Law Enforcement

Fence torn down around Occupy San Fernando Valley encampment at 'Fort Hernandez'
City officials removed a six-foot-tall wooden fence that surrounded a Van Nuys home Monday morning where members of Occupy San Fernando Valley have been camped out for the last 65 days. The Los Angeles Police Department assisted workers with the city's Building and Safety department in removing the fence, which was made of wooden pallets and plywood and on public property. The city deemed it a danger to the community, police officials said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Video: Bath salts can lead to violent behavior, liver damage, death
In a two-part report, KCAL9s Sharon Tay introduced viewers to Hanna, a 21-year-old ballerina whose life was nearly destroyed by the horrific drug known as "bath salts." The drug literally had her tearing her skin off. In Part 2, Tay examined what this drug can do to others. Many people have exhibited wild, disturbing behavior - including possible cannibalism. Police believe Deutsche Bank executive Brian Mulligan was high on bath salts before his deadly confrontation occurred with the LAPD.
KCAL9 Part 1
KCAL9 Part 2

Valley Glen pursuit turns into 2-hour standoff before suspect arrested
What started as an effort to stop a seemingly impaired driver turned into a pursuit, then a standoff in the Valley Glen area of the San Fernando Valley as the man refused to get out of his car for two hours, police said. The pursuit began around Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Osborne Street just before midnight, when the suspect wouldn't pull over, said Sgt. Jim Reid of the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Station. The chase ended with an officer applying the pursuit intervention technique, causing the suspect's car to spin out.
City News Service

3 band members sentenced to 3 years probation for 2010 publicity stunt on 101 freeway
Three members of an Orange County band, whose performance on top of a truck on the Hollywood (101) Freeway caused a massive traffic jam, were sentenced Monday to probation and community service. Christopher Roy Wright, 34, David Paul Hale, 32, and Keith R. Yackey, 33, each pleaded no contest to one felony count of conspiracy, one misdemeanor count of public nuisance and two misdemeanor counts of resisting, obstructing or delaying law enforcement officers.
City News Service

FBI: Crime reported to police fell last year
The number of violent crimes reported to police decreased 3.8 percent last year to 1.2 million, the fifth straight year of declines, the FBI announced Monday. Meanwhile, the total number of property crimes reported to law enforcement agencies went down by 0.5 percent to 9 million, the ninth consecutive year that figure has fallen. Property crimes resulted in estimated losses of $156.6 billion.
Associated Press

Public Safety

Practice safety first, but some Halloween fears more fiction than fact, experts say
Halloween is a time for fear and fright, but some common worries about the ghastly holiday may be overblown, experts say. There are legitimate safety issues to consider on the holiday - pedestrian-vehicle accidents, fire hazards, dogs who get into chocolate. But many of the scariest Halloween horror stories - poisoned candy, satanic sacrifices of pets, and rampant criminal activity - have little basis in reality.
Los Angeles Daily News

Prisons & Parole

More paroled felons stay clean, but revolving door continues
The rate of California prisoners committing new crimes after release has continued to drop, according to a report released Monday by the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The number of inmates who found themselves back behind bars within three years of release peaked in 2008, at 67.5%. According to Monday's updated report, just 63.7% of adults paroled in 2007 were found guilty of new crimes by 2010.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

10,000 cops on the street is 'a magic illusion,' L.A. councilman says
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's goal of having a police force of 10,000 sworn officers is fiscal folly if the city is forced by layoffs in civilian staff to pull cops off the street to take over clerical tasks, two City Council members said Tuesday. Villaraigosa's expansion of the Los Angeles Police Department has been a centerpiece of his administration and one that the council generally has supported as it approved the hiring and training of up to 1,000 new officers.
Los Angeles Times

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich warns layoffs will cost Los Angeles more money
City Attorney Carmen Trutanich appeared before the City Council's Budget and Finance committee Monday to warn that a plan to lay off 50 lawyers in his office could cost the city millions of dollars in adverse judgments. "The layoffs would cascade throughout the department," Trutanich said, "creating a devastating effect on trial preparation and creating havoc."
Los Angeles Daily News