Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Harbor Gateway and eight 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. Two neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Harbor Gateway was the most unusual, recording seven reports compared with a weekly average of two over the last three months. Elysian Park topped the list of seven neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. authorities boost security at key sites
Authorities in Southern California went on a heightened state of alert after Monday's Boston Marathon bombing, beefing up security at LAX, Dodger Stadium and other venues where crowds congregate. Law enforcement said they took the steps to reassure the public while guarding against the possibility of potential attacks related to or inspired by the Boston bombings that left at least three dead and dozens injured.
KTLA

Google helping friends, family locate Boston Marathon runners
Google is stepping in to help family and friends of Boston Marathon runners find their loved ones after explosions near the finish line. The site, called Google Person Finder, allows users to enter the name of a person they're looking for or enter information about someone who is there. Cellphone use has been difficult in the Boston area. Phone companies say service is operating, but with heavy traffic.
Associated Press

Universal City hit-run injures man and woman
A man and a woman were injured Monday morning in a hit-and-run accident on the Lankershim Boulevard offramp from the northbound Hollywood (101) Freeway in Universal City, the California Highway Patrol reported. The vehicle carrying the two overturned on the offramp around 12:30 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Patrick Kimball. The man, who was driving, got out by himself, Kimball said. But the woman was trapped and was extricated from the passenger side of the vehicle by Los Angeles firefighters using the Jaws of Life, he said.
City News Service

Peeping Tom stuck cellphone up woman's skirt in Panorama City store, LAPD says
A man was arrested on suspicion of being a peeping tom after police said he stuck his cellphone under a woman's skirt at a Panorama City convenience store. Joaquin Cortes Rodriguez, 33, of Monrovia, was arrested on a misdemeanor disorderly conduct count Friday evening. He was still in jail on $50,000 bail Monday. Police said he entered the country illegally after previously being deported, and federal authorities have placed an immigration "hold" on him, meaning he will not be freed immediately even if he posts bail.
Los Angeles Daily News

Still no suspect in hit-and-run that led to cyclist's amputation
California Highway Patrol officials say they are nowhere closer to finding a motorist who ran down and badly injured a bicyclist near Griffith Park than they were when the hit-and-run occurred nearly two months ago. On Feb. 17, Damian Kevitt, 36, an avid cyclist and church counselor, was hit by a minivan on Zoo Drive and dragged 600 feet under the carriage until he was dislodged on the southbound Interstate 5 onramp. Doctors were forced to amputate a portion of his right leg.
Los Angeles Times

Local police grapple with response to cybercrimes
If a purse with $900 is stolen, the victim probably would call the police. If a computer hacker steals $900 from that same person's bank account, what then? Call the police? Could they even help? As it is now, local police don't have widespread know-how to investigate cybercrimes. They rely heavily on the expertise of the federal government, which focuses on large, often international cybercrimes. What's missing is the first response role, typically the preserve of local police departments that respond to calls for help from individuals and communities.
Associated Press

Legislation

California considers background checks for ammo purchases
California would require ammunition buyers to pass an annual background check if lawmakers adopt a set of new gun-control measures in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting that left 20 children and six educators dead. Eight bills to be heard in the Senate Public Safety Committee today would ban high-capacity magazines and semi- automatic rifles with detachable magazines, as well as kits to modify semi-automatic rifles. The bills also would require ownership records for all types of guns and the background checks for ammunition sales.
Bloomberg

City Government

LA City Councilman calls for energy drink crackdown
A Los Angeles City Councilman is asking the police department to crack down on kids buying energy drinks, saying the buzz-worthy beverages contain far more caffeine than recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Councilman Bernard Parks, a former LAPD chief, is pushing for warning labels and restricting the amounts of energy drinks a customer can buy. He is also pushing to change drink placement on shelves to prevent children from buying them.
NBC LA

City Election

Wendy Greuel seeks $175 million in savings in L.A. budget
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel said Monday that she would seek an extra $175 million in savings from the city's budget by using such strategies as cutting the City Council's discretionary funds and changing the investment practices of its employee retirement systems. Appearing with several business leaders, Greuel said her budget plan would generate $60 million in savings per year by reducing the size of public employee health benefits and worker compensation outlays by 10%.
Los Angeles Times