Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for West Adams and seven other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in eight L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Two neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. West Adams was the most unusual, recording nine reports compared with a weekly average of 4.9 over the last three months. Cheviot Hills topped the list of six neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

Deadly drive-up stabbing in Northeast L.A. is gang-related: police
The deadly stabbing of a man near the border of Eagle Rock and Highland Park on Monday afternoon was a gang-related attack, authorities say. Los Angeles police Officer Bruce Borihanh said the man was standing on the sidewalk near North Figueroa Street and Yosemite Drive when three suspects drove up in a vehicle at about 4:30 p.m. One of the suspects in the car got out and rushed the man, stabbing him multiple times, Borihanh said.
Los Angeles Times

Marijuana dispensary across street from LAPD station burglarized
Burglars broke into a Mid-City marijuana dispensary early Tuesday morning and got away before officers arrived, even though the building is across from an LAPD station, police said. The alarm came in about 3:30 a.m. from the dispensary at La Brea Avenue and Venice Boulevard, said Sgt. Chris Chase of the Los Angeles Police Department's Wilshire Station. "The suspects were not there when we got there,'' Chase said.
City News Service

4 South Los Angeles schools locked down in 2 unrelated incidents
Four schools in the South Los Angeles area were locked down as a precaution Tuesday because of two unrelated incidents. About 7:30 a.m., an armed robbery near 41st Street and Avalon Boulevard left a person hospitalized with a leg wound, said Los Angeles police Officer Bruce Borihanh of the Media Relations office. Police searched the neighborhood for the suspect, described as a man about 20-30 years old, Borihanh said. Wadsworth Elementary and Harmony Elementary were locked down as a precaution, according to the Los Angeles Unified School District.
City News Service

Man pleads not guilty to fatally shooting South L.A. store clerk
A man accused of gunning down a 39-year-old mother of five as she worked alone in a South Los Angeles store in September pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a murder charge. Eric William Atkinson is due back in court Nov. 25, according to Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. The murder charge carries special circumstance allegations of robbery and personal use of a firearm. Prosecutors could seek the death penalty in the killing of store clerk Martha Sanchez on Sept. 17.
Los Angeles Times

Suspect robs, stabs man over PlayStation 3
A fight over a PlayStation 3 left one man with multiple stab wounds and a suspect at large Tuesday following a robbery in the North University Park area. The stabbing occurred around 10:15 p.m. Monday at 23rd Street and Union Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The victim was riding a bus when he got off near 23rd Street and was approached by the suspect, asking for a cigarette. The suspect stabbed the man, who is in his 20s, multiple times and stole the gaming system. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was listed in stable condition.
CBS LA

LAX shooting suspect upgraded to fair condition
The man suspected in a deadly shooting rampage at Los Angeles International Airport has been upgraded from critical to fair condition at an area hospital. Officials at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center announced the upgraded condition on Tuesday, 11 days after the suspect - Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23 - allegedly opened fire inside the airport. Transportation Security Administration Agent Gerardo I. Hernandez was killed and three other people - including two TSA officers - were wounded in the Nov. 1 attack inside the airport's Terminal 3.
Los Angeles Times

Is it ever OK not to use a safety belt?
LAPD policy mandates that employees wear safety belts whenever operating a Department vehicle, but gives discretion to officers for tactical considerations. A report of the Department's audit presented last week to the Los Angeles Police Commission is likely to rekindle the on-again/off-again debate on safety belt use by police officers and the extent to which tactical considerations should be a factor in non-use. The report by Inspector General Alexander Bustamante said a review of the Department's Traffic Collision Reports for the second quarter of 2012 "suggests the incidence of officer safety belt non-use could be as high as 37 percent."
LAPPL Blog

Prisons

Government explores early release for more aging prisoners
A federal review is looking at whether more aging prisoners, many in frail health, should be freed before the end of their sentences. It's not just about mercy. Equally crucial to a federal prison service grappling with a soaring budget is the burden and cost of caring for ailing convicts who receive taxpayer-funded healthcare that can make them two or three times more expensive than the average prisoner.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti kicks off Teddy Bear Drive to help kids in crisis
Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday launched a new program to collect stuffed animals to hand out to children at emergency scenes. Through his Teddy Bear Drive, Garcetti is seeking donations of plush bears that police and the Mayor's Crisis Response Team can give out during traumatic events to provide kids with some comfort. "When children experience a tragedy, they can feel as if everything was taken from them," Garcetti said.
Los Angeles Daily News