Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Mid-Wilshire and 18 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 19 Los Angeles neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Thirteen neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Mid-Wilshire was the most unusual, recording 13 reports compared with a weekly average of 2.6 over the last three months. Westlake topped the list of six neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD in Sylmar to get extra funding to deal with out-of-control parties
Los Angeles police officers in the Sylmar neighborhood will get extra cash to patrol out-of-control parties thanks to funding announced Thursday by City Councilman Richard Alarcon. The councilman will be joined by LAPD Capt. Todd Chamberlain, police officers and Sylmar residents to discuss the $42,640 approved by the City Council Tuesday to pay for 720 hours of officer overtime in the department's Mission Division.
City News Service

LAPD seeks public's help in locating missing woman, 20
The Los Angeles Police Department Thursday asked for the public's help in locating a missing 20-year-old woman. Shantell Patricia Chavez-Hardy was last seen around 12 a.m. on May 1 at her home in the 22300 block of Welby Way in Topanga. Chavez-Hardy, who is said to have the mental capacity of a 10-year-old, is described as an African American female with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing lime-colored pajama bottoms and a white shirt. Anyone seeing her was urged to call the LAPD's missing persons office, (213) 996-1800, or (877) LAPD-247.
CBS LA

LA City Council approves $50,000 reward for info on Boyle Heights murder
The L.A. City Council approved a $50,000 reward for information in finding a suspect in the killing of Emmanuel Vargas, a 29-year-old who was fatally shot in Boyle Heights last year, The Eastsider LA reports. According to their report: "Detectives hope that a monetary reward compels members of the public to provide more information," according to the motion introduced by Councilman Jose Huizar.
Southern California Public Radio

Help keep a murderous L.A. arsonist behind bars
Nearly 32 years ago, Los Angeles firefighter Thomas Taylor grasped another firefighter's outstretched hand before plunging into a restaurant inferno. Now the man who set that North Hollywood fire, and murdered Brother Taylor, is up for parole. CPF and United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 are asking your help in keeping arsonist Mario Catanio behind bars. Catanio set the hellish fire at Cugee's Coffee Shop in North Hollywood on January 28, 1981, after being paid $2,500 by the restaurant's owners.
California Professional Firefighters

LA homeowner says his 'large gun' helped thwart attempted burglary
A homeowner in the Wilshire-Crest area of Los Angeles credits his quick thinking - and his "large gun" - for helping him stave off three apparent burglars. KNX 1070s Ed Mertz reports two out of three suspects were still on the loose Thursday after what appeared to be a botched burglary attempt. The male homeowner, who asked not to be identified, said he was taking out the trash Wednesday afternoon when he saw three young males jump the rear wall of his property on Redondo Boulevard, just north of Pico.
CBS LA

CHP officer shot after pursuit of murder suspects
A gun battle in San Bernardino County between murder suspects and law enforcement officers after a high-speed chase Thursday left one suspect dead, one wounded and a CHP officer hospitalized, officials said. The shootout concluded a pursuit that had begun a short time earlier when San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies responded to reports of shots fired in Yucca Valley. About 11:41 a.m., they discovered a body inside a vehicle in a shopping center parking lot.
Los Angeles Times

How to stay safe this summer
The summer is fast approaching, and with it often comes an escalation in crime, according to officers with the Los Angeles Police Department. "When it's hotter, you have a tendency for crime to go up," said LAPD Pacific Division Officer Marcy Garcia. "A lot of these suspects know a lot of people are on vacation. A lot of people go out of town." There is also an increase in tourists venturing to Venice Beach and Marina del Rey during the summer months.
Venice - MarVista Patch

LAX police officer dies after running in memorial 5K for former colleague
A Los Angeles International Airport police officer, who felt ill on Wednesday after running in a 5K race to honor an officer killed while on duty, died late Thursday afternoon, Chief Patrick Gannon said. Anthony Edwards had been taken to Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center on Wednesday, where doctors discovered a heart problem, Gannon said. He had just finished the run, which raised money for the Tommy E. Scott Scholarship Fund.
Torrance Daily Breeze

People

West Sac picks new chief of police
The City of West Sacramento announced on Thursday that the city council has chosen a police chief to replacing retiring chief Dan Drummond. Tom McDonald, a currently a Los Angeles Police Department captain, has been appointed to the post. McDonald currently serves as the commanding officer for LAPD's Bomb Squad, Bomb K-9, and Hazmat. He has also served as the patrol commanding officer in Rampart and in south central Los Angeles.
News-Ledger of West Sacramento

City Election

L.A. mayor's race is virtual dead heat with 12 days to go, poll says
A new poll shows City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Councilman Eric Garcetti in a virtual dead heat in the campaign to be the next mayor of Los Angeles. The poll by the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles shows Greuel with 46% of likely voters and Garcetti with 45%, and 9% undecided, 12 days before the May 21 election.
Los Angeles Times

'Make history' with first female mayor, says ad for Wendy Greuel
A new union-sponsored television ad urges Los Angeles voters to "make history" by electing Wendy Greuel the city's first female mayor. Service Employees Local 721, sponsor of the ad, said it will begin airing Thursday and be broadcast for 10 days, part of a $175,000 independent expenditure by the union on behalf of Greuel. Local 721 represents about 10,000 city employees. "By electing Wendy Greuel the first woman mayor of L.A., we're making history," says the ad.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Transit officials find $42.6 million that fell 'through the cracks'
Los Angeles' transportation department has identified a $42.6-million accumulation of cash that should have been paid to the city's general fund over a 17-year period, officials said Wednesday. The money was allocated by city officials over the years to help fund costs of various projects. It should have been returned as federal, state and other grants arrived, according to Department of Transportation General Manager Jaime de la Vega.
Los Angeles Times