Law Enforcement

Council approves settlement in ticket quota case
This week, City Council considered allegations brought against the Department and unanimously approved a $5.9 million settlement to resolve lawsuits filed by 11 LAPD officers who said they were pushed to meet quotas for issuing traffic tickets. We would like to congratulate their attorneys, Matthew McNicholas and Gregory Smith, on the settlement, and thank them for handling these cases for the last four years on behalf of our members, who had claims that they were ordered to issue 18 tickets per shift and make sure that 80 percent of tickets issued were "major movers."
LAPPL Blog

'Avoid the DUI' enforcement effort kicks into gear
Law enforcement agencies from the state, cities and counties begin their annual DUI crackdown on Friday, with a series of 100 rotating drunken-driving checkpoints and other enforcement efforts. Glendora Police Chief Rob Castro, whose department is leading the local effort - called Avoid the DUI - said they were releasing information about the effort to give early warning to all party­goers. "Our task force will be highly visible during this enforcement period, and those suspected of driving while intoxicated will be shown zero tolerance," Castro said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Man allegedly kills ailing wife, sister; 'mercy killing' probed
Two weeks ago, Lance Holger Anderson gave his Christmas tree to a neighbor, telling her "we're not having Christmas this year." The neighbor thought nothing of it until Wednesday, when police cars swarmed the apartment complex. Police allege that Anderson killed his ailing wife at their Canyon Country apartment, then drove to a North Hills nursing facility, where he fatally shot his near-comatose sister. Anderson then dropped the gun and waited officers to arrive, police said.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD to officers on duty: Buckle up, it's the rule
If you've ever been pulled over by a police officer for not wearing a seat belt, there's a decent chance the officer also wasn't buckled up either. While 86 percent of Americans now wear seat belts, an upcoming study that will be published by California's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training estimates that roughly half of law enforcement officers don't wear them. With traffic-related fatalities the leading cause of death of officers on duty, departments nationwide are buckling down to get officers to buckle up.
Associated Press

Man burned to death while stealing gas in South L.A. had been warned
A man who burned to death Tuesday while attempting to steal fuel from a gas station in South Los Angeles had been warned by family members to stop the practice, his brother-in-law said. The incident occurred at a 76 Gas Station at 45th Street and Avalon Boulevard. Firefighters responded to the station about 6:30 a.m. on a report of a van that was on fire. Crews discovered a body inside the van after dousing the flames.
Los Angeles Times

Two women, man injured in Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw shooting
Two women and a man were injured when at least one attacker opened fire in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw area, Los Angeles police said Wednesday night. The shooting broke out shortly after 5:30 p.m. in the 4100 block of South Muirfield Drive, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Officer Sara Faden said the victims were taken to local hospitals. Their conditions were not immediately known. Detectives from the LAPD's Southwest Division were at the scene gathering evidence.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

Deadline for Gov. Jerry Brown to ease prison crowding extended
Federal judges have extended until April 18 the deadline for Gov. Jerry Brown's administration to ease prison crowding, after asking the state to limit the time some mentally ill prisoners spend in solitary confinement. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton announced that he had accepted the state's offer of a 30-day isolation maximum for severely mentally ill inmates who have committed no rule violations. He then joined two other jurists in pushing back the overcrowding deadline and also in extending negotiations between the state and prisoners' lawyers until Jan. 10.
Los Angeles Times

Homeland Security

Ex-L.A. federal prosecutor clears hurdle toward Homeland Security post
After a contentious debate, a Senate panel on Wednesday approved President Obama's pick for the No. 2 job at the Department of Homeland Security without a single Republican vote. The party-line maneuver opens the way for the nominee, Alejandro Mayorkas, formerly the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and now head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to be confirmed under new Senate rules that permit confirmation with a majority vote.
Los Angeles Times

Homeless

Metro regulates Union Station seating to keep homeless from panhandling, using station as shelter
Los Angeles County Metro has a new policy at Union Station to address complaints that homeless people are using the building for shelter - and panhandling. The policy began Monday. The seating in the front of Union Station is now only available to passengers with tickets to board Amtrak or Metrolink commuter trains within two hours of their departure times, Metro spokesman Paul Gonzales tells KPCC.
Southern California Public Radio

City Government

Judge deals major blow to Hollywood growth plan
A judge has dealt a major blow to Los Angeles' efforts to spur larger development in parts of Hollywood, calling a new zoning plan for the area "fatally flawed" and saying that the document should be repealed. In a tentative 41-page ruling issued Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Allan J. Goodman said city leaders failed to comply with the state's environmental law when it approved an update to the Hollywood Community Plan, which mapped out new limits for development in that neighborhood.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. council drops plan to raise gift limit for top officials
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday dropped its plan for hiking the limit on gifts that can be accepted by elected and other high-level officials, opting to leave the amount unchanged. Council members came under fire two months ago for instructing City Atty. Mike Feuer to draft a law allowing those with financial interests at City Hall, such as contractors and bidders on construction projects, to give gifts of up to $150 per year, an increase from the current $100 limit.
Los Angeles Times