Law Enforcement

Police hunt for clues in deadly shooting of reality TV director
Two Los Angeles police detectives went door-to-door Friday in a search for clues in the shooting death of TV writer-director James Marcus Howe at his Glassell Park home. Howe's wife was wounded in the attack that occurred the day before Thanksgiving after a man posing as a salesman knocked on their door about 10:55 a.m. When Howe and his wife approached the front door, they saw the man alone. Within seconds, another man and a woman forced their way into the home, police said.
Los Angeles Times

FBI seeks help in identifying 'Valley Bandit' bank robber
The FBI is asking the public's help in identifying a bank robber dubbed the Valley Bandit who has struck eight banks in the San Fernando Valley over the past year. Since last December, he's robbed Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo branches in cities across the San Fernando Valley, including Northridge, North Hills, Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks. The most recent robbery took place on Wednesday at a Wells Fargo in West Hills. Federal officials on Friday released photographs of the accused robber in an effort to identify him.
Los Angeles Times

Eight indicted in burglarizing of vacationing L.A. Times subscribers
A Los Angeles County grand jury has indicted eight people in connection with a home burglary ring that targeted Los Angeles Times subscribers who were on vacation. The defendants are charged with multiple counts each of first-degree residential burglary, receiving stolen property and conspiracy. Prosecutors say the group stole an estimated $1 million in dozens of burglaries in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
Los Angeles Times

Are Zero electric motorcycles coming to LAPD?
Are electric motorcycles going to be part of the Los Angeles Police Department fleet? Zero Motorcycles hope so. The electric motorcycle company based in Scotts Valley, Calif., has placed a couple of its Zero DS Police models with the LAPD, which is currently testing them for practicality on the force. From the company's booth at this weekend's Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, Zero's vice president of global marketing, Scot Harden, said Zero has already made deals with police forces around the state and around the world.
Los Angeles Times

City police, LAPD to join hands for capacity building
The Mumbai Police and the Los Angeles Police Department are set to collaborate through exchange programs for building expertise and capability in counter-terrorism, community policing and rescue operations in mass-casualty scenarios, according to top officers from both agencies. After the first two-day India-US dialogue on homeland security, a conference of police chiefs in Delhi last week, Michael Downing, Deputy Chief, Counter-terrorism, LAPD, met with Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh in Mumbai on Saturday and discussed the scope of building such ties.
The Indian Express

San Fernando Valley toy drives: Give a gift or three to the less-fortunate
Across the San Fernando Valley, kind souls are collecting donations of toys to give the less fortunate during the holiday season. Los Angles Mayor Eric Garcetti's Crisis Response Team and the Los Angeles Police Department are holding a Teddy Bear Drive to collect new stuffed animals through the end of the year, to give children who have experienced trauma or loss. Collection boxes have been placed at all LAPD stations, and the Mayor's Help Desk at Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., as well as his field offices in Van Nuys and South L.A.
Los Angeles Daily News

Cellphone data flowing to law enforcement
The nation's largest wireless companies regularly give state and local law enforcement authorities thousands of records of cellphone calls and customer locations gleaned from cellphone towers, part of a dramatic expansion of domestic surveillance to investigate crimes, according to new industry statistics provided to Congress. Last year alone, law enforcement agencies nationwide accessed individual cellphone records well over a million times, according to data from the eight largest wireless providers.
Boston Globe

Self-Driving Cars

Proposed rules for self-driving cars drafted by California regulators
California regulators are speeding ahead with new rules of the road for testing and eventually operating self-driving cars - autos that can function without someone actively at the controls. Manufacturers hope these cars may be available by 2020. The Department of Motor Vehicles last week announced it has drafted proposed rules for so-called autonomous cars. The regulations, when final in the spring, would govern testing procedures that manufacturers would use to develop the cars as early as a year from now.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A. city attorney files suit against Bank of America for lost property revenue
Bank of America's lending practices led to a wave of foreclosures and lost city revenue, alleges a new lawsuit filed by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer on Friday afternoon. The city is seeking unspecified damages based on the decline in property tax revenue after the housing bubble burst. The suit came on the heels of two similar claims filed against Citigroup and Wells Fargo on Thursday, alleging discriminatory mortgage lending in minority communities.
Los Angeles Daily News

Council panel backs away from plan to allow larger gifts to lawmakers
Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson on Friday abandoned a plan to boost the size of gifts that lawmakers can accept from companies seeking city contracts, opting to leave the amount unchanged. The council had instructed City Atty. Mike Feuer in October to draft an ordinance hiking the limit on gifts from those who do business with the city -- a group that includes bidders and city contractors -- to $150 per donor per year, up from $100. That idea had sparked criticism in recent weeks from some who monitor city ethics issues.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. leaders move to legalize street vending
Street vending in L.A. is illegal. If you open up a stand on the street without the proper permits, you are a criminal. And while there have been plenty of attempts over the years to change the laws, they've generally met enough resistance to stop the movement in its tracks. Until now. As the New York Times details, the mentality of L.A. officials in regards to street vending has shifted substantially, to the point where official legalization may be just around the corner.
KCET