Police union suing to stop change in vehicle impound policy
Days before a controversial new Los Angeles Police Department vehicle impound policy is set to take effect, the police union announced it is suing to block the change. The Los Angeles Police Protective League believes the policy change would conflict with the state vehicle code and legal opinions from the District Attorney's Office and the state legislative counsel. The league also said it is concerned the policy could leave officers open to potential civil liability if there is an accident involving an unlicensed driver who is given a vehicle back.
Los Angeles Daily News LAPPL News Release KFI640 Lawsuit

Crime alerts for Palms, Sherman Oaks, 14 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 16 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Ten neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Palms was the most unusual, recording five reports compared with a weekly average of 1.5 over the last three months. Sherman Oaks topped the list of six neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

13-year-old Pacoima boy in critical condition after shooting, one person detained but released
A 13-year-old boy was shot and critically wounded Thursday in Pacoima, and police were trying to determine if foul play was involved. Officers went to the 10000 block of Telfair Avenue about 8 a.m., according to an officer at the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Station. Officer Chris Lata, of the LAPD's Media Relations office, said detectives ruled out attempted suicide as a factor in the case, and were trying to determine if the shooting was accidental or if a suspect was at large.
Los Angeles Daily News

Stabbed in brain, officer escaped ‘death's door'
The wild swing connected to the left side of the police officer's head, a presumed punch until the blood started flowing. The officer, Eder Loor, reached to his temple and felt the handle of a knife. He pulled the knife out, his wife later learned, not realizing then just how seriously injured he was. By any odds, Officer Loor should have been killed or left brain-dead by the knife that entered his skull on Tuesday, after a confrontation with a 26-year-old ex-convict in East Harlem.
New York Times

Culture - not race - determines many crime stats
I've spent the better part of my career working in neighborhoods in South and South Central Los Angeles, i.e. those most bedeviled by violent crime. I have also spent time working in some of L.A.'s most affluent neighborhoods, so I feel qualified to comment on the differences I've observed over the course of a long career combating crime and villainy in America's second-largest city.
Jack Dunphy/Pajamas Media

SMPD, LAPD search for drug suspects
LAPD announced an arrest has been made in its recent search for drug suspects in conjunction with the Santa Monica Police Dept. Officers from both departments searched for alleged drug suspects in the southwest portion of Santa Monica and portions of Venice, causing two streets in the City to be shut down. The LAPD has since announced an arrest, but specific details have not yet been released.
Santa Monica Mirror

Santa Ana officers honored for assisting LAPD during LA riots
It's been nearly 20 years since the Los Angeles riots began. To commemorate the anniversary, the Los Angeles Police Department is officially thanking one of the Southern California law enforcement agencies that came to its aid. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck presented retired Santa Ana Police Sgt. John Follo with a 1992 Civil Unrest Ribbon, offering recognition after 20 years for what he did to help during the L.A. riots.
ABC7

CBS2 investigates whether husband of high-ranking city official received preferential treatment from LAPD
A CBS2 investigation has looked into whether the husband of a high-ranking City of Los Angeles general manager was given preferential treatment from the LAPD after his car was impounded. Tens of thousands of people get their cars impounded by the LAPD every year, and most have to pay a hefty fine to get it back. But not one man whose wife happens to work for the city and who has Chief Charlie Beck's phone number.
CBS2

Oakland Police caught between reform and crime surge
Last month, at his first executive meeting as Oakland's new police chief, Howard A. Jordan laid out his priorities for the police department in California's most violent city. No. 1: reforms. No. 2: crime. That is the conundrum the Oakland Police Department faces, according to dozens of former and current city officials, police officers and commanders and national police reform experts interviewed by The Bay Citizen.
The Bay Citizen

Analysis says Calif. prison medical costs too high
As the state prepares to resume control of inmate medical care, it must find ways to reduce costs that are triple the national average, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office said Thursday. The federal receivership that has been in place since 2006 has greatly improved the medical care of state prison inmates but also has caused costs to soar, according to the report. California spends $16,000 per inmate for health care services, compared to an average of $5,000 in other states.
Associated Press