Law Enforcement

Suspect in LAPD station shooting charged with attempted murder
A 29-year-old man accused of wounding a Los Angeles police officer after he opened fire at a Mid-City police station was charged Thursday with two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer. Daniel Christoph Yealu, of Los Angeles, also faces gun allegations in connection with Monday night's shooting at LAPD's Wilshire Division station, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said. If convicted, prosecutors said he faces 75 years to life in state prison.
Los Angeles Times

Records reveal woman suspected in LAPD motorcycle officer's death has troubled past
The woman suspected of killing an LAPD motorcycle officer with her SUV this weekend reportedly has a troubled past. Qaneak Shaney Cobb, 44, was convicted of grand theft and, in 2008, she was found guilty of petty theft with a prior. In 2012, she was convicted of possession of a controlled substance. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Cobb's driver's license expired in 2005, but she did have a clean driving record. Meanwhile, a memorial is growing outside the LAPD Valley Traffic Division in honor of 26-year veteran Officer Cortijo.
CBS LA

$75,000 reward offered in fire that killed woman, 1-year-old son
Police on Thursday announced a $75,000 reward in the killing of a 28-year-old woman and her 1-year-old son, who died in a March 5 house fire that appeared to be intentionally set. Authorities responded to the fire about 11:30 a.m. in a converted garage in the 100 block of East 50th Street, said Los Angeles Police Det. Louie Calzadillas. Investigators found evidence that Gisella Yauli, 28, had been tied up in a bedroom.
Los Angeles Times

Mother extradited to Los Angeles to face abduction charges
A former Hollywood resident who took her two sons to Europe and allegedly kept them there for more than 18 months in violation of custody orders with the boys' fathers was extradited to the U.S. Thursday to face felony charges, authorities said. Maria Pfeifer - who had an international warrant against her - was extradited under FBI supervision after she was arrested by French authorities late last year in the town of Divonne les Bains near the Swiss border.
Los Angeles Daily News

LA County Sheriff launches app for eyewitnesses to share photos/videos of major emergencies
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department launched a software program Thursday that will allow it and other law enforcement agencies to collect videos and photos sent by smartphone users after a disaster or major crime. The department teamed up with two private technology companies to build LEEDIR - an acronym for Large Emergency Event Digital Information Repository. It's a public-private software program - with a website and mobile app - that gives the public a central place to upload video and photos after an earthquake, terrorist event or mass shooting.
KPCC

USC scholarship supports LAPD community leaders
Alma Burke, a Los Angeles Police Department homicide investigator and supervisor, said she found her calling after spending her youth defending her brothers against crime on the way to school in Santa Ana, Calif. "It was always unpredictable, and we never knew who was going to go after us for money," Burke recalled. "It was then that I knew that I wanted to be a police officer, and protect others and remove the fears of a child."
USC News

Prisons

Judges appoint prison population oversight chief
A panel of three federal judges on Wednesday appointed Elwood Lui, a former associate justice of the California Court of Appeal, as the "compliance officer" empowered to begin releasing state prison inmates if California fails to meet court ordered deadlines to reduce its prisoner population. Lui was one of two candidates for the position suggested by lawyers representing the state. He has agreed to serve without compensation but to have reasonable expenses reimbursed, according to the order from the panel issued Wednesday afternoon.
Sacramento Bee

City Government

Garcetti shares 'back to basics' agenda in State of the City address
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti presented a long and eclectic list of initiatives in his first State of the City address Thursday, promising to reinvigorate the city's major boulevards, cut taxes for businesses, put building records online and keep a lid on rates at the Department of Water and Power. Speaking at the California Science Center in South Los Angeles, Garcetti spelled out in detail his "back to basics" agenda, which focuses on public safety, economic prosperity, quality of life and a well-run city government. He did not always provide timetables to help the public measure his progress, opting for overarching themes.
Los Angeles Times

Garcetti shares 'back to basics' agenda in State of the City address
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti presented a long and eclectic list of initiatives in his first State of the City address Thursday, promising to reinvigorate the city's major boulevards, cut taxes for businesses, put building records online and keep a lid on rates at the Department of Water and Power. Speaking at the California Science Center in South Los Angeles, Garcetti spelled out in detail his "back to basics" agenda, which focuses on public safety, economic prosperity, quality of life and a well-run city government. He did not always provide timetables to help the public measure his progress, opting for overarching themes.
Los Angeles Times

Deputy mayor Cole says tough budget cuts were in $60-$90 million range
As Mayor Eric Garcetti prepares to release his budget Monday, his Deputy Mayor of Budget and Innovation Rick Cole said that long-long fixes are needed at Los Angeles City Hall, saying "structural change" is required. "The magnitude of what the Garcetti administration is undertaking will not happen overnight," Cole said. Garcetti unveils his budget Monday, a financial plan that will lay out his priorities for departments like Fire, Police, and transportation.
Los Angeles Daily News