Law Enforcement

LAPD, sheriff's deputies begin patrols at L.A. schools on Monday
Police officers and sheriff's deputies who have simply cruised by elementary and middle schools in the past will add campus visits to their daily patrols beginning Monday, the first day that LAUSD students will be back in class since the Dec. 14 school shootings in Connecticut. Officials from more than a dozen law enforcement agencies were finalizing plans Friday for how to deploy patrol officers, detectives and administrators for walk-and-talk stops at nearly 600 Los Angeles Unified campuses.
Los Angeles Daily News

Ex-con accused in Christmas Day Pasadena slaying got early release
The reputed gang member suspected in the Christmas Day slaying of a community volunteer had been released early from custody under the state's prison realignment program, officials said Friday. According to court documents and state and county officials, Larry Darnell Bishop, 20, of Chino was granted early release under Assembly Bill 109 despite being a three-time convicted felon. Bishop is suspected of killing Victor McClinton, 49, of Pasadena.
Pasadena Star-News

North Hills woman arrested hours after photos of child-pornography suspects are released
Mere hours after asking the public for leads in a child pornography investigation, federal authorities on Thursday arrested a North Hills woman suspected of molesting a girl over a decade ago. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials nabbed Letha Mae Montemayor, 52, outside an apartment complex about 7:30 p.m. after receiving five separate tips from the public.
Los Angeles Daily News

Boy critical after Escalade strikes car at 70 mph on Los Angeles street
An 8-year-old boy was listed in critical condition after the Dodge Durango he was riding in was T-boned by a black Cadillac Escalade at 70 miles per hour while stopped at a Central City intersection early Sunday, a traffic sergeant said. The crash was reported at 12:31 a.m. at 22nd Street and Griffith Avenue, said a sergeant in the Los Angeles Police Department Traffic Division. The Escalade driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI, the sergeant said.
City News Service

Cameras show knife-wielding robber in Boyle Heights
The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help catching a suspect involved in a store robbery that was caught on tape by surveillance cameras. The suspect entered a store early on Christmas Eve in the 600 block of Breed St., brandishing a knife. He threatened the clerk, then rifled through the cash register, taking an undisclosed amount of cash. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact the LAPD.
KTLA

Behind the scenes, LAPD supervolunteer is on call 24/7
Like a lot of police officers, Jim Hardie gets calls at all hours of the night. After waking up and picking up the phone, he'll ask, "Where am I going?" The answer might be a homicide scene or a house where an armed man has barricaded himself inside. Between three San Fernando Valley stations, he puts in 40 to 60 hours a week. What sets Hardie apart is he doesn't make a dime for any of it. The 55-year-old, who has a full-time day job, might be the ultimate LAPD volunteer.
Los Angeles Daily News

Cool Kid offers kids comfort at LAPD station
Bryanne Carter volunteers at the LAPD Harbor Division. For various reasons out of their control, children find themselves separated from their parents there. Bryanne felt the need to supply these kids with things to make them comfortable. "I got to meet all these different children and all the hardships that they've gone through, and they come with absolutely nothing but the clothes on their backs," she said. "I wanted to help them in the best way that I possibly could."
ABC7

City Government

Councilmen Mitch Englander, Joe Buscaino propose $28 per year property tax to repair Los Angeles streets
Los Angeles voters would be asked to increase their average property tax bills by $28 a year to help fix the city's crumbling streets under a proposal offered Friday by two city councilmen. Councilmen Mitch Englander and Joe Buscaino are proposing to place on the May ballot a $3 billion bond measure to be repaid by taxpayers over 20 years.
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. Controller Wendy Greuel hammers cell-phone companies over failure to provide billing history
City Controller Wendy Greuel said Friday she subpoenaed three cell phone companies and accused them of failing to comply with repeated requests to turn over five years of city cell phone bills. Greuel said she employed the rarely used power after AT&T Mobility, T- Mobile and Sprint Nextel Corp. declined her requests or asked for extensions over a period of several months. Verizon handed over the requested bills last week, the controller said.
City News Service

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sprints to the finish
Entering the final six-month stretch of his eight years in office, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa hasn't said yet what he'll do professionally after he leaves City Hall, but he has at least two important items on his to-do list. "I'll probably have to take driver lessons, and I'll need to find a place to live," Villaraigosa said during a recent interview in his City Hall office.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Elections 2013

Los Angeles mayoral race gets serious
And now the race for mayor gets serious. With only 57 days left until the March 5 election, the campaigns are about to get into hypermode with appearances, forums, debates, mailing and advertising - all to appeal to about an estimated 30 percent of the city's 1.7 million voters.
Los Angeles Daily News