Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Los Feliz, Atwater Village and five other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in seven L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Six neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Los Feliz was the most unusual, recording six reports compared with a weekly average of 2.0 over the last three months. Atwater Village was the lone neighborhood with a property-crime alert.
Los Angeles Times

Woman speaks out after LAPD catches alleged serial killer tied to mother's murder
Brenda Gordon recently received a phone call from the LAPD that she will never forget. Detective Mitzi Roberts said DNA evidence had linked Samuel Little, a 72-year-old career criminal, to her mother's murder and the deaths of two other women in the 1980s. "I was really, really excited, I was happy, I was disgusted. I thought they had given up, but I do thank them from the bottom of my heart," Gordon said.
KCAL9

Armed gang member nabbed by LAPD officer on patrol near elementary school
It only took one day for the intensified police presence at Los Angeles schools to pay off. KNX1070s Pete Demetriou reports an officer patrolling near an elementary school took both a gang member, and a gun, off the streets. Olympic Division Senior Lead Officer Daniel Chavez was on patrol as students left Magnolia Elementary School Tuesday afternoon. Suddenly, two gunshots were heard. Chavez warned the kids to get inside before arresting a man with a 357 magnum handgun.
KNX1070

Los Angeles police commission questions officer discipline methods
The civilian oversight board for the Los Angeles Police Department is at odds with the way the department handles police officer misconduct, especially when it involves officers who have fired their weapons or used deadly force. The years-old debate over discipline has bubbled up at commission meetings since former police chief William Bratton introduced the idea of "conditional official reprimands," as LAPD calls them, in 2007.
Southern California Public Radio

2 women leaving funeral injured in South L.A. car-to-car shooting
Authorities are investigating a gang-related car-to-car shooting in South L.A. that injured two women leaving a funeral service, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The driver, a 38-year-old woman, and passenger, a 30-year-old woman, were shot in the 500 block of West Slauson Avenue at about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday after a male suspect drove alongside the vehicle and fired multiple rounds, said Officer Norma Eisenman.
Los Angeles Times

Judge grants wife of LAPD Chief 3-year restraining order
The wife of LAPD Chief Charlie Beck was granted a three-year stay-away order on Wednesday against a homeless woman who allegedly threatened to kill her and her dog. KNX 1070s John Brooks reports the judge agreed that the restraining order granted to Cindy Beck was the appropriate move. Veronica Roberts, 43, was arrested last month after allegedly making threats against Beck back in September.
KNX1070

LAPD says serial killer suspect may have more victims
Los Angeles police officials said they plan to comb through scores of old unsolved murders to see whether a reputed 72-year-old serial killer carried out slayings in the city beyond the three women he is suspected of killing in the 1980s. Samuel Little, who authorities allege also killed women in Florida and Mississippi, currently is being held at California's Wasco state prison.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD calendar is going to the dogs
A new 2013 calendar featuring Los Angeles Police Department officers is literally going to the dogs. The LAPD is known, of course, for rescuing humans. But they also rescue animals. The Voice tor the Animals Foundation, in partnership with the LAPD, is featuring top cops with their rescued animals
CBS2

The Courts

Justices wary of mandatory blood tests in drunk driving cases
The Supreme Court justices sounded wary Wednesday of giving the police a free hand to forcibly take blood from motorists suspected of drunk driving. "It's a pretty scary image of somebody restrained, and a representative of the state approaching them with a needle," Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said. Though the police stop swerving drivers at all hours of the day and night, rarely are motorists required to undergo a blood test.
Los Angeles Times

Immigration

Debate resumes over drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants
The debate over whether to grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants is a familiar one in California. Last week, a new law kicked in guaranteeing driver's licenses for a small subset of them - young people approved for temporary legal status under the federal deferred action program that started in August. Now, the governor of Illinois is poised to sign a measure - similar to some that have failed in California - that would let an estimated quarter-million undocumented immigrants there obtain licenses.
Southern California Public Radio