Law Enforcement

LAPD steps up investigation of string of attacks on women in park
The LAPD is stepping up its effort to identify the man believed responsible for three attacks on women in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, with officers combing the area for information. The man has struck at least three times this year and appears to be getting bolder and more dangerous with each encounter, police said. He is believed to be 20 to 25 years old, said LAPD Det. David Meza.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD officer suffers hand, shoulder injury in fight with motorist
A Los Angeles police officer was hospitalized Tuesday after suffering a dislocated shoulder and hand injury in a struggle with a motorist who punched and struck him several times, officials said. The incident unfolded about 11:30 a.m. when a motorcycle officer stopped a driver near Wilshire and San Vicente Boulevards. What began as a normal stop quickly turned violent with the man punching the officer, officials said.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD issues child abduction alert after 2 kids allegedly taken by mother
Los Angeles police were asking for the public's help in locating two children who were allegedly taken by their biological mother, authorities said late Tuesday. The mother of the kids took them from the 1700 block of West 35th Place on Monday afternoon, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department. They were reported missing by the grandmother the following morning after they did not return, the release stated.
KTLA

Homeless man charged with killing boy's defender outside McDonald's
A homeless man pleaded not guilty Monday to killing a bystander who tried to intervene as he was yelling and cursing at a toddler, authorities said. Jeremy Harris, 36, faces one count of voluntary manslaughter in the June death of Gabriel Ortega outside a McDonald's in Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Prosecutors say Harris was yelling at the 3-year-old boy -- no relation to either man -- when Ortega told him to stop and stepped between the two.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD Chief Beck responds angrily to recent reports about daughter
Saying he welcomed the ongoing investigations into whether he wielded inappropriate influence in two cases involving his daughter, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck lashed out Tuesday at a blogger and journalists for reporting on a family member. "I feel I will be vindicated," Beck said in comments to the Police Commission, referring to investigations being carried out by the department's inspector general.
Los Angeles Times
CBS LA

Homelessness

Skid row: Renewed push for cleanups, social services for homeless
Acknowledging that law enforcement alone had failed to end homelessness on skid row, officials launched a city-county initiative Tuesday to bring social services and enhanced cleanups to the 50-block downtown Los Angeles district. "The seriousness of the situation makes this much more than a police issue," Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar said at a City Hall news conference.
Los Angeles Times

County Government

L.A. County Board of Supervisors rejects proposed civilian oversight of Sheriff's Department
On a 3-2 vote, the Board of Supervisors Tuesday rejected a proposal to create a permanent civilian oversight commission for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, urging advocates to give the inspector general a chance to do his job. Opponents said such a review board would be powerless given the elected sheriff's authority under state law, while advocates said that even an advisory-only board would give community members a much-needed voice.
City News Service

City Government

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti begins performance reviews of city general managers
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Tuesday he plans to begin his annual review of every city general manager - including the 10 he hired this past year - as part of his commitment to improve accountability among Los Angeles officials. "As mayor and the city's CEO, I want to make sure that we hold every city department head accountable and measure their performance to save taxpayer dollars and deliver better services. I want Los Angeles to be the best run city in America," Garcetti said.
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. Fire Commission approves measures to end hiring favoritism
The Los Angeles Fire Commission on Tuesday offered support to a series of recommendations designed to eliminate favoritism in the hiring of firefighters even as they voiced concern about eliminating some of the "best and brightest" seeking to join the agency. With a report from Independent Assessor Sue Stengel laying out the problems and controversies of the last class of recruits, the commission said it wants to study the recommendations while waiting for a report from the RAND Corp. on how recruitment and hiring can be improved.
Los Angeles Daily News

DWP may revive abandoned program to test pipes after UCLA flood
One week after a ruptured pipe flooded parts of the UCLA campus, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is reexamining whether to revive an old program, discontinued years ago, to help detect weakened pipes. DWP Senior Assistant General Manager Jim McDaniel told the board overseeing the agency on Tuesday that some technology that aims to detect corroded pipes before they leak could turn up a "false positive," spurring the city to dig up good pipes.
Los Angeles Times