Law Enforcement

LAPD officers awarded medals for bravery, injuries in line of fire
A Los Angeles police officer was celebrated for her heroics during a gunfight and dozens of others were recognized for injuries they suffered in the line of duty at the LAPD's Medal of Valor and Purple Heart ceremony. Hundreds of officers, top LAPD brass and city officials gathered in a Hollywood banquet hall Thursday for the annual luncheon, which highlights some of the more dramatic rescues and dangerous encounters involving city police. Officer Nuria Vanegas was awarded the Medal of Valor for facing off with a group of armed burglary suspects one night in August 2011.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD Chief Beck to host Muslim community forum
The chief of the Los Angeles Police Department Thursday was set to meet with Muslim community leaders. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other high-ranking LAPD officials will take part in the forum, which, as Beck told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO, gives the Muslim community and the public at large a chance to hear from police on current events. "There's very topical issues going on in the Middle East that we wanna talk about, and we want to make sure that tensions in other parts of the world don't spill over into Los Angeles," Beck said.
CBS LA

Man discovered on Van Nuys street with major head trauma
A pedestrian who appeared to have been struck by a vehicle in Van Nuys is now in critical condition, authorities said. Los Angeles firefighters were called to the 13800 block of Weddington Street at 10:10 a.m. Thursday in response to reports of a man with head trauma who had possibly been hit by a car, said department spokesman Brian Humphrey. The 45-year-old man was taken in critical condition by ambulance to the athletic field at Millikan Middle
School, where he was airlifted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Los Angeles Times

Detectives comb video in search of South L.A. store clerk's killer
Los Angeles Police Department detectives are combing through hours of video in an attempt to identify the man who walked into a South L.A. discount store, robbed it, and shot and killed the clerk working there. Authorities said the clerk, 39-year-old, mother-of-five Martha Sanchez, was working at the Happy Bargain discount store about 8:50 p.m. Tuesday when the robbery and shooting occurred in the 7400 block of Broadway - just two blocks from the LAPD's 77th Street Station.
Los Angeles Times

Elderly Encino man killed in possible home invasion
An elderly man was shot to death early Thursday morning when he came face to face with an intruder in his Encino house. "The victim confronted an unknown suspect in his home," said Officer Sally Madera of the Los Angeles Police Department's media relations section. "He was shot once in the abdomen and was transported to a local hospital. He later died from his injuries." Police are investigating the shooting as a possible home-invasion robbery, and the incident is now being handled by detectives with LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division.
Los Angeles Daily News

3 former El Sereno students accuse teacher of molestation
Three former students of an El Sereno Elementary School teacher sued the Los Angeles Unified School District on Wednesday, charging that the teacher molested them. L.A. Unified confirmed that it had moved to fire the teacher, Armando Gonzalez, in 2012 over alleged misconduct. But specific details about the allegations were not immediately available Wednesday night, district spokesman Sean Rossall said. Gonzalez could not be reached for comment, and Los Angeles police were not able to confirm if an investigation was underway.
Los Angeles Times

Man convicted of killing popular high school student
A Calabasas man was convicted Thursday of murdering a popular high school soccer goalie outside the teen's San Fernando Valley home early last year. Jason Alejandro Schumann, now 26, faces 50 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of Francisco Rodriguez. The slaying of the 17-year-old senior at El Camino Real High School stunned community members who knew the young athlete as a happy kid with a bright future.
Los Angeles Times

Move toward LAPD body cameras gets big boost
Many police departments around the country have been using body-mounted cameras to record their interactions with the community, and with a new push from the City Council and Police Commission, the LAPD may soon be testing the technology aimed at reducing the number of officer-involved complaints and lawsuits. The idea for the small body-mounted cameras was thrust to the forefront last week when Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff announced he was raising private funding pay for the items, and City Councilman Mitch Englander said the first cameras for testing might be available as early as next week.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD officer ready to make professional boxing debut
The two boxers went head to head, fists raised, but Juan Bustamante could not stop smiling. The Los Angeles Police Department officer had spent a stressful half-hour on Thursday, with one pound separating the Navy veteran from checking in during the weigh-in ahead of his first professional boxing match. While he had been at his contract weight - 158 pounds - at his training gym in the morning, the official scale measured him at 159. And though it took some time in the steam room, he dropped the pound and will be making his professional boxing debut tonight in the Battle of the Rising Stars at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello against Robb Hill of Palmdale.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

San Jose police mourn death of law enforcement pioneer
San Jose police are mourning the death this month of a renowned law enforcement officer and martial artist who worked closely with them as he pioneered modern arrest and crowd-control techniques used by officers across the country. Robert Koga, 83, died from the cancer mesothelioma Sept. 8 at his home in Fallbrook, north of San Diego. His arrest and self-defense instruction, dubbed the Koga Method, was developed while he was an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and was thereafter disseminated nationally.
San Jose Mercury-News

Ride Sharing

PUC gives a nod to Uber, Lyft, other ride-sharing services
California has given the green light to online services that link passengers with private car owners - a sign that government is adapting to peer-to-peer commerce that's disrupting established industries. On Thursday, the Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved new rules to support on-demand ride-sharing services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. The vote makes California the first state in the nation to formally endorse and regulate such services, which have taken off in big cities as an alternative to driving or hailing taxis.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

DWP says it can't track millions in ratepayer money
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has directed an estimated $40 million in ratepayer money to two nonprofit groups charged with improving relations with the utility's largest employee union, but the agency claims to have scant information on how the public funds have been spent. The Joint Training Institute and the Joint Safety Institute, controlled by DWP managers and union leaders, have received up to $4 million per year since their creation more than a decade ago after a contentious round of job cutbacks at one of the nation's largest municipal utilities.
Los Angeles Times