Law Enforcement

LAPD sees spike in false alarms after Boston bombings; still encourages public to call with concerns
Since Monday's deadly twin explosions near the Boston Marathon finish line, law enforcement officials in Los Angeles have been on high alert and flooded with calls from residents reporting suspicious packages. "We had a pressure cooker that was left in a parking lot in northeast that was sitting right next to a car in the parking lot, which, again, is suspicious, so we had to respond to that," said LAPD Cmdr. Blake Chow, with the department' counter terrorism and special operations bureau. That call turned out to be a false alarm. This week alone, 14 other calls came into the department reporting suspicious packages.
NBC LA

Op-ed piece by LAPD Chief Charlie Beck
Every day when Los Angeles Police officers pin on their badges and prepare to protect and to serve, they're reminded of what they learned as Academy recruits: a reverence for human life. Los Angeles Police Department officers are never trained to "shoot to kill," only to stop a deadly threat in order to keep the community and themselves safe. This isn't a rhetorical turn-of-phrase or semantic contrivance, but a real world reality: taking a life - anyone's life - is never our intent.
The Government Center Gazette & Van Nuys News Press

Current, former LAPD officers acquitted on perjury charges
A jury Friday acquitted a Los Angeles police officer and a former officer on charges that they lied about a drunk-driving arrest. After deliberating only a few hours, jurors found Phillip Walters and Craig Allen not guilty of the perjury charges, said Bill Seki, Allen's attorney. Allen also was cleared on an allegation of filing a false police report.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD Chief donating "Southland" check to Homeboy!
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck is now making TV money ... but we've learned he's not keeping it. Beck did a cameo for "Southland" recently ... and got a check for more than a grand. The Chief could have spent the cash on scores of donuts ... but decided there was a worthier cause -- he's donating the money to Homeboy Industries. The group works with high-risk, former gang-involved men and women, providing free services and job training.
TMZ

The Courts

South L.A. residents decry closing of juvenile court, other cuts
Marcus Bell knows how important Los Angeles County courts are for at-risk youth. Bell, a gang intervention and prevention worker in South Los Angeles, has worked hard with young people, trying to get them to not run from police. He's worked with them to get into the courts when they have legal issues, to deal with them responsibly instead of not showing up and having warrants issued at a young age.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

California Assembly OKs $24 million to speed seizure of guns
The state Assembly approved $24 million Thursday to speed up the confiscation of guns from Californians who are not allowed to own them because of criminal convictions or serious mental illness. A day earlier, lawmakers rejected a plan to allow school districts to train teachers and administrators to use guns to protect campuses.
Los Angeles Times

Traffic

CicLAvia bike event leaves some motorists fuming about traffic jams
The bike-riding extravaganza known as CicLAvia drew tens of thousands of cyclists on a route that stretched from downtown L.A. to Venice. The event drew many cheers. But there were also some jeers from motorists trying to get around. Numerous streets were closed, and that led to heavy delays, especially in downtown L.A. where several streets were subject to long backups. Some motorists vented on social media.
Los Angeles Times

Public Safety

Early quake warning system for Southern California gets $5 million
Earthquake scientists have received about $5 million to develop an earthquake early warning system for Southern California -- enough to build the network but not enough to operate it. The money, announced Friday, has enabled scientists to already begin purchasing 100 new sensor stations that will be deployed throughout Southern California to complete the seismic sensor network.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

California tries to regain fuller control of prisons
California is arguing the state should be allowed to regain fuller control over its prisons, the nation's largest correctional system. But federal judges recently issued stinging criticisms of the state, denying its bid for greater authority in two related cases and affirming the continuing need for federal overseers to achieve a level of care required by the United States Constitution. Gov. Jerry Brown, who has been pressing strongly for the end of federal oversight since the beginning of the year, has said that the state will appeal the two decisions.
New York Times

City Election

Let the Los Angeles mayoral campaigns begin
And so it begins. With absentee ballots for the May 21 runoff going out today, the television and radio commercials have started and the mail is soon to come to remind voters of the election. And, based on the primary election turnout, a lot of reminding will have to be done. Controller Wendy Greuel has struck first on television with a negative ad on Councilman Eric Garcetti.
Los Angeles Daily News

Zine vows audits of officer-involved lawsuits as L.A. controller
As he campaigns to become the city's next controller, Councilman Dennis Zine said his first job in office would be to audit the Los Angeles Police Department's risk management division to find out why so many officers are involved in lawsuits. The city has spent as much as $50 million on legal settlements in recent years on cases it could have avoided if commanders did a better job supervising officers, says Zine, a former LAPD motorcycle officer who faces lawyer Ron Galperin in a May 21 runoff election.
Los Angeles Times