Law Enforcement

Wider use of body armor cuts deaths among U.S. law enforcement
The number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in action dropped sharply last year, a trend that policing experts said reflected the increased use of body armor by police. In 2012, 48 law enforcement officers were killed on duty, down from 72 in 2011, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation figures released on Monday. Some 90 percent of those deaths involved firearms, statistics show. "There's been a sea change in the thinking on body armor" at the state and federal level, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.
Reuters

Craigslist Los Angeles: Suspects arrested in fatal shooting of dad answering ad
Police Monday announced two arrests in the shooting death of a man who was gunned down when he and his 15-year-old son went to a location in South Los Angeles to buy a cell phone advertised on Craigslist. Rene Balbuena, 41, and his son were responding to the Craigslist ad about 7:40 p.m. Oct. 19 at 92nd Street and Gramercy Place where they were approached by two men believed to have made the online post. "The two male suspects approached the victims' vehicle on foot from the rear," according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement.
City News Service

Two LAPD officers injured in deadly Panorama City apartment fire
Two Los Angeles police officers were injured after a fire Monday morning ripped through a Panorama City apartment where firefighters found a body, an LAPD spokesperson said. The police officers were treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation and released shortly after, according to Officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department. A 14-year-old boy was also injured in the fire, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said.
Los Angeles Times

Motorcyclist killed in Boyle Heights hit-and-run
A motorcyclist was killed Monday morning in a hit-and-run accident. The crash occurred around 6 a.m. at the intersection of Soto Street and Lancaster Avenue in Boyle Heights, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The 54-year-old male motorcyclist was leaving his job as a probation officer at the Eastlake Juvenile Facility when he was hit by a Gray four-door Honda Civic DX that was changing lanes.
CBS LA

LAPD warns of construction site theft in northeast L.A.
The Los Angeles Police Department Northeast Crime Analysis Detail recently released a community alert warning residents and businesses of an increase in construction site thefts in the area. According to police, burglars have targeted construction sites looking for expensive tools and other equipment that can be resold. The burglaries generally target storage boxes and bins left at the construction site and occur after construction hours, police said.
Echo Park - Silverlake Patch

City Government

L.A. fights plague of garbage in central city neighborhoods
The city recently launched a $1-million cleanup effort aimed at Councilman Gil Cedillo's 1st District, including areas such as Lincoln Heights and Mount Washington. Much of the focus is on the immigrant-heavy neighborhoods of Westlake and Pico-Union just west of downtown. Garbage is being collected five days a week, rather than on the once-a-week schedule the rest of the city has. Cedillo is working to establish an appointment service so residents can have bulky items carried right out of their homes rather than putting them on the curb.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti meets with President Obama, other federal officials, and lobbies for federal funding
In his first official trip to Washington, D.C., Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday met with President Barack Obama as part of a lobbying trip for federal assistance on transportation projects and improvements to the Los Angeles River. "He said he wanted to welcome me to Washington," Garcetti said in a telephone interview. He later sent out a tweet: "Great to visit with @BarackObama at the White House today." In a day filled with meetings, Garcetti met with senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett to discuss the L.A. River restoration project.
Los Angeles Daily News

Santana to keep CAO job under Garcetti
Mayor Eric Garcetti has decided to keep City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana on in his post as top budget adviser, despite past clashes with city unions, it was announced Monday. Santana, 44, who has been in the position since 2009 and is paid $279,270 a year, was a key figure in steering L.A. finances during the height of the recession and oversaw the reduction in city staff by 4,000 workers and the lowering of pension benefits for those who remained.
Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles gives cloud email another chance
Less than three years after being forced to suspend its ambitious cloud email rollout halfway through the process, the City of Los Angeles has decided to try again. In 2009 Los Angeles was the first large city to attempt a total migration of its work force from a traditional on-premises email system to a cloud service. The city awarded a contract to Google Apps for 30,000 users, hoping to save millions by retiring an aging on-premises email system.
Information Week