Law Enforcement

LAPD releases sketch of suspect in Griffith Park attack
Los Angeles police Thursday released a sketch of a man suspected of attempting to sexually assault a woman in Griffith Park. According to a statement by the Los Angeles Police Department, the incident occurred Wednesday morning when a man tried to grab a woman while she was hiking on a trail. "He was unsuccessful due to the victim fighting him off," according to the statement. The woman was not injured, but was taken to a hospital to be checked out, police said.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck applies for second 5-year term
Police Chief Charlie Beck, saying the Los Angeles Police Department has made tremendous gains but that much work remains to be done, applied Thursday to be appointed to a second five-year term. Beck's formal application to the Police Commission kicks off a public review process of his work as chief since his appointment in 2009 by former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. It will require a decision within 90 days of his Nov. 17 anniversary date.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD targets motorcyclists during safety month
The Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol have launched a motorcycle enforcement and education campaign in May as part of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The LAPD will be conducting specialized Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Operations citywide on May 24 and 31 in an effort to lower deaths and injuries. Extra officers will be on duty patrolling areas frequented by motorcyclists, and where motorcycle traffic collisions have occurred.
Park LaBrea News/Beverly Press

Photos and video: Symbionese Liberation Army shootout with the LAPD -- 40 years later
Fourty years ago, the Symbionese Liberation Army - the group that kidnapped newspaper heiress Patty Hearst - was involved in a shootout on May 17, 1974, with the Los Angeles Police Department that left six SLA members dead. Here are images and video from that violent confrontation.
Los Angeles Daily News

Someone seriously bought the iPhone Rihanna cracked for $66,500
If someone dropped our iPhone 5 on the ground and shattered the screen, we would be cursing and shaking our fists at the sky. But things are different in Rihanna's world. When she dropped L.A. Police Commission President Steve Soboroff's phone at a Clippers game last week while taking a selfie, he sold it on eBay-and made $66,500 off of it. Well, Soboroff isn't pocketing the cash, but donating it to LAPD's Cadet Program.
LAist

Signs to honor the 'ultimate sacrifice'
The Los Angeles Police Department is mourning the deaths of five officers who have died during the past couple of months, and has created a program to honor the memory of all fallen officers through special street signs that will be installed near the locations where the officers died, or the police stations at which they served. The first of the signs went up last week at the corner of 2nd and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles in honor of Officer Edward Wilhoit, who was killed in the line of duty on Aug. 20, 1924.
Park LaBrea News/Beverly Press

Pregnant woman shot in the leg in South Los Angeles
A pregnant woman was shot in a leg Thursday in South Los Angeles. The shooting occurred in the 8300 block of South Main Street at 6:50 p.m., said Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera. An older man was also struck in a leg, according to a videographer at the scene, but Herrera said she only knew of one person taken to a hospital. No suspect information was available, Herrera said.
City News Service

Gang members use social media to organize, taunt - and represent
Hanging out on street corners for gang members has moved to hanging out on Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms - at least some of the time - academics and law enforcement officials said Wednesday at the L.A. gang violence conference. What's different between how a business may use Pinterest or you may keep your social media profiles is the stakes are higher for gang members, said Dr. Desmond Patton, professor of social work at the University of Michigan. He said the potential for violence is higher because of the size of the audience.
KPCC

Public Safety

Atwater oil spill: There are thousands of oil pipelines all over LA
The spill of 10,000 gallons of crude oil Thursday from a pipeline near Atwater Village in Los Angeles raised this question for Atwater Village Neighborhood Council co-chairs Courtney Morris and Torin Dunnavant: "Why are there crude oil pipelines in Atwater Village?" they asked in a statement. The answer? There are actually tens of thousands of oil pipelines all over Los Angeles, though residents may not know it, industry officials told KPCC.
KPCC

Proposal for walkway over downtown L.A. homeless camp stirs debate
A well-known developer in downtown Los Angeles is fighting to erect a pedestrian bridge between two apartment buildings, saying it would protect future residents from a nearby homeless encampment. Geoffrey H. Palmer, whose company is known for the Orsini, the Medici and other faux-Italian apartment buildings, wants the private walkway to join structures going up on both sides of Temple Street. In a report filed with the city, his company said a span over Temple would help his tenants steer clear of transients living under the nearby 110 Freeway.
Los Angeles Times