Law Enforcement

Supreme Court: Police can't search smartphones without a warrant
The Supreme Court brought the constitutional right of personal privacy into the digital era Wednesday, ruling unanimously that police may not search a smartphone or similar device without a warrant from a judge. The decision is the court's most sweeping and surprising criminal law opinion in years, and it is likely to put a significant check on the government's ability to routinely search other types of electronic devices, including laptops and tablets.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD reacts to Supreme Court ruling on cellphone searches
A unanimous Supreme Court ruling Wednesday that generally prohibits police from searching the cellphones of people they arrest without first getting search warrants is unlikely to hinder future LAPD investigations, a police spokesperson said. In a decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court said cellphones are powerful devices unlike anything else police may find on someone they arrest.
CBS LA

Man slain in confrontation with LAPD by Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza
A man was killed in a confrontation with Los Angeles police Wednesday night after officers swooped down on the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza when gunshots were reported in the area. There were no reports of injuries to shoppers or police as patrol cars and officers wearing helmets and armed with rifles searched the area. A man believed to be a suspect was confronted by police around 8:30 p.m. in the 400 block Angeles Vista Boulevard.
Los Angeles Times

Video as "evidence"- A cautionary tale
When viewed by itself and without any context, this video looked troubling. It showed three Los Angeles Police Department officers wrestling with a young skateboarder while a fourth officer appeared to punch him in the face. An easy case of police brutality, right? Wrong. A Los Angeles federal jury unanimously rejected the civil rights lawsuit that Ronald Weekley Jr., a 20-year-old Venice man, filed in connection with his August 2012 police encounter.
LAPPL Blog

1 killed in botched robbery at medical marijuana shop near LAX
One man was killed and another was being sought Wednesday after an attempted robbery of a medical marijuana dispensary near Los Angeles International Airport. The two men entered the Nature's Cure Inc. dispensary at 5300 W. Century Blvd. about 12:18 p.m. and were involved in an exchange of gunfire with the security guard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One of the men was struck in the stomach during the incident and was later pronounced dead, police said.
Los Angeles Times

Predicting crime, LAPD-style
The Los Angeles Police Department, like many urban police forces today, is both heavily armed and thoroughly computerized. The Real-Time Analysis and Critical Response Division in downtown LA is its central processor. Rows of crime analysts and technologists sit before a wall covered in video screens stretching more than 10 yards wide. Multiple news broadcasts are playing simultaneously, and a real-time earthquake map is tracking the region's seismic activity.
The Guardian

Six Valley hookah bars cited for smoking violations
Six hookah lounges in Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks were cited Friday for allowing smoking in outdoor dining areas or areas intended for the consumption of food, according to the Los Angeles Police Department Van Nuys Division. The business owners were also cited for a variety of infractions, including possession of altered alcoholic beverages, allowing smoking inside a workplace and unauthorized possession of distilled spirits.
Post-Periodical

Police searching for autistic L.A. teen missing for two days
Los Angeles Police are searching for an autistic teenager who ran away from his Green Meadows home on Sunday morning, authorities said. Adam Jordan, 18, was last seen fleeing his family's home in the 9300 block of South Avalon Boulevard about 10:30 a.m., according to a statement released by the LAPD. He was wearing a gray hat, red sleeveless shirt, green camouflage jacket, blue jeans and white shoes when he was last seen.
Los Angeles Times

Election 2014

L.A. County sheriff's election confirmed for November runoff
Final vote tallies released Wednesday indicate the race for Los Angeles County sheriff will head to a general election runoff between Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Gardena Mayor Paul Tanaka. McDonnell - the overwhelming victor in the June 3 primary election - finished just 0.65 percent short of the 50 percent plus 1 mark needed to skip the Nov. 3 election and be sworn in as head of the nation's largest sheriff's department.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

L.A. City Council to vote on bolstering foreclosure registry
A measure to strengthen Los Angeles' foreclosure registry took a key step forward Wednesday when it won the blessing of two City Council committees. The measure would add a new fee on bank-owned foreclosures to fund inspections in a bid to keep empty houses from deteriorating and dragging down the value of neighboring homes.
Los Angeles Times

City to explore downtown bike path inside L.A. River channel
An eight-mile gap in the Los Angeles River bike path could be closed under a proposal that the City Council agreed Wednesday to explore despite concerns about heightened injury risks and maintenance costs. Voting unanimously, the Council without comment asked city engineers to study the feasibility of building at least three access ramps that would allow cyclists to pedal through downtown from the Elysian Valley to Maywood, a longtime hole in the bike path network.
Los Angeles Times

City Council ousts scooters from Venice boardwalk
It's feet only on the Venice Beach boardwalk. The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to ban motorized scooters from the popular walkway after a spate of collisions with pedestrians. The council voted unanimously to expand an existing ban on two-wheeled Segways to cover motorized scooters with any number of wheels. People with disabilities and government employees that use scooters in their work are exempt.
KPCC