Law Enforcement

LAPD: Woman, suspect in her killing found dead
Los Angeles police say a man in his 20s suspected of killing a woman in her 70s appears to have fallen to his death while trying to scale a wall. Sgt. Frank Preciado tells the Los Angeles Times neighbors summoned police to a home near Griffith Park in Los Feliz on Wednesday to find the woman dead in a driveway and the man dead near a wall. Preciado says the suspect, who may have rented a room from the victim, twice climbed the wall to fight with a housepainter and the owner of the neighboring house. Investigators believe the man was trying to climb the wall yet again when he fell and died.
Associated Press

Longtime youth volunteer shot dead in South L.A.'s Harvard Park
Police believe the 19-year-old shot in broad daylight as he sat on a bench may have been mistaken for a gang member. The brazen killing Tuesday afternoon prompted another call for security cameras in the troubled park, a known stronghold for a Bloods street gang. The cameras were expected to be operating this summer, but the issue has been stalled at City Hall since February.
Los Angeles Times

West LA sees 46 percent increase of knock-knock burglaries, police say
At least two so-called knock-knock burglaries happened in West Los Angeles this week, marking a rising trend of home invasions in the upscale area, police said. Police say the would-be burglars knock on the door and if no one answers, they assume - not always correctly - that no one is home. Then they look for an open window or other way in. On Tuesday, a knock-knock burglary occurred on Manning Avenue in West LA, where two men entered a ground-floor apartment and made off with a flat screen TV.
NBC4

Prostitution dips on Lankershim in Sun Valley, business owners say
A few business owners along Lankershim Boulevard in Sun Valley say prostitution in the area has declined in recent months thanks to efforts by the Los Angeles Police Department, but the problem isn't completely solved yet. Prostitution has been an ongoing issue on the major street for years with 164 suspects booked in 2011 for the crime, according to the LAPD. The police conducted several sting operations this year involving officers combing the area for 24 hours. An operation in March netted 26 suspects.
North Hollywood - Toluca Lake Patch

LAPD, DTLA bike stores team up to sell discounted u-locks
Bike theft remains a top crime in downtown L.A., says the LAPD Central Division, so police and two area bike shops are teaming up to promote $5 coupons for the heavy-duty -- but often expensive -- Kryptonite u-locks. Downtown LA Bicycles on Hill Street and DTLA Bikes on Broadway will be selling the discounted bike locks. Dan Farahirad, manager of Downtown LA Bicycles, said his store is "all about" this new program. "We definitely don't mind discounting a little to make sure people's bikes are secure," he said.
Blog Downtown

FBI crime lab cuts down backlog of cases, report says
The FBI's crime lab has reduced its backlog of forensic DNA cases by 87 percent over the course of two years, according to a report released Tuesday by the Justice Department's inspector general. In his 38-page report, Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz attributed the "significant" reduction to an increase in staffing and more automation.
Washington Post

Carmageddon II

During Carmageddon II, TV stations will share helicopter footage to limit noise to neighbors
Just days after Los Angeles politicians and community leaders called on news and tour helicopters to be respectful of residents during Carmageddon II, local television news stations announced Wednesday they will take part in a pool system to reduce air traffic during this weekend's closure of the San Diego (405) Freeway. Coordinated by the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California, the pool will limit air traffic to a single helicopter that will fly over the closure area before the top of the hour when major newscasts are scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and Monday morning.
Los Angeles Daily News

More firefighters to be deployed for Carmageddon II
Extra firefighters and paramedics will be stationed near the 405 Freeway for this weekend's Carmageddon II, officials announced Wednesday. Just in case Carmageddon II lives up to its name, authorities plan to deploy extra teams of firefighters and emergency medical technicians -- some atop motorcycles -- to areas serving the communities of Mountain Gate, Encino Hills, West L.A., Bel-Air and Beverly Glen, among other areas.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Gov. Brown acts to speed up restitution to corporate fraud victims
A decade after the Legislature created a fund to pay victims of corporate fraud, the state has dispersed just a fraction of the money raised through a fee on corporate document filings. In response, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation this week to speed up payouts to those who have been scammed. Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) introduced the bill in response to a column in the Sacramento Bee last October that said $14.6 million had been raised for the Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund since 2002, but that of hundreds of claims only seven had been settled, resulting in a total payout of $112,000.
Los Angeles Times

City Election 2013

Rick Caruso's entry into Los Angeles mayor's race would scramble the odds
As the 2013 Los Angeles mayoral race gets going, a question hangs over the campaigns of major declared candidates Wendy Greuel, Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry and Kevin James: Will they be challenged by Rick Caruso? New reports say Caruso, the megawealthy developer of The Grove and other L.A.-area shopping centers, is making behind-the-scenes moves that indicate he's at least keeping his options open -- and maybe planning to jump into the contest to succeed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Los Angeles Daily News