Law Enforcement

LAPD weighing online system for crime reporting
By next year, Los Angeles residents may be able to report traffic incidents, identity theft and even hit-and-runs without entering a police station or speaking with a police officer. The Los Angeles Police Commission, which oversees the Los Angeles Police Department, on Tuesday allowed the department to proceed with a plan to shift some nonviolent crime reporting online, as well as shift requests for copies of police reports away from a paper-based system.
Los Angeles Daily News

Special Order 7 not so special after all
Politically correct Charlie Beck also has a problem. Beck's infamous loosey-goosey impound policy, also known as Special Order 7, was ruled illegal on Monday by Superior Court Judge Terry Green. A suit brought by the Police Protective League, the union representing LAPD officers and the conservative watchdog group, Judicial Watch, challenged Special Order 7 contending it was illegal under state law. Judge Green agreed with the plaintiffs and with common sense.
Commentary by Doug McIntyre/Los Angeles Daily News

On policing, New York should look to L.A.
New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Monday insisted that his city's "stop and frisk" police practices were constitutional, despite a federal judge's finding that they were racially discriminatory and violated the 4th and 14th Amendments. But it's almost beside the point whether Bloomberg is on solid legal ground and whether his appeal can succeed. New York's confrontational approach to law enforcement has bought short-term results at the cost of alienation and resentment, and its leaders would be wise to let the trial court's ruling stand - and to learn a lesson from Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Times Editorial

Harbor Gateway shooting wounds man on bicycle
Police today investigated a drive-by shooting that wounded a man in the back and legs as he rode a bicycle in Harbor Gateway, police said. The shooting in the 600 block of West 168th Street was reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Sgt. Andrew Moody of the Los Angeles Police Department's Southeast Station. The man showed stable vital signs when he was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center for treatment, he said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Driver crashes in North Hollywood after police chase, 4 escape
A chase that began when police spotted a stolen car ended in a collision Monday night, and all but the driver escaped being taken into custody. The chase began at Laurel Canyon and Roscoe boulevards at 8:40 p.m., said Officer Cleon Joseph of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section. The vehicle crashed near Saticoy Street and Beck Avenue when the driver failed to make a turn.
City News Service

LAPD motorcycle cop's minor freeway crash snarls morning commute
A traffic collision involving a Los Angeles police motorcycle officer briefly shut down the interchange from the eastbound 10 to the northbound 110 freeway during Tuesday morning's rush hour. The officer notified dispatch of the accident about 7:50 a.m., said LAPD Officer Sally Madera. The officer was taken to a local hospital for a possible leg injury. The injury was not considered life-threatening, Madera said.
Los Angeles Times

Women move into law enforcement's highest ranks
Women still are vastly underrepresented at the top ranks of law enforcement. But not in Washington, D.C. Across the capital's crowded public safety landscape, women are directing the operations of six major institutions in federal and local government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Secret Service, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Park Police, the FBI's Washington Field Office and Amtrak Police Department, the far-flung agency that protects the nation's railroad system, all are headed by women.
USA Today

Legislation

Actresses urge support for Calif. paparazzi bill
Actresses Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner urged California lawmakers Tuesday to support legislation that they say would help them better protect their children from the paparazzi that follow them daily. The stars testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee regarding SB606, which would impose tougher penalties on photographers who harass celebrities and their children. It was Berry's second state Capitol appearance on the measure.
Associated Press

Prisons

Legislature begins to talk about prison bailout
Gov. Jerry Brown already has begun talking to legislative leaders about the amount of money that would be needed to bail the state out of its prison crowding crisis. The governor has a court-imposed Dec. 31 deadline to find room for some 9,600 inmates or face the prospect of early releases. The corrections department currently is discussing paying private prison operators, counties and cities to take those inmates, at prices that range from $38 to $65 per inmate per day.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, DWP union in showdown; council preps for strike
Amid a standoff between Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Department of Water and Power union, a group of City Council members Tuesday asked city officials to develop plans in the event of a strike. Councilman Gil Cedillo, who has extensive experience with unions and was involved in the 1991 SEIU strike, said he believes the city needs to prepare for a possible work action in June 2014 when the current contract expires.
Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles could soon have free city-wide wireless internet
The city of Los Angeles would consider giving Angelenos free citywide access to wireless internet service under a motion scheduled to be discussed the City Council's Innovation, Technology and General Services Committee Tuesday. Councilman Bob Blumenfield introduced a motion last week asking staffers with the city's Information Technology Agency for a report on setting up free citywide WiFi service.
City News Service

Council seeks to suspend rules against sidewalk vegetable gardens
Los Angeles residents who grow fruits and vegetables near their front curb will get a respite from the city's code enforcement officials, under a measure approved Tuesday by the City Council. The council voted unanimously to ask city agencies to temporarily suspend rules that restrict the cultivation of gardens in the parkway, the area between the sidewalk and the curb.
Los Angeles Times