Law Enforcement

Police commission approves 8,000 trauma aid kits for LAPD officers
The Los Angeles police commission approved 8,000 first-aid trauma kits for officers that could be used to treat their own or others' gunshot wounds in active-shooter situations. "Somewhere, someday a police officer is going to be saved" by one of these kits, said Cmdr. Rick Webb. "This is a big deal." The trauma kits are modeled after military-style kits used in combat and are smaller than bulky ones officers currently keep in their cars, Webb said.
Los Angeles Times

Man shot in back of head near West 104th Street home
A man was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the back of the head early Tuesday, police said. The victim, a man around 40 years old, told police he had heard several gunshots but was struck by only one of them, Los Angeles Police Sgt. T. Behrens said. Behrens said the victim had been in front of his residence, an apartment building in the 400 block of West 104th Street just west of the Harbor (110) Freeway, when the gunman approached and fired around 12:30 a.m.
City News Service

LAPD hunts robbery suspects near Santa Monica Blvd. and Beverly Glen in Century City
Police set up a perimeter near Santa Monica and Beverly Glen boulevards in the Century City area on Tuesday afternoon in search of suspects in a robbery that occurred at a San Fernando Valley home around 12:25 p.m., according to Los Angeles police Officer Sara Faden. The robbery occurred in the 2100 block of Clark Avenue, and suspects were seen jumping into a black Honda that was driven on the south San Diego (405) Freeway and east on Wilshire Boulevard.
Westwood - Century City Patch

San Fernando Valley public-safety town hall to be held Wednesday
A "State of Public Safety in the Valley" town hall will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Van Nuys City Hall at 14410 Sylvan Street. Hosted by the Los Angeles Police Department in partnership with Empower L.A. and the Neighborhood Council, the meeting will address the past, present and future of public safety in the Valley, organizers said. City Councilwoman Nury Martinez and LAPD Deputy Chief Jorge A. Villegas, who is in charge of Valley police operations, will be among those in attendance.
Los Angeles Daily News

New L.A. County interim sheriff vows to continue department reforms
The newly named interim sheriff of Los Angeles County, current Orange County Undersheriff John L. Scott, said Tuesday that he would continue the momentum of reform in the department. Flanked by four of the five county supervisors, Scott said, "I can assure you, I'm not going to be a placeholder here in L.A. County. I will begin the process immediately of restoring both the dignity to the men and women of L.A. County and the confidence and trust of the public that we serve."
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Pellet gun proposal responds to shooting tragedies
BB guns and pellet guns would have to look clearly different from those that fire bullets to be sold in California under a bill approved Tuesday by the state Senate in response to several recent shooting tragedies involving children. Senators approved the Imitation Firearm Safety Act on a party-line 22-8 vote, although several senators from each party did not vote. It now goes to the Assembly. SB199 advanced in the wake of the October fatal shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa, when a sheriff's deputy mistook the boy's "airsoft" rifle for a real AK-47.
Associated Press

Bill would reduce challenges to prospective jurors
Prosecutors and defense attorneys would be able to reject fewer jurors in misdemeanor trials under a bill passed Tuesday by the California state Senate. Each side currently can use up to 10 peremptory challenges, which allow attorneys to dismiss prospective jurors without stating a specific reason. The bill, sent to the Assembly on a 21-11 vote, would cut that number in half.
Associated Press

Immigration

Immigrant driver's license concerns aired at DMV hearing
With California preparing to offer driver's licenses to immigrants in the country illegally, the documentation needed to prove residency and the fate of personal information emerged as key concerns at a Department of Motor Vehicles hearing on Tuesday. Gov. Jerry Brown last year signed a bill creating special licenses for immigrants, capping years of effort by Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates.
Sacramento Bee

Probation

L.A. County supervisors consider helping ex-offenders get ID cards
Los Angeles County will explore an agreement with the state Department of Motor Vehicles that could make it easier for offenders coming out of county jails and juvenile camps to get identification cards, potentially aiding them in finding jobs and enrolling in school or treatment programs. County supervisors voted Tuesday to study the feasibility of having DMV workers stationed at county jails and probation facilities to help ex-offenders who lack identification cards.
Los Angeles Times

Public Safety

After seven fire deaths in a month, LAFD to launch safety campaign
Los Angeles fire officials plan to launch a safety campaign after a surge in fire-related deaths so far this year, including one Tuesday in which a man died after a blaze at a home in Mid-City that did not have smoke detectors. "We've never had these number of fatalities in such a short amount of time," said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Jaime Moore. Seven people have died in fires this month, a surprise to fire officials because fires are more common during cold winters when people use furnaces, space heaters and even small grills to keep warm.
Los Angeles Times

Traffic

'Jamzilla' set to cause back-ups, delays as 405 closes again for construction
Officials are asking drivers to avoid the northbound 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass during Presidents Day weekend as they anticipate planned lane closures will cause a massive traffic backup dubbed "Jamzilla." As part of the construction, all northbound lanes will be closed overnight from Feb. 14-18 and traffic restricted to just a few lanes during the day along the stretch from Getty Center Drive to Ventura Boulevard so crews can repave lanes and shift the freeway to a new configuration.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

Pedicabs for Hollywood, San Pedro, considered by L.A. council
A Los Angeles City Council committee directed staff Tuesday to study the possibility of permitting bicycle-pulled pedicabs to operate in Hollywood and San Pedro. Pedicabs are in use in San Diego and allowed in Santa Monica, Seattle and San Francisco. Officials said pedicabs were permitted in Westwood "years ago," but the program fizzled out after about two years.
City News Service