Law Enforcement

LAPD highlights new roadside swab drug test
Amid a holiday-season crackdown on drunken driving across the region, authorities on Friday highlighted a new device that allows them to test for the presence of drugs on the spot. A new portable tool that can be used at sobriety checkpoints - alongside the existing Breathalyzer, which tests for blood-alcohol content - to check oral fluids for the presence of drugs, according to authorities. Officers can ask drivers - who must consent to the voluntary test - to swab themselves around their gum line and cheek.
KTLA

Nearly 1,700 motorists arrested for suspected drunken driving
Los Angeles County law enforcement officers have arrested nearly 1,700 motorists on suspicion of intoxicated driving during the last 15 days as part of an annual holiday crackdown, authorities reported Saturday. The total is a slight increase over last year, when there were 1,600 arrests on suspicion of drunken or drugged driving made between Dec. 13 and Dec. 28, authorities said.
Los Angeles Times

New Year's Eve: Free AAA Tipsy Tow if you're too drunk to drive
AAA offers Tipsy Tow services to all drivers, membership not required on New Year's Eve/morning from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Drivers, potential passengers, party hosts, bartenders, and restaurant managers can call 800-222-4357 (AAA-HELP) for a free tow home of up to 10 miles. Just tell the AAA operator, "I need a Tipsy Tow," and a truck will be on its way.
Los Angeles Daily News

Four arrested in overnight home invasion
Four people are in custody after a quick-thinking victim convinced two of them to surrender in an early morning home invasion in Lincoln Heights Saturday. The armed men entered the home on the 2600 block of Alta St. around 1 a.m. Three residents were home at the time, two of whom were in the basement and were able to call 911, according to LAPD Capt. Martin Baeza. The men were armed with a shotgun and three handguns, officials said.
NBC LA

One suspect caught, second sought in hit-and-runs
A man in his 20s was in critical condition after being struck by a hit-and-run driver early Friday morning in Pacific Palisades, police said. Authorities were called around 3:05 a.m. after a man was found "on the side of the street next to the bushes" near the intersection of Chautauqua and Sunset boulevards, said LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman. The person who found the man notified private neighborhood security. The man, believed to be about 23 years old, was taken to a hospital by the fire department before police arrived. His name was not released.
Los Angeles Times

Police look for driver in Panorama City hit-and-run
Police are asking for the public's help in locating a driver who allegedly struck a bicyclist in Panorama City last week and failed to stop to help the seriously injured victim. The incident happened Dec. 23 around 7 a.m., near the intersection of Lanark Street and Burnet Avenue. According to the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division, the bicyclist was riding westbound on Burnet when he was hit by an unknown vehicle traveling south on Lanark.
Los Angeles Daily News

Police search for missing man in need of medical care
Los Angeles police were searching Sunday for a 55-year-old man who walked away from a board and care home despite needing medical treatment, authorities said. Michael Rodriguez has been missing since about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, when he left the home in the 1000 block of Leighton Avenue in South Los Angeles, the police said. Rodriguez is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs about 200 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was wearing a gray and navy blue shirt, a gray sweat shirt, blue jeans and white tennis shoes, officers said.
Los Angeles Times

High-speed street racing, DUI may have led to Woodland Hills crash
Street racing at speeds of more than 100 mph and alcohol may have led to a Woodland Hills accident that left at least four people hospitalized with injuries, authorities said. Officer Matthew Gale of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division said the accident involved a vehicle traveling eastbound on Ventura Boulevard at a high rate of speed that collided with a westbound vehicle making a left turn onto Oakdale Avenue.
Los Angeles Times

4 people injured when vehicle chased by police crashes into pole in Sun Valley
A vehicle being chased by police crashed into a pole in Sun Valley on Sunday night, injuring four people, authorities said. The crash was reported at 8:47 p.m. in the 9300 block of Glenoaks Boulevard, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. One of the injured was trapped in the wreckage, he said. The crash downed power lines, Humphrey said. A sergeant at the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division said the vehicle crashed while being chased by officers.
Los Angeles Daily News

Police shoot, wound man armed with a knife
A Los Angeles police officer shot and wounded a man armed with a knife Sunday afternoon in Winnetka, authorities said. Police responded to the 19800 block of Hemmingway Street about 3:20 p.m. after receiving a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Sally Madera. The suspect's family told officers the man was inside a house, Madera said.
Los Angeles Times

Task force continues to investigate ATM card-skimming operation in Encino, Tarzana
Detectives are continuing to investigate two alleged identity thieves arrested this month on felony charges in connection with card skimming at bank branches in Encino and Sherman Oaks. Following a 15-month investigation, a multi-agency task force arrested Geori Nikolov, 32, of North Hollywood, and Dimitar Dimitrov, 36, of Santa Monica Dec. 15 for allegedly installing devices on ATMs at Chase Bank and Bank of the West branches, both on Ventura Boulevard, and using them to steal credit- and debit-card numbers along with personal identification numbers.
Los Angeles Daily News

One in four GPS devices on criminals in L.A. County were faulty
One in every four GPS devices used to track serious criminals released in Los Angeles County has proved to be faulty, according to a probation department audit - allowing violent felons to roam undetected for days or, in some cases, weeks. The problems included batteries that wouldn't hold a charge and defective electronics that generated excessive false alarms. One felon, county officials said, had to have his GPS monitor replaced 11 times over a year; for five days during the 45-day audit period, his whereabouts were unknown.
Los Angeles Times

New Laws

California Highway Patrol highlights new transportation laws
A new law taking effect Jan. 1, 2014, in California prohibits drivers under 18 from using an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication while driving, even if the vehicle is equipped with a hands-free device. The California Highway Patrol posted information about this and several other new transportation-related laws.
OS&H Magazine