Law Enforcement

'
Teardrop Rapist' sketches released to aid in LAPD pursuit
Los Angeles police have been hunting an attacker known as the "teardrop rapist" for more than 15 years, and this week they released a series of nine sketches they hope will put an end to a string of as many as 28 sexual assaults since 1996, CBS Los Angeles reported. Officials say the suspect has targeted girls and women between the ages of 14 and 41, mostly in South L.A. when the victims were walking alone on their way to school, work or a bus stop. Detectives say DNA evidence, as well as the nature of the attacks, have linked them together.
CBS News

LAPD roll call in the streets at NoHo MTA Station sends message to criminals
On Wednesday at around 10 a.m., about 20 Los Angeles Police Department officers from the North Hollywood Division, including Capt. Peter Whittingham, gathered near the entrance to the North Hollywood Metro Red Line Station. About eight squad cars were parked nearby, as was a mobile substation that is frequently used as a base for officers during extended field investigations. However, no major crime had occurred at or around the station that morning - and that's just the way the LAPD likes it.
Studio City Patch

Missing Van Nuys girl found
A 12-year-old girl who was missing since being dropped off at Vista Middle School in Van Nuys on Tuesday was found unharmed, and has been reunited with her family, police said Thursday. Nicole Jacqueline Hernandez was last seen about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, and authorities had sought public help to find her. Police earlier said she might have been upset over a disagreement with her mother about her relationship with an older boy. Other details of her disappearance were not released.
Los Angeles Daily News

Woman can sue police for releasing her in neighborhood where she was attacked, court says
More than two years after getting the case, a federal appeals court Thursday ruled that a mentally ill California woman can sue the Chicago Police Department for releasing her into a violent neighborhood where she was raped and nearly killed. In its decision, the three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the city's attempt to stop the case and said the only way to sort out whether officers violated Christina Eilman's rights is to have a trial.
Chicago Tribune

Donate blood, LAPD will give you L.A. Galaxy tickets
The community relations team at the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood Division is putting together another blood drive with the help of the American Red Cross. Mark your calendars for May 15 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The blood drive will be held at the first-floor community room at 6501 Fountain Avenue. You'll want to make an appointment by visiting www.redcross.org and enter sponsor code LAPD Hollywood or contact Sgt. Darrell Davis or Heather Beller at 213-485-4316.
Hollywood Patch

Homeland Security

Bin Laden anniversary triggers law enforcement surge
While U.S. officials say publicly there is no specific threat of a terror attack, behind the scenes law enforcement officials tell ABC News there are plans for a major security surge at airports and transportation hubs in advance of next week's anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death. The precautions are based on intelligence reports that al Qaeda is determined to avenge the death of bin Laden, killed by Navy SEALs last May, with a focus on aviation targets.
ABC World News

Capital Punishment

Calif. gov mulls change to lethal injection method
Gov. Jerry Brown is ordering California prison officials to explore using a single drug for lethal injections instead of three, in an effort to restart long-stalled executions in the state. Brown's order was contained in a two-page appeal of a Marin County judge's decision last year to toss out California's newly developed lethal injection regulations. The appeal was filed Thursday. The procedures called for prisoners to be put to death through the use of sodium thiopental, which may no longer be available in the United States, and two other drugs.
Associated Press

Ballot Initiatives

California's 'Three Strikes' overhaul measure turns in signatures
A proposal to revise California's "Three Strikes" sentencing law appears headed for the November ballot. Initiative proponents announced today that they are submitting to election officials more than 830,000 voter signatures in support of the proposal. They need 504,760 valid voter signatures to qualify for November ballot. Under the proposal, only offenders convicted of a "third strike" felony that is violent or serious would face a minimum sentence of 25 to life in prison.
Sacramento Bee

Legislation

Dems, unions pushing new local government bankruptcy bill
Although a new law to govern bankruptcy filings by local governments is just four months old, Democratic legislators and labor unions are lining up behind a major revision that local officials say would tilt the playing field. In the aftermath of Vallejo's bankruptcy, unions had pushed legislation that would require local governments to get permission from a union-friendly state commission before filing bankruptcy.
Sacramento Bee