Law Enforcement

LAPD to release photos of additional Hollywood robbery suspects
Los Angeles police announced Wednesday plans to release photos taken along camera-concentrated Hollywood Boulevard in hopes of tracking down additional suspects in a two-hour robbery rampage the night before. At a Wednesday morning news conference on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said investigators hope the public can help identify and locate the fugitive suspects.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD scours social media about Hollywood robberies, sources say
Police are scouring social media in their investigation of a roving band of youths that hit Hollywood Boulevard in a two-hour robbery rampage, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. Investigators are examining whether Tuesday night's events were planned or promoted via Twitter, the sources said. Police believe at least 40 people were involved in the rampage, which prompted at least eight robbery calls beginning about 8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD, public officials stress Hollywood is safe despite crime spree
Police and public officials Wednesday stressed that Hollywood was a safe place to visit despite a crime spree that involved a mob of approximately 40 people. The crimes occurred around 9 p.m. Tuesday in the area near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said. "Groups that ranged anywhere from 15 of these kids to as large as 40 . . . either knocking people down and taking their cell phones, running into a business and taking merchandise, taking their cash register or causing havoc like breaking windows," Cmdr. Dennis Kato said.
CBS LA

Arleta road-rage shooter: Have you seen the man who killed Kia driver?
Los Angeles police detectives today released two composite sketches of the motorist who shot and killed another driver on July 13, 2013, in a road-rage incident on Branford Avenue in Arleta. Those detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying and capturing the man -- who is described as Hispanic and "in his early 20s, with distinctly green eyes," said Lt. Paul Vernon of the Mission Detective Division.
Los Angeles Daily News

ACLU warns of mass tracking through license plate scanners
The American Civil Liberties Union is warning that law enforcement officials are using license plate scanners to amass massive and unregulated databases that can be used to track law-abiding citizens as their go about their daily lives. Law enforcement says the scanners are valuable tools. The Los Angeles Police Protective League said the technology has helped in thousands of cases, including to locate a suspect in a violent rape and sodomy case. In a blog post, the group called for responsible policies to monitor use but maintained that "law enforcement agencies must have the freedom to use tools that can aid their efforts to keep their communities safe."
CBS News

LAPD wants public to help find missing man, 34
The Los Angeles Police Department is asking the public's help in finding a missing 34-year-old man. Jason Bennett last spoke to his mother on June 24. She said he has never gone missing before. No one has seen Bennett since that day. He has been known to go on camping trips when he's upset. His vehicle was located in a remote area of Yosemite National Park. His family told police they are concerned about Bennett's well-being because he has a medical condition and is in need of medical care. Contact the Los Angeles Police Department, Missing Persons Unit, Detective Saiza at (213) 996-1800.
CBS LA

L.A. may appeal again to ease ban on seizing carts of homeless
Los Angeles may file another appeal of a ban on seizing and destroying property that homeless people leave unattended on skid row. In a notice of appeal filed Wednesday, the city indicated that it may challenge a federal judge's refusal to modify the ban. The U.S. Supreme Court last month refused to consider a separate appeal. In its request for a modification, the city had argued that the ban was preventing authorities from cleaning up skid row.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

Federal judges putting public safety at risk again
California Governor Jerry Brown is locked in a legal battle over control of his state's prison system - a battle whose outcome will impact public safety. We applaud California's four living former governors who have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to grant Gov. Brown's request for a stay of the unprecedented and ill-advised order requiring the state to release nearly 10,000 felons by the end of the year.
LAPPL Blog

California moves prison protest leaders
California prison officials have put 14 inmate leaders of a statewide protest over solitary confinement conditions into yet deeper isolation. The protest is now in its 10th day, with 2,312 inmates refusing state meals and 271 refusing to go to work or attend classes. Lawyers for inmates in the Secure Housing Unit at Pelican Bay State Prison arrived to find their clients had been moved to administrative segregation, used to punish inmates who have violated rules.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Garcetti scraps plan to return to Washington amid L.A. protests
After three nights of protests over the George Zimmerman acquittal, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has scrapped plans to meet in Washington this week with Obama administration officials and members of Congress. On Monday, the new mayor abandoned what was supposed to be a weeklong East Coast visit and returned to L.A. after protests in South Los Angeles spawned violence and vandalism.
Los Angeles Times