Law Enforcement

Violent crime in L.A. is up at midyear point for first time since 2003
For first time in more than a decade, violent crime in Los Angeles rose during the first six months of the year, according to Los Angeles Police Department statistics. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the department was "very concerned" about the increase but also noted that overall crime, which includes property offenses such as burglaries, remains down.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD announces two $50,000 rewards in separate killings
Los Angeles police detectives on Wednesday announced two separate $50,000 rewards for the unsolved killings of a 45-year-old mother of two and a 26-year-old father of four. LAPD Det. Paul Shearholdt said both cases lack significant leads. In the killing of Roshon Dwayne Davis, detectives have had access to minimal security footage in the area.
Los Angeles Times

Mamás working with police to make the streets safer
A handful of mothers escorts a Los Angeles Police captain through the neighborhood, introducing him to merchants, a pastor and residents, some of whom are reluctant to talk to an officer, even though he is not in uniform. Crime in Cypress Park, a predominately low-income neighborhood north of Dodger Stadium, has subsided in the past couple of years, Capt. Jeffrey Bert said, probably because of gentrification and a massive 2009 bust of the Avenues gang.
Los Angeles Register

Surveillance photos show suspected attacker in Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys
Police have released surveillance images of a man suspected of attacking women in Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks by pulling down their pants and underwear, officials said. The images show a man wearing a gray sweatshirt and dark pants, appearing to be jogging or running. The man, between 20 and 25 years old, makes eye contact with his victims and then passes them by, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
NBC4

LAPD Chief Beck hears mixed bag of feedback in East LA
East Los Angeles residents on Tuesday gave L.A. police chief Charlie Beck a mixed bag of unfavorable and tepid reviews of his last five years as head of the LAPD at a community meeting on his bid for reappointment. The Los Angeles Police Commission held its third and final public community meeting at the Lincoln Heights Senior Center. Police Commissioner Sandra Figueroa-Villa was absent, though the rest of the civilian oversight board was present, including Beck.
KPCC

Inmate at LAPD's Metropolitan Detention Center taken to hospital, dies
An inmate at the Los Angeles Police Department's Metropolitan Detention Center was taken to a hospital and died Tuesday, prompting a temporary closure of the downtown jail facility that houses more than 500 people. Paramedics took the inmate from the facility at 180 N. Los Angeles St., near the LAPD's former Parker Center headquarters, to a hospital at 4:15 p.m., according to Officer Sara Faden. The inmate was pronounced dead at the hospital.
City News Service

3 things cops need to know about Juggalos
With the recent arrests of the more than 600 suspected gang members in approximately 179 cities by the Homeland Security Department - quite possibly the largest crackdown on street gangs by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement - the old cliché "knowledge is power" comes to mind. Everyone who has worn the badge has a mandate to serve and protect. In addition, everyone who has worn the badge wants to go home to their families after their shift.
PoliceOne

Dodger Stadium Beating

Dodgers found partly liable in brutal beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow
A Los Angeles jury today ruled that the Dodgers are partly liable for the devastating injuries to Giants fan Bryan Stow, who was attacked in a stadium parking lot after an opening day game in 2011, and must pay millions to cover his medical bills and other expenses. The two men who attacked Stow, Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood, were also ordered to pay part of the legal payout, which totaled nearly $18 million.
Los Angeles Times

Drought

State proposes $500-a-day fines for water hogs
State officials are stepping up the push for water conservation with plans to levy fines of as much as $500 a day against people who waste water outdoors. The proposal by the State Water Resources Control Board, unveiled Wednesday, would prohibit washing sidewalks, driveways and patios, watering lawns or gardens to the point of causing runoff, washing cars without a shut-off nozzle on the hose, and using potable water in fountains.
San Francisco Chronicle

Kid Safety

LG wants to put a tracking device on your child
Various tech companies have introduced wearable devices over the last few years that track your steps, heartbeat and even deliver your e-mails to your wrist. Is electronically tracking your kid the next frontier? LG announced a new device Wednesday morning, the KizON wristband, designed to let parents keep track of their child's whereabouts.
Washington Post

City Government

Controller refuses to make $4 million annual payment to DWP nonprofits
Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin disclosed Wednesday that he will refuse to pay nearly $4 million the city owes two controversial nonprofits affiliated with the Department of Water and Power, saying he can't write the checks in "good conscience" because the groups have refused to show what they've done with more than $40 million in previous payments.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. asks for court-appointed receiver to take over DWP nonprofits
Los Angeles city leaders are suing to have a court-appointed receiver take control of two controversial nonprofits affiliated with the Department of Water and Power whose managers have refused to show what they've done with more than $40 million of public money. City Atty. Mike Feuer filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, hours after City Controller Ron Galperin refused to sign checks for annual city payments of nearly $4 million due to the nonprofits this month.
Los Angeles Times