Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Manchester Square, 8 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. Manchester Square was the most unusual, recording six reports compared with a weekly average of 2.1 over the last three months. Silver Lake topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Suspected DUI and gang member leads LAPD on chase
A suspected drunken driver police believe is a known gang member led officers on a freeway chase that ended with the use of a PIT maneuver and a spike strip, police said Wednesday. When the chase ended in Bell, officers removed a baby in a car carrier from the vehicle and questioned a woman passenger. The chase began at 10:12 p.m. Tuesday when a unit from the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollenbeck Station tried to pull the driver over near Ditman Avenue and Sixth Street in East Los Angeles, said Officer Karen Rayner.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD, community vow to stop prostitution on Lankershim Boulevard
Vowing to permanently wipe out prostitution along Lankershim Boulevard in Sun Valley, community leaders and police announced Wednesday new crime-fighting tactics for the commercial corridor that has been a magnet for sex workers. Community groups will lead once-a-month night walks down the boulevard, part of an effort to take back their streets. Overhead lights are planned near Neenach Street to brighten the dark areas of the boulevard.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD officer to fight Folsom prison guard for state boxing championship
It took a few stumbles -- a childhood arrest, teen fatherhood -- for Juan Bustamante to develop the discipline and mettle to get where he is today: one fight away from being declared one of the toughest cops in California. "Bad Blood" Bustamante, a 28-year-old officer with LAPD's Foothill Division, will box for the state championship title in a March 31 "Battle of the Badges" bout sponsored by the United Combat Association, the ranking organization for amateur fighters from law enforcement, firefighting and the military.
Los Angeles Daily News

Hollywood job corps counselor fatally stabbed: Police
A counselor died after being stabbed by a resident at a Hollywood Job Corps facility Wednesday afternoon, police said. What started as a physical fight between two men ended with the 22-year-old suspect stabbing a 59-year-old, who later died at the hospital, police said. The incident occurred in an office in the 1200 block of Lodi Place just before 5 p.m. Witnesses detained the suspect while they waited for police to arrive, said Detective John Skaggs with LAPD. The suspect was taken into custody, but the motive for the attack remained unclear, Skagg said.
NBC4

Sherman Oaks residents find swastikas on their property
Residents of at least three Sherman Oaks homes awoke Wednesday to find swastikas scrawled on their property. The predominantly Jewish neighborhood was vandalized with the German hate symbols in the pre-dawn or early morning hours according to police, suggesting that the vandalism could have occurred in broad daylight. The homes where the swastikas were found were on Leghorn Avenue, and residents there reported them to area police. The LAPD sent a supervising detective to talk to residents, to take photographs, and to take a crime report.
KTLA

Man injured in stabbing near 405 fwy.
A man was injured on his face and neck after he was stabbed Wednesday afternoon on Santa Monica Boulevard close to the 405 Freeway. An argument led to the assault, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Karen Rayner. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to survive. Police detained a suspect who fled the scene on an eastbound bus. He only made it a few blocks before police were able to apprehend him. His name is not being released. He will be booked on suspicion of attempted murder.
Century City Patch

Quest for justice after Black postman is killed in East L.A.
Funeral services were held Monday for an industrious and vivacious young man who lost his life in an incident so tragically capricious that it takes your breath away. Anthony Earl Dunn II, who was always called Tony, was a 31-year-old postal worker, more familiarly known as a mailman, who had been delivering mail in several communities for the U.S. Postal Service for five years. It was a job he took pride in and a job he loved doing. Most recently, he had been assigned to a route in Boyle Heights, where his daily stops were well received by the residents who were grateful for the fact that Dunn often went out of his way to help them.
Los Angeles Wave

Pensions

CalPERS lowers forecast for investment returns
The nation's largest public pension fund voted Wednesday to lower its estimate for annual investment returns, meaning it will need more money from the state, school districts and local governments to maintain its ability to fund promised retirement benefits. The board of the California Public Employees' Retirement System decided to lower the fund's estimated rate of return from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent.
Associated Press

Election 2012

Race for L.A. County district attorney heats up with field set
The race to become Los Angeles County's top prosecutor took final shape Wednesday in what promises to be an election dogfight, with one candidate announcing plans to sue to prevent L.A. City Atty. Carmen Trutanich from calling himself "chief prosecutor" on the June ballot. With Wednesday's deadline up for would-be district attorney candidates, the field is set for Trutanich and five county prosecutors to battle for the chance to run the most powerful office in the county's criminal justice system - one responsible for prosecuting roughly 60,000 felony cases a year, including murders, rapes and robberies.
Los Angeles Times