Law Enforcement

Multiple shots fired at end of police pursuit, authorities say
Authorities released additional details Tuesday night following a car chase that ended when a suspect rammed into another vehicle near downtown Los Angeles, escaped from his car with a gun and had a shootout with police. The man, whose name has not been released, allegedly stole a white, two-door Honda at gunpoint in Studio City, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The vehicle was spotted about 6 p.m. near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Rosemont Avenue, the LAPD said.
Los Angeles Times

Robbery pursuit ends at Westfield Culver City Mall
Culver City Police assisted the Los Angeles Police Department as part of a robbery pursuit that began in South Los Angeles at 1:25 p.m. today. Sgt. Corrales of the Culver City Police Department told Patch CCPD officers were called in to help "in the termination of a pursuit," at Culver City's Westfield Mall and that all three suspects were apprehended.
Culver City Patch

Eight arrested in two Hollywood robberies
Eight people were under arrest Tuesday for investigation of two strong-arm robberies in Hollywood, police said. The names of those suspected in the robberies, which occurred Monday night and early Tuesday, were not immediately released, but six of the people are men and two are boys, said Lt. David Ferry of the Los Angeles Police Department. Ferry said the investigation was just beginning, but the eight were suspected of robbing three people of money, clothing and cellular phones in the two robberies.
Los Angeles Times

SWAT responds to Remmet Avenue in Canoga Park when man violates restraining order
A man who was under a restraining order not to go to a home in Canoga Park which he had holed up on Thursday after a domestic dispute was arrested Tuesday at the same location. The man showed up today at the residence in the 7300 block of Remmet Avenue, one block north of Sherman Way, said Officer Cleon Joseph of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section. His name was not immediately available. He was in the process of being booked, Joseph said.
City News Service

FBI's facial recognition program: Better security through biometrics
The FBI is moving ahead with a nationwide facial recognition program scheduled to be fully deployed by 2014, according to New Scientist and testimony delivered to the Senate in July. The program could lead to faster, more efficient law enforcement--but nabbing crooks after a crime is only part of the appeal. The technology also foreshadows upcoming security enhancements that will stop many offenses before they start, including several that plague businesses.
Information Week

Prisons

Prison realignment: Troubling trend points to need for fixes
October 1 will mark the first anniversary of the prison realignment legislation signed into law by Governor Brown. With nearly a year's worth of data, it is not too early to assess whether the law, heralded by prisoner-release advocates, in fact reduced the prison population and stopped the revolving door of inmates cycling into state prison without endangering public safety. Approaching the one-year anniversary, we can say that the realignment verdict is in and it is troubling!
LAPPL Blog

California state auditor finds positives in shifting juveniles to county care
The number of juvenile criminal offenders in state custody and supervision has been cut significantly since the state in 2007 began shifting nonviolent offenders to county supervision, the state auditor found in an evaluation of the five-year effort. To save the state money and improve services to non-serious offenders, the Legislature in 2007 approved a bill that ended the intake of nonviolent minors to the state Division of Juvenile Facilities, stipulating that the counties should handle custody and care from then on.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Skateboarders who break rules would have boards confiscated
Skateboarders caught bombing down Laguna Beach hills or maneuvering city streets without wearing a helmet will have their boards temporarily confiscated under the terms of a proposed ordinance. The City Council on Tuesday set the wheels in motion to grant police the authority to do so. "It's nuts for these kids to be playing in the street without helmets," said Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson. "And I saw them yesterday going down Temple Hills Drive. It's crazy." The catch is skateboarders without helmets must be caught in the act.
Los Angeles Times

Election 2013

L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl plans to seek another term
Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl on Tuesday attended his first meeting since beginning cancer treatment six weeks ago, declaring he intends to seek a third four-year term in next year's election. Using a walker and looking more gaunt than he did when he last appeared at City Hall in July, Rosendahl was welcomed with a standing ovation before divulging that he has had "13 hits of radiation" and two chemotherapy treatments.
Los Angeles Times

Jackie Lacey announces four law enforcement endorsements
Chief Deputy Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey on Tuesday announced that her campaign for district attorney has been endorsed by four major law enforcement groups, including the two largest organizations of frontline law enforcement officers in Los Angeles County. According to Lacey's media statement, the groups are: the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (A.L.A.D.S.); the Los Angeles Police Protective League (L.A.P.P.L.); the California Police Chiefs Association and the California Narcotic Officers' Association.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Traffic

Carmageddon II: shopping, dining discounts for going carless
Public officials don't want Angelenos driving near the Westside's 405 Freeway during a planned Carmageddon II shutdown at the end of this month. But they do want to get them out of the house. In an effort to entice residents to "Eat, Shop and Play Locally," officials plan to announce Tuesday scores of shopping, dining and other discount offers during the closure of the freeway Sept. 29 and 30. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for one, will be offering half off general admission for anyone arriving by public transit, bicycle, skateboard or on foot.
Los Angeles Times