Law Enforcement

Tow-truck driver in fatal downtown L.A. crash convicted in 2008 police chase
A Gardena tow-truck driver suspected of crashing into a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles and killing its driver led police on a high-speed chase five years ago, telling officers when he stopped that he had explosives strapped to his body, records show. Yousef Abdel Adhami, 43, who was reported in grave condition from injuries suffered in Wednesday's crash, had a valid license to drive a car through Aug. 5, but the state Department of Motor Vehicles records showed four suspensions for violations, including speeding and failing to appear in court, and that he lacked the proper certification to drive a tow truck.
Los Angeles Daily News

Search of Orange Line bus turns up 2 robbery suspects
A police search of an Orange Line bus turned up two robbery suspects late Wednesday, authorities said. After receiving a report of at least one armed man on board the bus in the Valley Village area, officers surrounded the vehicle and ordered passengers to exit, Los Angeles police said Thursday. Television images showed the passengers standing outside the bus as officers searched the vehicle. The search led to two robbery suspects, one of them armed with a gun, police said.
Los Angeles Times

Law enforcement demands smartphone 'kill switch'
Police and prosecutors from across the country told smartphone manufacturers on Thursday that they must take steps to solve the "epidemic "of thefts involving mobile devices - and they need to do it right away. A coalition of law enforcement officials, political leaders and consumer groups, called the Secure Our Smartphones (S.O.S) Initiative, wants a "kill switch" installed on all new smartphones that would make them useless anywhere in the world if they are reported stolen.
NBC News

Police agencies are assembling records of DNA
Slowly, and largely under the radar, a growing number of local law enforcement agencies across the country have moved into what had previously been the domain of the F.B.I. and state crime labs - amassing their own DNA databases of potential suspects, some collected with the donors' knowledge, and some without it. And that trend - coming at a time of heightened privacy concerns after recent revelations of secret federal surveillance of telephone calls and Internet traffic - is expected only to accelerate after the Supreme Court's recent decision upholding a Maryland statute allowing the authorities to collect DNA samples from those arrested for serious crimes.
New York Times

Chrysler introduces AWD Police Charger for 2014
Chrysler will introduce an all-wheel-drive version of its Dodge Charger Pursuit patrol car for model-year 2014 that will compete with Ford's all-wheel Police Interceptor vehicles. Law enforcement agencies can now choose from five different powertrains when purchasing Dodge Chargers from Chrysler. The automaker has submitted the all-wheel Charger to the Michigan State Police for its annual police vehicle testing in September, the agency has confirmed.
Police Magazine

Guns

White House makes moves to bolster gun safety
Six months after the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., and with no major gun legislation on the horizon in Congress, the White House is quietly moving forward on an executive package of gun safety measures. The package, which includes 23 executive actions announced by President Obama earlier this year, is intended to bolster the nation's database used for background checks and make it harder for criminals and people with mental illnesses to get guns.
New York Times

The Courts

State's largest court poised for staff cutbacks
Los Angeles court officials will lay off or cut 539 jobs, likely resulting in long lines and reduced services. Presiding Superior Court Judge David Wesley made the announcement Thursday, further restricting a court system that began facing cuts with the budget crisis in 2008. "We have reached the new normal, and there is nothing to like about it," said Wesley. He said the cuts will save $56 million a year but undermine the goal of a court system serving all areas of the county.
Associated Press

Traffic

110 Freeway Toll road evasion tickets: Is this extortion?
Amanda Ferguson, 42, of Echo Park, on May 30 received in the mail a toll road ticket for driving on the 110 in South L.A. She is upset. But not so much about the ticket as its due date -- May 30, the same day the ticket arrived in the mail. Had she failed to pay the $3.05 due on that very day, she would have owed $28.05 for being "late." Many people are angry about the new tolls and surprise tickets. Sometimes motorists don't even realize they were on a toll road until the demand for payment arrives in the mail.
LA Weekly

City Government

Residents have Garcetti's ear before he takes office
Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti is preaching a gospel of civic rebirth in appearances across Los Angeles while gently lowering expectations about how much City Hall, and he himself, can do to bring about change. In a city of 4 million, "I can't be everywhere, I won't be everywhere and do a good job," Garcetti told a crowd of about 250 at Cal State Northridge on Wednesday, one in a series of "Back to Basics" forums in the weeks before he replaces outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on July 1.
Los Angeles Times

LAFD expresses 'sincere regret' regarding Mexican costumes at fundraiser
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman expressed "sincere regret" Thursday for any "implied insensitivity" related to costumes of Mexican men worn at a recent downtown fundraising event. The department will review the use of such costumes at future events, the spokesman said. Links to photographs from the event were forwarded last week from the official Twitter account of LAFD Chief Brian Cummings. One photo shows the chief with three men in LAFD apparel wearing sombreros and exaggerated fake mustaches.
Los Angeles Times