Law Enforcement

'We believe the investigation is over,' sheriff says
Although San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said he could not "absolutely, positively confirm" the body found in the charred rubble of a cabin was that of Christopher Dorner, he stressed that the manhunt for the fugitive former LAPD officer had been called off. "We believe the investigation is over at this point," McMahon said at a news conference Wednesday. Coroner's officials have yet to positively identify the body found in the Big Bear area cabin after a man thought to be Dorner engaged in an intense gun battle with officers.
Los Angeles Times

Detective killed in Dorner manhunt identified
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy killed Tuesday in a gun battle in the San Bernardino Mountains is 35-year-old Jeremiah MacKay, sheriff's officials said Wednesday. "This is truly another sad day for law enforcement," Sheriff John McMahon said. "Our department is grieving from this event. It's just a terrible ordeal for all of us." MacKay, a detective who had worked in the Yucaipa station and before that in Big Bear, had been with the force for 15 years.
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Thousands salute 'ultimate sacrifice'
More than a police officer, Michael Crain was remembered as a loving father at his funeral Wednesday, Feb. 13. Thousands filled The Grove Community Church for the funeral of Crain, 34, a Riverside police officer who authorities say was killed on duty Thursday, Feb. 7, by ex-Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner. A procession, which drove by residents with flags, escorted the hearse to Riverside National Cemetery. Riverside police officers filled the seats on the cemetery's amphitheater and others sat in chairs set out for the burial.
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Sheriff: No intent to burn down cabin to get Dorner
Deputies did not intentionally burn down the Southern California mountain cabin where fugitive cop killer Christopher Dorner apparently made his deadly last stand Tuesday, the San Bernardino County sheriff said Wednesday. "We did not intend to burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner to come out," Sheriff John McMahon said at an afternoon news conference. He said deputies initially fired "cold" tear gas into the cabin near Big Bear Lake, then switched to "pyrotechnic-type" rounds" known as "burners."
USA Today

Police fill in the blanks on Dorner's last day
The coroner's office is working to make a positive identification on remains recovered from the ruins of a cabin in San Bernardino County, the scene of a ferocious shootout Tuesday between Christopher Dorner and sheriff's deputies. The remains are believed to be those of Dorner. When the manhunt came to a sudden, violent end, CBS News was there. We were on the side of the road when we decided to follow an unmarked police truck less than a mile away, and came to a dead stop right in the middle of a firefight.
CBS News

LAPD hoping new video will lead to missing Canadian woman
The Los Angeles Police Department has released a new video of a missing Canadian woman hoping it will lead to her being found. The photo and video of Elisa Lam, 21, was taken at the hotel where she was last seen. Police are calling the woman's disappearance “suspicious.” Lam was last seen in the lobby of the Cecil Hotel (near Skid Row) on January 31. Police are hoping someone will recognize the woman and help track her down.
CBS2

Caution urged in limiting law enforcement's access to email
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) passed by Congress back in 1986 requires police to obtain a subpoena issued without a judge's approval to read remotely stored emails that have been opened or that are more than 180 days old. But the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, doesn't think that's sufficient. He wants to "update" the act to require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before obtaining stored emails and other forms of electronic communication.
LAPPL Blog

Officials call for probe of sale of bulletproof vests
Local officials Tuesday called for investigations into the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department funneling hundreds of bulletproof vests to Cambodia through the city of Gardena. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas requested an audit to determine whether officials violated the law in shipping the vests a decade ago to the Southeast Asian country. A Gardena official also said she would be asking for an investigation into her city being used as an intermediary for the unusual transaction.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons & Parole

Federal judge dismayed with slap at California prison monitor
A federal judge has rebuked Gov. Jerry Brown's lawyers for taking a swipe at the court-appointed monitor for prison mental health care. U.S. District Senior Judge Lawrence Karlton on Wednesday issued an order giving California five days to either show why its allegations against Special Master Matthew Lopes should remain in the court record, or take them back. "The court takes very seriously any allegation of unethical conduct," Karlton wrote.
Los Angeles Times

More parolees tamper with ankle monitoring bracelets
Ex-convicts on parole are increasingly removing GPS ankle bracelets that are supposed to allow authorities to track their movements, according to data released by a state lawmaker. State Senator Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) blamed the increase on a new state law that shifted parole violators to county jails rather than state prison. According to information that Lieu requested from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in the 15 months before the law took effect, 221 parolees tampered with or cut off their GPS monitors.
HealthyCal.org

Legislation

New Assembly bill would ban hands-free texting while driving
California drivers would be banned from texting with hands-free mobile devices under legislation proposed Tuesday. Assembly Bill 313 was introduced by freshman Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Oakley. State law currently prohibits drivers from texting with hand-held devices, but not those that operate on voice commands. AB 313 would delete the existing exception for voice-controlled texting devices.
Sacramento Bee

Pensions

State agency rules against San Diego's pension reform initiative
An administrative law judge with the state's Public Employment Relation Board, or PERB, has ruled San Diego leaders should have negotiated with labor unions on eliminating pensions before taking the issue to the ballot. Several leaders supported a signature gathering process that put pension initiative on the June 2012 ballot. Several labor unions filed a complaint with PERB and a court eventually ordered the city to go through PERB'S process before taking it to the courts. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said this ruling changes nothing.
KPBS