent of bombing Los Angeles International Airport, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. The 7-4 ruling by the full U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to a Seattle federal judge for resentencing with the recommendation that the Algerian-born prisoner be given a term more in line with federal sentencing guidelines that call for 65 years to life for the offenses for which Ressam was convicted.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

Prison officials: Potential gang policy changes could shorten isolation time
California prison officials have announced plans to revise policies for controlling prison gangs. Last week they said they want to refine criteria for deciding who poses a threat - and gets isolated in what's called Security Housing Units or "the SHU." Inmates in the SHU are restricted to their cells 22.5 hours a day, allowed little contact with families, and no phone calls.
Southern California Public Radio

Legislation

California legislator proposes banning violent fans from pro sports games
Take me out to the ballgame? Maybe not. California would become the first state to create a "Ban List" prohibiting violent fans from attending professional sports events anywhere in the state under newly proposed legislation. The list would operate much like a restraining order: Anyone listed who went anyway would be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Sacramento Bee

The Economy

Survey: Upturn predicted for L.A. job market
The next three months will bring Los Angeles County its strongest job market since the Great Recession, according to a survey released today. Sixteen percent of businesses surveyed plan new hiring in the second quarter while just 4 percent plan cuts, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. That results in a net employment outlook of 12 percent, the seventh consecutive increase and the best since late 2008 just prior to the economic collapse, the company said.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

L.A. council members call for accurate Fire Department figures
The Los Angeles City Council made deep cuts to the Fire Department last year after being presented with data that overstated how quickly rescuers arrived at the scene of citizen calls for help. The figures inaccurately portrayed department performance, according to new numbers released by the department last week. The new statistics show that medical rescuers actually arrived on scene within five minutes only 64% of the time in 2008 and hit that mark even less in the following two years.
Los Angeles Times

Politics

Villaraigosa has Prop. 13 in his sights
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa once again jumped on the third rail of California politics on Monday, telling lawmakers that businesses are unfairly exploiting Proposition 13, the constitutional amendment limiting property tax increases. "Proposition 13 has fallen victim to the law of unintended consequences," he said during a Capitol hearing. "What was conceived of as a measure to relieve the tax burden on homeowners has had the effect of benefiting commercial property owners at the expense of homeowners."
Los Angeles Times