Law Enforcement

Beck mourns loss of LAPD officer; 'today the grief is different'
For the third time in two months, hundreds of police officers filled a downtown Los Angeles cathedral Wednesday morning to bid an emotional farewell to an LAPD officer killed in a car crash. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Police Chief Charlie Beck and California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris were again among those gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, this time to honor Officer Roberto Sanchez, the 32-year-old officer killed May 3 when an SUV struck his patrol car in Harbor City.
Los Angeles Times

5 LAPD officers down: Colleagues struggle to cope
The Los Angeles Police Department laid yet another officer to rest on Wednesday, casting a gloom over a department drained from losing five officers in the last two months. It's hard not to notice the LAPD in mourning. Blue ribbons are tied to trees outside police stations and onto antennas on black-and-white patrol cars. "We all do think about it," said Sgt. Rose Mejia of LAPD's Hollywood Station. "But it's kind of one of those things, you can't really obsess about it." Mejia tries to conceal the hurt many officers are feeling, but it's nearly impossible. She works at the same station officer where Nicholas Lee was assigned.
KPCC

12 arrested in alleged Koreatown check kiting operation
Officials Wednesday arrested a dozen people and were seeking three others who have been charged in a large-scale, bank account "bustout" scheme, costing Southern California banks at least $15 million.The arrests were the result of a multi-agency investigation called "Operation Check Kkang", referring to a Korean term that describes check kiting. A total of 15 defendants were named in a 26-count indictment describing a scheme, which allegedly started in Feb. 2010 and continued until Oct. 2013.
CBS LA

LAPD responds to reports of shots fired at Reseda apartment complex
Dozens of LAPD officers descended on a Reseda neighborhood Wednesday as they responded to reports of shots fired at an apartment complex on Sherman Way and possibly a gunman at large, authorities said. The hunt for a gunman led to the lockdown of Reseda Elementary School. Officers evacuated residents of the complex as authorities shut down Sherman Way between Wilbur Avenue and Reseda Boulevard.
Los Angeles Times

SWAT officers talk exclusively to CBS2s Pat Harvey about biggest shootout In LA's history
Nearly four decades ago, Los Angeles experienced the biggest shootout in the city's history and now two retired LAPD colleagues are speaking exclusively to CBS2s Pat Harvey about the ordeal. Al Preciado told Harvey that it was about 3 a.m. on May 17, 1974, when he received a call to respond to South Central. "A little old lady comes up to a patrol officer that's directing traffic. She says, 'Are you looking for all those white people with guns and ammunition,'" he said.
CBS LA

Report raises doubts about ambush of 2 LAPD officers
Before dawn one morning last June, a Los Angeles police detective and his partner were returning to their station on Venice Boulevard. Det. Humberto Tovar and Officer Bernard Romero gave investigators harrowing accounts of the gun battle that erupted moments later. As they waited for a security gate to slide open, a man approached their car, acting suspiciously. Now, however, a report by LAPD Inspector General Alex Bustamante has concluded the attack may have never occurred. Tovar could not be reached and Romero declined to comment, but LAPD officials stood by the officers' claim that they were attacked.
Los Angeles Times

Public Safety

San Fernando Valley cooling centers open
With high temperatures expected to scorch the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles region through the week, city officials announced Wednesday that cooling centers will remain open as needed to provide relief. Mayor Eric Garcetti said the action is being taken to help residents without air-conditioning or other avenues of relief to avoid the worst of the heat. Councilman Mitch O'Farrell warned of the problems that could come from overexposure. "Heat waves can be dangerous to your health if certain precautions are not taken," he said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Legislature

Senate leader seeks investigation of sex offender monitoring
The high-profile case of two Orange County sex offenders accused of killing at least four women has spurred Senate leader Darrell Steinberg to seek an investigation into whether California's sex offender registration laws and residency restrictions have created a more dangerous population of homeless felons. Steinberg (D-Sacramento) is asking the Legislature's Office of Inspector General to conduct the inquiry.
Los Angeles Times

Education

City Government

Los Angeles City Council approves funding for Skid Row cleanup
Skid Row in downtown L.A. will get additional clean up crews and trash cans thanks to $3.7 million approved Tuesday by the City Council. The funding is part of Operation Healthy Streets, which was created after a court decision limited how and when city crews can remove personal belongings from the streets and sidewalks of Skid Row. The money - about double what the city was budgeted to spend this year - will provide additional bathroom facilities, storage for homeless residents, and increase the frequency of trash collection.
KPCC