Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Hollywood Hills West and other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 11 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Eight neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Pacoima was the most unusual, recording 13 reports compared with a weekly average of 3.8 over the last three months.
Los Angeles Times

Three shot near North Hollywood auto shop
Two men were arrested late Wednesday after a shootout at a North Hollywood auto body shop left three men hospitalized, one critically. Around 2 p.m., police received a call reporting the shooting at the shop in the 12700 block of Sherman Way, according to Capt. Stephen Carmona of the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood division. Two victims were found at the auto body shop, one in critical condition, Carmona said, and taken to a local hospital.
Los Angeles Daily News

"Coward" set fire to San Pedro Elks Lodge, official says
A Los Angeles City Councilman on Wednesday vowed to hunt down and arrest the "coward" responsible for torching a beloved Southern California Elks Lodge. At an afternoon press conference a day after the blaze ripped through the two-story structure in San Pedro, officials said the fire was arson, but offered few details on how investigators came to that conclusion. "We damn well know that this fire was set on purpose," said Councilman Joe Buscaino, who shared his personal connection with the lodge and identified himself as a member.
NBC4

Alleged serial killings highlight GPS limits
A pair of convicted sex offenders had proven once before that there were limits to how well GPS devices could track their whereabouts. Franc Cano and Steven Dean Gordon had cut the devices from their ankles, hopped a Greyhound bus from California, and holed up in a Las Vegas casino hotel until they were captured two weeks later. Released again, they were outfitted with new monitors and went on to rape and kill four - and possibly five - women before they were arrested last week, according to Orange County prosecutors.
Associated Press

Jails

Body scanners will replace strip searches at LA County jails
A pilot program to bring body scanners to L.A. County' jails could drastically reduce tension between inmates and deputies, a sheriff's department watchdog said Tuesday. The technology is intended to replace strip searches and cavity searches, which are highly unpopular with inmates. It is slated to begin later this month. "I saw a demonstration of the body scanners and I was very impressed with how they're going to operate," said Richard Drooyan in a report to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
KPCC

Driving

Los Angeles gas prices soar above $4, only Hawaii pays more
Southland gas prices have risen dramatically in recent days as Easter weekend approaches, and one industry expert figures they'll remain above $4 a gallon until September. The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Los Angeles County was $4.30 Wednesday, up 17 cents from a week ago and up 26 cents from a month ago, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Smartphone Security

Smartphone 'kill switches' on the way
In an abrupt about-face, the wireless industry said Tuesday that smartphones will offer optional, reversible "kill switches" starting next year as a way to deter thieves. The antitheft tool will let users remotely erase their personal data and render phones inoperable if they are lost or stolen, according to CTIA, a wireless-industry trade group. If a phone is recovered, the owner will be able to return it to working condition and restore the wiped data.
San Francisco Chronicle

City Government

DWP shutting off power again as billing problems improve
Claiming they have fixed serious billing problems, officials at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said this week they resumed shutting off electricity to delinquent ratepayers. The City Council ordered the DWP in November to suspend most terminations because a new billing system proved unreliable. With the summer heat on the horizon, a shut-off could have higher stakes for customers who rely on air conditioning.
Los Angeles Daily News

Jay Z announces Made in America festival will come to Los Angeles
Jay Z's Made in America is officially coming to Los Angeles. The rap mogul, along with Mayor Eric Garcetti, Budweiser and United Way, announced that the festival will take over downtown's Grand Park and surrounding areas in front of and around City Hall over Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30-31). "Two years ago, this was a dream," Jay Z said from the steps of City Hall early Wednesday.
Los Angeles Times