Law Enforcement

Man is shot point-blank in the head in argument over $50, LAPD says
A San Fernando Valley homeless man is on life support after he was shot in the head Sunday at point-blank range during what police say was a fight with two gang members over $50. The fight occurred at about 2:30 p.m. on a sidewalk near 9010 Tobias Avenue in Panorama City, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The 31-year-old victim, whose name was not immediately released, was arguing with a 21-year-old man over a $50 debt or theft when they started to struggle, according to LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon.
Los Angeles Times

Drive-by shooting in South L.A. leaves a man dead
A man was shot and killed Sunday in a drive-by shooting in South Los Angeles, police said. The 37-year-old man, who has not been identified, was walking to his vehicle near the 4000 block of Abourne Road in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw neighborhood at about 9:38 p.m. when someone drove up alongside him and fired multiple times, according Los Angeles police Officer Sally Madera. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Madera said.
Los Angeles Times

1 dead, 1 wounded in Boyle Heights shooting
An argument outside a bar left one man dead and another injured early Monday morning in Boyle Heights. The shooting happened around 1 a.m. in the 2100 block of East Cesar Chavez Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said. A security guard reported hearing four to five gunshots outside the bar and found a 21-year-old Hispanic man dead on the sidewalk. Another man, also 21, was found suffering from a gunshot wound to his back, officials said.
CBS LA

'Westside Gun & Bag Bandit' arrested after allegedly robbing seven banks in the West Los Angeles Area
A Studio City man sought for a series of bank robberies under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI was arrested following a bank robbery last weekend. Alim Shamil Urmancheev, 44, of Studio City, was taken into custody by Los Angeles police in Venice on Monday, January 27, following a bank robbery that occurred on Saturday, January 25, at a Chase Bank on National Boulevard in West Los Angeles.
Highland Community News

Catalytic converter theft increasing in SoCal community
Drivers beware: Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise in the western San Fernando Valley and Honda Accords and Acura TL vehicles made between 1998 and 2004 are the main targets, Los Angeles police said Monday. Catalytic converters help reduce harmful emissions by making toxic pollutants in gas exhaust less virulent. Precious metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium serve as the catalysts in this reaction and make catalytic converters valuable to thieves.
NBC4

Transient arrested in L.A. councilman's office amid security breach
A homeless man bypassed security systems at Los Angeles City Hall last week, going into a councilman's office where he wrote on a wall and chased away aides before being arrested, city officials said. The transient, described by police as being under the influence of narcotics, breached security shortly before 4 p.m., entering through doors on the building's Spring Street side that are typically locked to the public.
Los Angeles Times

Venice's famed tolerance is being tested by the homeless
As the beach neighborhood continues to gentrify, friction between traditional residents and a growing number of homeless is increasing. In recent weeks, officials counted 174 homeless people on Venice's streets and 132 more at its winter shelter, a jump from a year ago, police said. Some newer residents are quick to call police about things the old guard would have shrugged off, locals say. At the same time, young, aggressive transients - other homeless people call them "dirt punks" - are upsetting longtime residents.
Los Angeles Times

With gentrification, Echo Park gang members move outside their turf
Displaced by trendy coffee shops and rising rents, many gang members have been forced out of Echo Park, returning to their old turf on weekends. A new injunction targets those who are left. The injunction prohibits members of the Locos and five other local gangs from congregating within a newly drawn safety zone that encompasses the neighborhood. The restriction applies to gang members who live in the neighborhood and those who have moved out but sometimes return.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD commanders visit Israel
A first of its kind delegation of the Los Angeles Police Department is visiting Israel in a unique fact finding tour. The world wants to learn from Israel's experience in dealing with emergencies, terror and crime. iHLS has established a new department that organizes professional delegations that will arrive in Israel and meet the relevant people and visit the relevant installations.
Israel's Homeland Security Home

Pensions

Government reform group launches public pension database
A conservative Southern California group has launched a public pension database that includes retirees' names, their annual pension payments, years of service, last employer and year of retirement. The state's largest pension fund, CalPERS, is on the verge of abandoning a similar project. But the Tustin-based California Public Policy Center has activated its own database and says it will continuously update TransparentCalifornia.com whenever it receives new data.
Sacramento Bee

Auto Safety

Feds to require vehicle-to-vehicle communication to prevent crashes
Signaling a technological leap forward for the auto industry and a boon to Silicon Valley, the federal government announced Monday it will take steps to require all new cars and light trucks to communicate with each other, a move aimed at significantly reducing the more than 30,000 vehicle deaths each year. For decades, the focus of auto safety has primarily been on surviving the traumatic impact of crashes through features like air bags and seat belts.
San Jose Mercury News