Law Enforcement

Judge formally ends LAPD consent decree
The federal judge who oversaw a dramatic, forced transformation of the Los Angeles Police Department has freed the department from the final vestiges of federal oversight. In a brief, three-line order Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Gary Feess formally lifted the binding agreement the U.S. Department of Justice imposed on the LAPD in 2001, which spelled out dozens of major reforms the police agency had to implement and frequent audits it was required to undergo by a monitor who reported to Feess.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD officers say they shot man who lunged at them with knives
A man was shot by police Thursday in Pacoima after he lunged at officers while wielding knifes, authorities said. About 2:15 p.m., officers responded to the 13200 block of Corcoran Street where they said a 26-year-old man was trying to kill himself. LAPD sources said that when police arrived, the man was holding a knife and trying to stab himself with a syringe. Officers said they initially attempted to subdue the man by using a Taser, but the suspect then lunged at them with weapons in hand.
Los Angeles Times

Police hunt for suspects in attempted abductions near Northeast schools
Detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department Northeast Division are investigating a serial child annoyance case. Police are asking for help getting the word out in the Mount Washington/Elysian Park area, where more than four attempted abductions are now connected. Authorities are looking for two suspects who may be working together or one man with two different looks seen in a pair of sketches provided to CBS2.
CBS LA

Bicyclist killed by driver fleeing shooting in Florence, police say
A bicyclist was killed Wednesday night when he was struck by a car fleeing police after a shooting incident in Florence, authorities said. The victim was a 34-year-old Latino man, police said. He was hit about 10:45 p.m. at East 84th Street and South Central Avenue in Florence and was pronounced dead at the scene, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Christopher No said Thursday. The car struck the bicyclist and dragged him across the street, where it also knocked over a corner street sign, KTLA-TV reported.
Los Angeles Times

Hit-and-run kills bicyclist in Northridge
An investigation was underway Thursday into a fatal hit- and-run crash that killed a 44-year-old bicyclist in Northridge. The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Roscoe and Balboa boulevards, said Lt. David Ferry of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division, which was investigating the fatality. The victim, identified as Van Nuys resident Max De La Cruz, was riding west on Roscoe east of Balboa when he was struck, police said.
City News Service

30 new DTLA surveillance cameras set to launch at the end of the month
The Los Angeles Police Department is working with a contractor to install 30 new surveillance cameras throughout Downtown in an attempt to curb crime in the area. The project was announced at the end of last year and is now about one week away from completion. LAPD Central Division Capt. Horace Frank said according to the contractor, the project should be up-and-running by May 28. These new cameras are replacements for the broken ones that hung defunct in Downtown for more than three years.
Blogdowntown

Legislation

California Senate approves measures aimed at reducing gun violence
The state Senate approved two bills Thursday introduced following the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, including one requiring gun owners to keep their firearms in locked safe-boxes if they live with someone prohibited from using guns. Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) citied the killing of 20 children and six adults at the Newtown school in arguing for his bill requiring guns to be locked away when someone in the house has a criminal record or mental illness that prohibits possession of a firearm.
Los Angeles Times

Bill to stop tickets at broken parking meters pulls ahead in state assembly
On Thursday the California State Assembly overwhelmingly approved assemblyman Mike Gatto's bill to stop local governments from ticketing motorists who are parked at broken parking meters. The bill passed with a vote of 71-0. According to Gatto's news release, "The bill, AB 61, seeks to stop the trend of cities passing laws allowing for ticketing at malfunctioning meters, even when the city itself has failed to fix the machine."
KPCC

Prisons

Report says post-prison arrests down, repeat offenses up
Felons released from prison are committing new crimes at roughly the same rate they did before Gov. Jerry Brown switched their supervision to county probation, but a new report says repeat offenses are up. The study, released by the state corrections department Thursday, holds that there is "very little difference between the one-year arrest and conviction rates of offenders released pre- and post-Realignment." That was the message highlighted in a press statement from the corrections department.
Los Angeles Times

City Election

Greuel cites high-profile role as an executive at DreamWorks SKG
Wendy Greuel's resume is dotted with the political accomplishments of a politician on the rise. But there was an unconventional detour: her stint as an executive at DreamWorks SKG, working alongside Hollywood titans Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Greuel cites the job as evidence that she understands the city's most prominent industry. Her position at DreamWorks, however, was about more than making movies - she was a go-between for the studio to the political, governmental and civic worlds.
Los Angeles Times