Law Enforcement

Former LAPD sergeant awarded nearly $3M in retaliation lawsuit
A former Los Angeles police sergeant who said he was forced to quit his job after being retaliated against for corroborating a colleague's accusations of racism by a supervisor was Thursday awarded nearly $2.9 million. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated for part of Wednesday afternoon and this morning before finding in favor of former Newton Division Sgt. Pedro Torres in his constructive termination and retaliation lawsuit against the city.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD North Hollywood officer shoots 19-year-old burglary suspect
A Los Angeles Police Department patrol officer shot and injured a teenager Saturday night after the suspect swung a piece of wood at him, a police spokeswoman said. Officer David Nguyen of the LAPD North Hollywood Area shot Nathan Melara, 19, a burglary suspect, after Melara swung a 2-by-4 piece of wood at the officer, said Officer Rosario Herrera, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles Daily News

'Occupy' demonstration held in Century City
Members of Occupy Los Angeles took part in a demonstration Thursday in Century City in support of Los Angeles families facing foreclosure by Deutsche Bank, authorities said. The demonstration began about 7:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of Avenue of the Stars, Richard French of the Los Angeles Police Department said. One person climbed a light pole with a protest sign. View photos of the protester dangling from the pole here. No arrests were reported as of late Thursday morning, French said.
Westwood - Century City Patch

Law enforcement officials facing major hurdles as Senate Judiciary Committee passes controversial bill
Over objections from law enforcement officials, the Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation that would require police to obtain a search warrant from a judge before they can review a person's emails or other electronic communications. The bill passed Thursday makes it slightly more difficult for the government to access the content of a consumer's emails and private files from Google, Yahoo, Facebook and other Internet providers.
New York Daily News

Photo of officer giving boots to barefoot man warms hearts online
On a cold November night in Times Square, Officer Lawrence DePrimo was working a counterterrorism post when he encountered an older, barefooted homeless man. The officer disappeared for a moment, then returned with a new pair of boots, and knelt to help the man put them on. The act of kindness would have gone unnoticed and mostly forgotten, had it not been for a tourist from Arizona.
New York Times

Probation

L.A. County seeing high-risk offenders entering its probation system
One year into California's state prison realignment program, Los Angeles County is seeing an unexpected number of high-risk offenders coming into its probation system, including some with a history of severe mental illness. It remains unclear whether realignment - which shifted responsibility for some nonviolent offenders from prisons to county jails and from state parole to county probation - is having an effect on crime rates. But a report by a county advisory body found that a majority of state prison inmates who have been released to county probation are at a high risk of reoffending.
Los Angeles Times

Traffic

A slick stereotype: L.A. drivers unable to handle the rain
You know what they say: L.A. drivers can't handle the rain. Many motorists didn't disprove the stereotype Thursday as rain slickened roadways and snarled the morning commute. The California Highway Patrol reported more than three times as many accidents (294) between 12:01 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Thursday than in the same time period a week ago (90), on Thanksgiving. "People are driving too fast for the roadway," CHP Officer Ed Jacobs said. "Slow down. It's really simple. There is no other thing to do."
Los Angeles Times

The Ports

Ports strike continues as contract talks resume
After spending much of the day posturing and seeking to sway public opinion, representatives of the two sides involved in the strike at the nation's two largest ports resumed contract talks Thursday night. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, on a trade mission in Brazil, spoke personally to labor representatives and negotiators for the shipping companies, urging both sides to go back to the table.
Torrance Daily Breeze

State Government

California will offer Powerball lottery next year
A day after lottery officials announced that winners in Arizona and Missouri will share the $580 million Powerball jackpot, California lottery officials decided the state will join the game. The California State Lottery Commission voted unanimously today to approve new regulations allowing the state to participate in the Powerball game, which is run by the Multi-State Lottery Association. Californians should be able to play Powerball by April 8, 2013, said lottery commission spokesman Russ Lopez.
Sacramento Bee

Health Care

Health insurance rates could shoot up
California health insurers are proposing double-digit rate increases for hundreds of thousands of policyholders, drawing criticism that health insurers are padding their profits as the nation prepares to carry out the federal health care law. Anthem Blue Cross, the state's largest for-profit health insurer, wants to raise rates an average of 17.5 percent for 744,000 members in February, with some Anthem policyholders seeing increases as high as 25 percent.
San Francisco Chronicle