Law Enforcement

TSA wants police at checkpoints
The Transportation Security Administration recommended Wednesday that armed law enforcement officers be posted at security checkpoints and ticket counters during peak hours in the aftermath of last year's fatal shooting at Los Angeles International Airport. The 25-page report to Congress obtained by The Associated Press makes 14 recommendations that do not carry a price tag and are somewhat dependent on local authorities who provide airport security.
Associated Press

Los Angeles City Council increases reward amount in hit-and-run death of young filmmaker
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday voted to add $50,000 to a reward for information leading to the person responsible for the hit-and-run death of an aspiring filmmaker who is the son and grandson of federal court judges. David Pregerson, 23, was found in the brush off Chautauqua Boulevard, just west of Sunset Boulevard, about 3 a.m. on Dec. 27, said the Los Angeles Police Department's West Traffic Division. The driver who stuck him failed to stop.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAX thefts case: 25 warrants served, multiple arrests made
Multiple people were arrested and search warrants were served Wednesday night in connection to baggage thefts at Los Angeles International Airport. Eyewitness News has learned that 25 search warrants were served at 25 different locations. Arrests were made at the airport itself, as well as at various areas in Los Angeles County, including in Lennox and Inglewood. Investigators said they noticed a string of thefts involving stolen property from travelers' checked luggage, so they launched an investigation. The months-long law enforcement operation is a joint venture between LAX police and the Los Angeles Police Department.
ABC7

Man killed in Hollywood Hills LAPD shooting identified
The man found dead inside a Hollywood Hills home after exchanging gunfire with LAPD officers was identified Wednesday by L.A. County coroner's officials. Michael Valentino, 27, of Los Angeles, was found Monday inside the home in the 8100 block of Gould Avenue with a gunshot wound after officers responded to a domestic violence call. The officers had just crossed the home's threshold when Valentino fired at them with a semiautomatic gun, injuring one, authorities said. He then barricaded himself inside.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD begins serving Echo Park gang injunction papers
Los Angeles police have officially begun serving suspected gang members in the Echo Park neighborhood with injunction papers that prohibit them from hanging out together in the area. The gang injunction covers about four square miles of Echo Park and Silver Lake. It's aimed at six gangs. The injunction makes it illegal for gang members listed on the injunction from associating in public. It also adds penalty enhancements for gang members caught committing crimes.
Southern California Public Radio

FBI adds violent gang member to most-wanted list
The FBI is offering more than $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of the newest member of its "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list: an alleged MS-13 gang member sought in the murders of his ex-girlfriend and her 2-year-old son. Juan Elias Garcia, 21, has been charged with murder and other offenses in connection to the 2010 New York killings of Vanessa Argueta, 19, and 2-year-old Diego Torres.
Fox News

Homeland Security

Protecting the power grid: A bigger role for government?
As utilities scramble to secure the nation's power grid against terrorist attack, some in Congress are skeptical that electric companies are up to the job. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) renewed their push Wednesday to create an expanded role for government in policing the industry. Legislation they introduced, the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act, or GRID Act, would give federal regulators power to order utilities to fix gaps in security. This marks the third time the prominent duo has proposed such a measure. But this time around, their idea appears to have new momentum.
Los Angeles Times

Traffic

More trains, buses and highways across region will ease traffic gridlock, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti says
Saying no one in Southern California is immune from traffic nightmares, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti vowed Wednesday to work alongside independent cities in the county to raise money for more trains, buses and highways that will ease gridlock. "I want to be a better mayor for the entire region," Garcetti told an audience of 200 leaders from throughout the county. "It used to be L.A. city is the 800-pound gorilla everyone loves to hate. I want to say those days are over."
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Fashion trucks are driving a new trend into Los Angeles
They've taken their game plan directly from the food truck phenomenon that rolled into the L.A. area more than five years ago. They spruce up their trucks with bright colors, cool graphics and catchy names as they tweet out information about when and where they'll pop up next. But instead of serving fusion tacos, organic burgers or lobster rolls, they're hawking fast fashion as part of the latest business trend to hit the streets: fashion trucks.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin ready to audit Department of Water and Power trusts
City Controller Ron Galperin has a team of auditors gearing up for a dissection of two Department of Water and Power trusts following a tentative court ruling Tuesday upholding his power to subpoena documents from the Joint Training Institute and Joint Safety Institute. "The controller considers this one of his top priorities, and he will put as many people as we need to finish this in a timely fashion," spokesman Lowell Goodman said.
Los Angeles Daily News