Law Enforcement

Hit-and-run driver booked for murder after Venice Beach crash kills recent bride, injures many others
A hit-and-run driver who allegedly plowed through the crowded Venice Beach ocean front walk Saturday evening killing an Italian woman on her honeymoon and wounding 11 others was arrested on suspicion of murder after walking into the Santa Monica Police Department, authorities said Sunday. The man, identified as Nathan Campbell, 38, of Los Angeles, was arrested Saturday night after he turned himself in to the Santa Monica Police station. Los Angeles Police Department Robbery/Homicide detectives took Campbell and booked him on suspicion of murder at the Metropolitan Detention Center downtown, said LAPD Commander Andrew Smith. Bail was set for $1 million, he said.
Los Angeles Daily News

2 LAPD officers recovering after colliding with wanted gang member
Two Los Angeles police officers are recovering from injuries after their patrol car somehow collided with the vehicle of a wanted gang member they were following. The crash happened around 9:20 p.m. Friday at the intersection of 102nd and Grape streets in Watts. The unidentified suspect, who was not hurt, was taken into custody. Investigators say some guns were recovered. Neither officer suffered serious injuries, but one of them was taken to the hospital after complaining of leg pain.
ABC7

SWAT standoff with gunman in South Park ends quietly
A gunman who allegedly opened fire on LAPD officers Saturday morning was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a house in South L.A., police reported. Teams from the Los Angeles Police Department's SWAT unit and bomb squad were summoned to the home in the 100 block of West 57th Street in the South Park neighborhood, where the man had retreated after trading gunfire with an officer, said Officer Norma Eisenman.
Los Angeles Times

Strip club in Canoga Park faces LAPD crackdown
Los Angeles police are looking to shut down a strip club and bar complex in Canoga Park they say has become a nuisance and a magnet for crime, attracting complaints of prostitution, assaults and other incidents on the property. The Xposed Gentleman's Club at 8237 Canoga Ave. adjoins a bikini bar serving alcohol called the Wet Spot. While state law prohibits nude clubs from serving alcohol, the proximity of the two -- and their shared dancer and customer base -- allows them to essentially bypass those restrictions, and city officials say the combination leads to crime.
Los Angeles Daily News

Police search for suspect who slips out of handcuffs, assaults officer, escapes
Police are looking for a suspect who escaped custody late Saturday night in Van Nuys after allegedly slipping his hand cuffs and assaulting an arresting officer. The unidentified suspect was arrested as part of an undisclosed on-going anti-vice operation near Sepulveda Boulevard and Bassett Street along with several others, according to watch commander Sgt. Angelo Castro of the LAPD's Van Nuys Division.
Los Angeles Daily News

Another bizarre ruling from the 9th Circuit puts public safety at risk
Once again, we are not surprised that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has handed down another bizarre ruling that defies logic and common sense - and puts public safety at risk. Why aren't we surprised? Because this appellate court has a well-earned reputation as the court most at odds with the U.S. Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit wields an awful lot of power, and as we previously blogged, it is one of the most reversed court in the nation.
LAPPL Blog

Stolen 1960s-era LAPD policewoman badge returned to Cerritos woman
When Cecilia Dominguez joined the Los Angeles Police Department in the late 1960s, women wore skirts and their badges designated them as "policewoman." The badges changed in the early 1970s to the unisex "police officer," reflecting the growing ranks of female officers. But Dominguez, 69, always cherished her vintage policewoman badge, keeping it in a shadow box display with other LAPD memorabilia she collected in the years before she retired as a detective in 1997.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Prisoner Release

Supreme Court rejects California request to halt prisoner release
A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected California's bid to stay the court-ordered release of prisoners. In what amounted to a 6-3 decision, issued without explanation, the court turned down California's request for more time. Conservative justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia broke from the majority decision, with Thomas and Scalia joining in a formal written dissent.
Sacramento Bee

L.A. County officials fear crime, costs because of jail decision
Los Angeles County officials said the Supreme Court's refusal to block an order for the release of state prison inmates will endanger the community and stretch already strained services. "It is inevitable that public safety will be adversely impacted by the court's decision," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. "It will exacerbate the criminal justice challenges California communities are experiencing due to the intractable crises in our prisons and local jails."
Los Angeles Times

Guns

Gun-death drop sparks debate on where credit lies
California's firearms-death rate has plummeted 56 percent over the past two decades, nearly twice the national reduction during the same period, says a gun-control group that attributes the drop to the state's wide-ranging gun-control laws. Gun advocates welcome the gun-death statistic - but they say the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence has it wrong and that the sale of more than a million guns a year in California probably caused the drop instead.
San Francisco Chronicle

City Government

Venice boardwalk: L.A. councilman proposes more barriers after crash
Responding to Saturday's deadly hit-and-run crash that left one person dead and 11 injured, Los Angeles Councilman Mike Bonin said Sunday he will push for new measures to keep cars away from pedestrians on the Venice boardwalk. Bonin, who spent three hours at the accident site Saturday evening, said he wants to see temporary barriers installed in the next two weeks to isolate non-emergency vehicles from those who are walking the boardwalk.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti names city's first-ever chief sustainability officer
Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday named Matt Petersen the city's first-ever chief sustainability officer, assigned to oversee the city's environmental practices. In a statement, Garcetti called Petersen, who is stepping down as CEO and president of environmental group Global Green USA to take the job, "one of the nation's leading environmental champions and clean energy advocate."
Los Angeles Daily News