Law Enforcement

Gang member who threw chair in court convicted of murder
A 23-year-old gang member who was convicted this week of the murder and robbery of a father of two was linked to the crime through phone records and evidence at the scene, prosecutors said. Jesus Mendez, 23, was found guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder and second-degree robbery. A jury spent fewer than three hours deliberating before delivering the verdict in the 2012 killing of Jaime Sharif Abuawad, 27. The verdict came days after Mendez threw a chair at Williams and an LAPD detective, sending the investigator to the hospital.
Los Angeles Times

Officers in Dorner mistaken-ID shooting will be returned to field
Eight Los Angeles police officers who violated department policy when they mistakenly opened fire on two women during the hunt for Christopher Dorner will be retrained and returned to the field, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in a department-wide message Wednesday. The message, sent on the LAPD's internal computer network and obtained by The Times, notes his disapproval in the actions of the seven officers and one sergeant.
Los Angeles Times

Police search for mom, 3-year-old daughter missing since late January
Los Angeles police are searching for a 20-year-old mother and her 3-year-old daughter who have been missing since late January. Ladana Smith and her child were last seen around 11 a.m. Jan. 27 in the 1900 block of West 22nd Street. Smith last spoke with family members around 10 p.m. from the Blue Line train station at 103rd Street after she had visited with some relatives. The woman is described as black, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 135 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
CBS LA

First-ever Girl Scout Troop In Watts established in partnership with LAPD
The first-ever Girl Scout Troop in Watts has been developed in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department and Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. The LAPD's Community Safety Partnership and HACLA have joined together with the Girl Scouts of America to give inner-city children a positive alternative to gang activity involvement. The Watts Girl Scouts Troop was named after LAPD's Southeast Station, which was opened in 1978.
CBS LA

Killer sentenced in 1979 West L.A. strangulation murder
A 57-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years to life in prison for a strangulation murder that went unsolved for more than two decades. Leonard Alex Dominguez was convicted in November of second-degree murder in the death of Sandra Phillips, a West Los Angeles woman who was found strangled in her apartment.
Los Angeles Times

Gang member released from prison, shoots man same day, police say
For 22-year-old David Gayles of Pomona, when one prison door closes, another jail door opens. That's what happened Monday, when Pomona police say that just hours after he was released from prison, Gayles was booked on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting at a local park. According to police, Gayles, an alleged Pomona gang member, and Darrel Wimbley, 23, were at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in Pomona about 3 p.m. Monday when they got into a confrontation with a 24-year-old man.
Los Angeles Times

Kitty cops to put bite on rodent crime at LAPD mounted police barn
The LAPD Mounted Platoon horse barn went to the rats soon after its nacho-orange tabby disappeared. Now two new kitty cops have arrived to sweep the vermin from mounted police stalls. Officer Willoughby and Officer Hieronymus, two tough feline partners best known as officers Willie and Harry, deployed Wednesday on a new Metro Division barn patrol.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

Council instructs LAFD to launch safety campaign after fire deaths
After a spike in fire-related deaths in early 2014, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to instruct the fire department to develop a program for distributing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and create a fire safety campaign. The campaign will be translated into multiple languages -- including Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog -- and promotes the importance of safety alarms. Los Angeles Times

L.A. City Council backs House proposal for federal paid family leave
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday gave its backing to a proposed federal law that would for the first time provide paid family leave for up to 12 weeks. Acting at the urging of Councilwoman Nury Martinez, and after a personal appeal by Amy Elaine Wakeland, wife of Mayor Eric Garcetti, the council voted unanimously to back the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, introduced by House Democrats.
Los Angeles Times