Law Enforcement

Hundreds protest after fatal shooting of man by LAPD
Hundreds of protesters rallied Sunday outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters before marching through the streets of downtown over the fatal police shooting of a 25-year-old black man. Ezell Ford, who family members said was mentally challenged, was shot at around 8:12 p.m. on Aug. 11 after being stopped for questioning in the Florence district of South L.A., authorities said. The Police Protective Union, which represents LAPD officers, issued a statement asking people not to rush to judgment until the investigation is complete.
NBC4

Fight over skateboard leads to fatal stabbing in Echo Park, police say
A man in his 20s was stabbed to death in the Echo Park area late Friday in a fight that began over a skateboard, police said. The confrontation occurred about 11:30 p.m. in the 1500 block of Sunset Boulevard when the victim was approached by three men, also in their 20s, said Officer Nuria Vanegas of the Los Angeles Police Department. The alleged assailants tried to take the victim's skateboard and a fight ensued, Vanegas said.
Los Angeles Times

Pacoima shooting kills 1, injures 1
A man in his 30s was shot dead and a 22-year-old man suffered a slight gunshot wound to his leg at a Pacoima apartment complex, police said Saturday. The shooting occurred at 11:30 p.m. Friday, on the 10500 block of Haddon Avenue, Los Angeles police Sgt. Mike Hammett said. The victims were standing in front of the apartment complex when a suspect in a vehicle drove up and fired multiple rounds, said Los Angeles police officer Nuria Vanegas of the Media Relations Section.
City News Service

Shotgun-wielding man wounded in Boyle Heights officer-involved shooting
The Los Angeles Police Department responding to a call about a man with a mental illness reportedly shot the suspect Sunday afternoon. The incident occurred in the 3200 block of E. Lanfranco Street in Boyle Heights, authorities said. Just before 1:40 p.m., officials responding to the scene said they encountered a subject who was yelling and violent. The suspect was shot once and wounded. Sunday afternoon, police said the man had a shotgun and refused an order to drop the weapon.
CBS LA

1 injured in car-to-car shooting in Highland Park; LAPD searching for 4 men
One person was injured in a car-to-car shooting in Highland Park Friday afternoon, and police were looking for four men in connection with the shooting, authorities said. The male victim was shot at Roble Avenue and Avenue 64 about 4 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department Officer Nuria Vanegas said. The victim got into a vehicle and headed onto the 110 Freeway, where he crashed, Vanegas said. He was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg.
KTLA

LAPD's in-car camera effort is lagging
The Los Angeles Police Department last week found itself in a familiar place: defending a controversial shooting by officers that has led to conflicting accounts of what happened. For more than two decades, the LAPD has been trying to install cameras in patrol cars, hoping to record the actions of officers and avoid the disputes that fuel community distrust. But, today, most LAPD cruisers still lack cameras. Cars in only one of the LAPD's four bureaus have the technology.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

Life with parole no longer means life term
Not so long ago, the conventional wisdom in legal circles was that any violent criminal sentenced to life with the possibility of parole in California wasn't likely to ever walk out of prison. Whether that inmate had served the minimum on a term of 15 years to life or 25 years to life seemed inconsequential for many prisoners in the 1990s and early 2000s. In California, life meant life. But that's not the case anymore. In 2009, 221 lifer inmates were released from prison on parole, more than twice the number from the year before, according to the Governor's Office.
U-T San Diego

Early jail releases have surged since California's prison realignment
Across California, more than 13,500 inmates are being released early each month to relieve crowding in local jails - a 34% increase over the last three years. A Times investigation shows a significant shift in who is being let out of jail, how early and where. The releases spring from an effort begun in 2011 to divert low-level offenders from crowded state prisons to local jails. The move had a cascade effect, forcing local authorities to release their least dangerous inmates to make room for more serious offenders.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Legislature mulls curbs on use of aerial drones by paparazzi
When singer Miley Cyrus recently spotted a mysterious drone hovering over her Los Angeles home, she posted video of the aerial intruder on Instagram, complaining that it appeared to be a new tactic by the paparazzi. The incident, in which Cyrus was photographed in her backyard, was no surprise to Patrick J. Alach. He is legal counsel for the Paparazzi Reform Initiative, a group representing celebrities and others that has persuaded lawmakers to tighten laws governing photography of those he represents.
Los Angeles Times

Lawmaker calls for ‘common sense' testing of guns surrendered at buyback events
A Southland lawmaker whose father was killed in a deadly shooting last year wants to prevent would-be criminals from using “no questions asked” gun buyback programs to help destroy evidence of crimes they may have committed. Legislation introduced Thursday by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) would prohibit police agencies from administering handgun buy-backs without taking steps to ensure firearms are property identified and tested as potential evidence.
CBS LA

City Government

Los Angeles City Council moves to ticket residential quality-of-life infractions
Five years after the program was proposed, a Los Angeles Administrative Citation Enforcement (ACE) program moved a bit closer to fruition as a way to combat residential quality-of-life crimes such as loud parties or barking dogs. The City Council's Public Safety and Personnel, Welfare and Animal Services committees recommended adoption of a pilot program that gives officers the ability to file a misdemeanor complaint as an alternative to just issuing a warning.
Los Angeles Daily News