Law Enforcement

LAPD steps up patrols after string of deadly traffic accidents
Traffic officers with the LAPD were expected to be out in force in the San Fernando Valley Wednesday following a recent string of deadly traffic accidents. The entire Valley Traffic Division were on patrol from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at high-volume intersections where 20 pedestrians have been fatally struck this year, the Daily News reported. That number marks an 18 percent jump from the total number of fatalities last year, while the total number of all auto accidents involving pedestrians in the area is up 4 percent year to date, according to Valley Traffic Division.
CBS LA

Behavioral scientist lectures LAPD officers about science of using deadly force
LAPD officers underwent training this week on the science of human dynamics behind deadly force encounters. Behavioral scientist Bill Lewinski spoke at the invitation of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, educating officers on how they can better predict response based on behavioral patterns. "One of the things that we are encouraging is more training and predicting patterns of how behavior evolves and then assisting the officers in reading those patterns so that they can make better decisions," Dr. Lewinski told CBS2s Dave Lopez.
CBS LA

Police burn out
Many LEOs come to a point in their careers where they have that feeling that the flame has gone out. The spark of enthusiasm has disappeared. The job is not fun anymore. These are some of the indicators of Burnout. What are some of the signs of LEO burn out? Our work is not challenging. I don't care attitude and demeanor with the public and our peers. We feel like we are in an emotional rut. We start to lose our motivation. Boredom sets in. Things, our duties and our life become “routine”.
Law Enforcement Today

Police close part of Venice Boardwalk to re-examine crowd assault scene
A section of the Venice Boardwalk was closed Wednesday while investigators re-examined the scene where a man allegedly steered his car intentionally into crowds of people this summer, killing a honeymooning Italian woman and injuring several other beachgoers. Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, has been charged with murder and other felonies stemming from the Aug. 3 rampage. Campbell surrendered to police about two hours after the melee.
City News Service

Caught on video: Gym-locker thief hits Equinox and L.A. Fitness in West L.A., Hollywood and Van Nuys
Police Wednesday released surveillance footage in an effort to track down a thief believed responsible for a series of thefts from gym lockers at fitness centers in West Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Hollywood and parts of Orange County. The same suspect is believed responsible for at least eight thefts at Equinox Fitness and LA Fitness locations in August and September, according to Los Angeles Police Department detectives, who say the suspect has used credit cards obtained during the locker break-ins.
City News Service

Officials warn of 'ransomware' computer viruses
Authorities locally and nationwide are cautioning Internet users of a new trend in computer viruses known as "ransomware," which take control of victims' computers and demand a ransom to restore the users' data. They have different names, such as Reveton or Crypto Locker, and they attempt to extort money from victims by encrypting or blocking access to their data without their knowledge, then demanding a ransom in order to undo the damage, according to police and FBI officials.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

San Jose cops reject 3 percent raise, tell city to double it
San Jose's police union Wednesday announced the officers have emphatically rejected a 3-percent raise offer and demanded the city double it to end the ongoing pay feud they blame for thinning the department's ranks. "Our members know their worth," John Robb, vice president of the San Jose Police Officers' Association, said in a Wednesday letter to city negotiators, "and will not accept a proposal that will not slow or stop the exodus of San Jose police officers leaving to work for other agencies."
San Jose Mercury News

Prisons

Changes sought in state prison isolation policies
Democratic lawmakers on key policy committees said Wednesday that they want to limit California's practice of keeping hundreds of inmates in solitary confinement for years, sometimes decades, as a way of controlling violent prison gangs. They held the first in a planned series of hearings in response to an inmate hunger strike this summer that at one point involved more than 30,000 of the 133,000 inmates in state prisons. The inmates were protesting conditions for gang leaders held in isolation at Pelican Bay and three other prisons.
Associated Press

New Law

Brown signs law by L.A. councilman putting teeth in mobile ad bans
Bob Blumenfield left the state Assembly for the Los Angeles City Council more than three months ago, but he left behind some unfinished business. On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that Blumenfield introduced as a legislator that will help cities, including his own, crack down on unlawful mobile advertising displays. Cities including Los Angeles, Burbank, San Francisco and West Hollywood have banned mobile billboard advertising displays.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Governor rejects opening carpool lanes after-hours
Carpool lanes will remain closed to Southern California's solo drivers no matter the hour. Gov. Jerry Brown has rejected Assembly Bill 405, which would have opened two carpool corridors on Los Angeles County freeways during non-rush hours. Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, who introduced the bill earlier this year, had argued that late-night commuters often sit in traffic jams while carpool lanes lie empty.
U-T San Diego

Traffic

Hollywood sign tourists, sightseers annoy local residents
An influx of tourists clogging narrow, curving hillside streets for the perfect view of the Hollywood sign is irritating local residents who say the traffic is creating safety issues. The once-sleepy Hollywood tour bus business has become increasingly competitive. Just a few years ago there were only a few operators offering Hollywood sign viewing tours. Now, there are more than 40 tour companies running buses and vans in and out of the canyon.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

Council gives AEG private control of convention center operations
Los Angeles City Council members agreed Wednesday to pay Anschutz Entertainment Group up to $350,000 a year to operate the city's ailing downtown convention center. The five-year contract provides AEG an annual base fee of $175,000 with the potential to double that if it meets certain targets, such as raising revenues and bookings at the 1970s-era facility.
Los Angeles Times