Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Florence, Watts and seven other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in nine L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Four neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Florence was the most unusual, recording 19 reports compared with a weekly average of 11 over the last three months. Watts topped the list of five neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD detectives investigate newly disclosed priest abuse files
Los Angeles Police Department detectives who specialize in child sexual abuse cases have begun examining a trove of newly disclosed priest abuse files to determine whether there are cases that can be prosecuted. Capt. Fabian Lizarraga said detectives "are currently reviewing the [files], to see exactly what we have.... Then we'll have to see what, if any, laws apply and if they're within statute," he said.
Los Angeles Times

Elite unit of LAPD trained to recognize if someone is high on drugs
An elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department can tell if someone is under the influence of prescription or illegal drugs without ever having to wait for lab results. The officers, known as "Drug Recognition Experts," undergo an intensive training program so they're able to pinpoint the signs and symptoms of seven different drug categories while they're patrolling the streets.
CBS LA

Studio City AT&T burglarized this morning
An AT&T store in Studio City was burglarized Tuesday morning. An alarm at the store at 12511 Ventura Boulevard was tripped at 1:50 a.m., said Sgt. Season Nunez of the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Station. Entry was made through a smashed front window, Nunez said. Officers were at the store investigating the break-in, she said, adding that it was not immediately clear what was stolen.
City News Service

'Skid Row Stabber' serial killer suspect indicted in 3 deaths
A man accused of being the notorious "Skid Row Stabber" linked to a series of killings in Los Angeles during the 1970s has been indicted on murder charges involving the slayings of three men, according to court records unsealed Tuesday. Bobby Joe Maxwell, who has spent more than 30 years behind bars, was convicted of two of the murders in 1984. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the convictions in 2010, finding that the jailhouse informant who was a key prosecution witness was a habitual liar with "a long and public history of dishonesty."
Los Angeles Times

Long Beach police chief considering run for Los Angeles County sheriff
Long Beach's No. 1 cop, who once rose to second-in-command in the Los Angeles Police Department, may now be setting his sights even higher in a bid for Los Angeles County sheriff. "When I was on the jail commission, a few people reached out and asked `Would you be interested in running for Sheriff,"' Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Tuesday. "I'm still not certain what I will do, ... but it's an honor to be thought of."
Los Angeles Daily News

Report: FBI was watching bunker hostage-taker the whole time
Federal Bureau of Investigation negotiators were watching Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, "the whole time" as they prepared to enter the bunker where Dykes was holding a 5-year-old boy hostage, CBS News reported in its Monday evening broadcast. Officials rescued the boy, named Ethan, early Monday evening in a surprise raid that left Dykes dead, ending a nearly weeklong standoff that began after Dykes boarded a bus and killed a bus driver before taking the boy to his underground bunker.
Los Angeles Times

January's FBI gun background checks are second-highest ever
As President Obama continues to push for new gun control measures, new FBI data shows that January was the second-highest month on record for gun background checks. FBI figures posted Tuesday show there were 2,495,400 background checks done through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, known as NICS. The number was more than 1 million higher than any previous January.
CNN

Prisons

California passes up millions for prison healthcare, report says
California's court-run prison healthcare program is missing out on tens of millions of dollars a year in federal funds because of disagreement with counties and software problems, a new legislative report states. The legislative analyst's office found increasing numbers of prison inmates who, because of their low income status, are eligible for the state's Medicaid program. That program, delivered through counties, draws matching federal reimbursements.
Los Angeles Times

City Election

Wendy Greuel wants to increase LAPD, LAFD ranks without new taxes
The unions that represent police officers and firefighters endorsed Wendy Greuel for L.A. mayor and on Tuesday, she announced a plan to increase their ranks by the year 2020. Standing outside the headquarters of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, Greuel pledged to increase the Los Angeles Police Department's ranks to 12,000 officers by 2020.
Southern California Public Radio