Law Enforcement

Drop in San Fernando Valley homicides outpaces other L.A. regions
Los Angeles recorded another large drop in homicides in 2013, and nowhere has the trend been more pronounced than in the San Fernando Valley. The Valley had 40 homicides this year, dropping 35% from 2012 - the biggest decline of any region in the city. As recently as 2006, the region recorded 87 homicides. When it comes to falling crime, much of the focus has been on traditionally high-crime areas like South L.A. and the Eastside. But police officials and community leaders say the decline in violence in tough parts of the Valley, notably Pacoima, Lakeview Terrace, Sun Valley and Sylmar, has also been striking.
Los Angeles Times

33 cops killed by gunfire in 2013, the lowest number since 1887
In 2013, some of the year's biggest headlines involved cop killers.
There was MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who authorities said was shot and killed by the Tsarnaev brothers after the Boston Marathon bombings in April. There was Christopher Dorner's vengeful rampage across Southern California in February. Two of the four people he killed were police officers. Yet those tragedies would prove the exceptions in 2013, which may have been one of the safest years in modern history for American police.
Los Angeles Times

Man's body found in MacArthur Park Lake
Los Angeles detectives are investigating whether a man found dead in the MacArthur Park Lake was a victim of foul play. Police were called to the park about 8:25 p.m. Monday after an unidentified body was found, said LAPD Officer Sara Faden. The body was found closer to the Wilshire Boulevard side of the park. The deceased person was male, but police had no immediate information about his approximate age or the condition in which he was found, Faden said. Officials from the coroner's office were also investigating.
Los Angeles Times

Alleged victim booked after shooting two suspects multiple times
A woman has been booked on suspicion of attempted murder after shooting two suspects Monday morning in South Los Angeles. The shooting was reported at 5:26 a.m. in the 2300 block of 74th Street near Van Ness Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Investigators initially said she was an apparent victim of a crime committed by the pair, who are brothers. But detectives are saying it is too early in the investigation to come to any conclusion as to the details surrounding the shooting.
CBS LA

Suspect armed with knife shot by LAPD in Winnetka
A suspect armed with a knife was shot and wounded by Los Angeles police in Winnetka on Sunday. Authorities responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call in the 19800 block of Hemingway Street at 3:20 p.m. When officers arrived, a family member said the suspect had been involved in an altercation with family earlier and remained inside the home. An officer entered the residence and was confronted by a suspect with a knife.
ABC7

Police issue alert seeking jewelry made by Joseph Gatto
The Los Angeles Police Department has issued an appeal in its efforts to locate jewelry made by Assemblyman Mike Gatto's father, Joseph Gatto, who was shot to death in his Los Feliz home. Investigators believe last month's slaying of the 78-year-old may have resulted from a home invasion robbery. They issued an alert earlier this month, seeking any of his jewelry that may have been purchased or sold by pawn shops, the Glendale News-Press reported.
Los Angeles Times

Woman killed, driver injured in suspected DUI crash in North Hills
A woman was killed and a man was seriously injured early Monday in a one-car crash in the North Hills area in which drunk driving may have been a factor, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The crash was reported around 12:30 a.m. in the 16600 block of Roscoe Boulevard near Hayvenhurst Avenue, police said. Traffic investigators said the man was driving a 2009 Ford Taurus at a high rate of speed, heading west on Roscoe Boulevard, when he lost control of the car and slammed into a light pole.
Los Angeles Times

Pasadena Police chief says more K-9 units will line Rose Parade route
Police plan to use bomb-sniffing dogs and wide-ranging video surveillance as part of a Rose Parade security plan developed in wake of the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three and injured 260. Police officials said the department has been working for months analyzing national tragedies like the Boston Marathon bombings. Additionally officers have negotiated with business owners for full-time access to private security cameras.
Pasadena Star-News

Ringing in the New Year

Making a New Year's resolution that puts the responsibility on someone else
Plenty of folks are making personal new year's resolutions for 2014. But what do you want for the city of Los Angeles? That's the question posed by Mayor Eric Garcetti in a new online survey. The mayor says he's focused on improving neighborhoods and he wants to hear from regular Angelenos about the best way to do that. Maybe it's working toward a drop in crime. Or cleaning up graffiti or old mattresses along sidewalks. Or, perhaps you'd like to see some job creation in your part of town. Whatever the response, Garcetti hopes Angelenos will log onto the mayor's website to provide input . He'll check out the responses when he gets back this week from his family vacation to Australia.
KPCC