Law Enforcement

LAPD fingerprint backlog more than doubled in the last two years
Los Angeles police officials said Tuesday that the number of cases with unanalyzed fingerprint evidence has more than doubled in the last two years, hampering efforts to solve thousands of burglaries, thefts and other property crimes. The backlog has worsened despite an LAPD campaign to process fingerprints more effectively, including having officers rather than analysts collect fingerprints at some crime scenes. In 2012, the backlog was about 2,200 cases. Today, there are 5,455.
Los Angeles Times

Mayor Eric Garcetti throws his support behind McDonnell In LA County sheriff's race
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joins a long list of local and state officials in endorsing Long Beach police Chief Jim McDonnell for Los Angeles County sheriff. The mayor appeared with McDonnell on the steps of City Hall Tuesday afternoon to formally announce his support for the former LAPD officer in the Nov. 4 runoff against former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka. McDonnell was second-in-command to former Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton until he was hired in Long Beach in 2010.
CBS LA

Liquor store clerk shot twice during attempted robbery in Sylmar
A liquor store clerk was shot twice during an attempted robbery in Sylmar Tuesday night and was hospitalized in critical but stable condition, police said. The 35-year-old victim was shot in the stomach and left bicep, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Francisca Wheeling said. No property was taken in the robbery attempt, which occurred around 8:30 p.m. at the Rancho Liquor Store in the 13500 block of Glenoaks Boulevard, near Roxford Street, Wheeling said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Schools in Silver Lake, O.C., Northridge close amid threats
A Silver Lake elementary school was put on lockdown early Tuesday after a person dialed 911 and said armed gunmen were at the school -- the third such call from the same number in recent weeks, police said. "Operators get the call, they try to call back...and the number is disconnected," said Los Angeles police spokeswoman Liliana Preciado.
Los Angeles Times

Woman arrested after short pursuit in Panorama City
A woman was arrested Tuesday after a 15-minute police pursuit in the San Fernando Valley. Police attempted to stop the unidentified suspect for possible DUI near the intersection of Sherman Way and Hayvenhurst Avenue in Van Nuys around 2:50 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department Officer B. Csai said. The suspect refused to stop, and the ensuing pursuit included a brief stretch along the 405 Freeway.
City News Service

LAPD officers hospitalized after traffic collision in West Los Angeles
Two LAPD officers were hospitalized after a vehicle collided with their patrol car in West Los Angeles on Tuesday, police said. The officers were responding to an emergency when their vehicle was broadsided by another car at Bundy Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard at about 4:20 p.m., according to Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Drake Madison. One officer complained of shoulder pain, while the other had pain in his neck, Madison said.
KTLA

Surveillance video shows burglars in action at Bel-Air home: LAPD
Los Angeles police released surveillance video Tuesday of two women who are among a group of five suspected burglars that broke into a home in upscale Bel-Air a week and a half earlier. The women knocked on the door of a home in the 15000 block of Hamner Drive to ensure no one was home before three male burglars broke into the residence through a rear master bedroom window, police said.
KTLA

LAPD officer properly prevailed in FLSA anti-retaliation claim
Leonard Avila, a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, periodically worked through his lunch breaks and did not claim overtime. After Avila testified in a lawsuit brought by another officer who sought overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Avila was ordered to appear before the LAPD Board of Rights, a disciplinary review body.
The National Law Review

The story behind the LAPD's sexy squad cars
Many Angelenos have lifted a quizzical eyebrow when a new LAPD patrol car whizzes by, since the cars look so different from those dusty, dated Crown Victorias. Sleek, striking, and futuristic, the new rides look like set pieces from RoboCop or Terminator. The truth is, the LAPD's newest rides are simply Dodge Charger Pursuits painted black and white and outfitted with emergency lights and sirens.
Los Angeles Magazine

NYPD Commissioner wants more than 1,000 new police officers
Police Commissioner William Bratton said Monday he wants to hire more than 1,000 new officers, in part to accommodate staffing as the department overhauls its training program. Bratton, testifying at a City Council oversight hearing, said the officers are needed to effectively police the city and to make sure that shifts are covered as nearly every officer is retrained on the use of force.
Wall Street Journal

Courts

9th Circuit voids L.A. murder conviction, cites prosecution bias
A federal appeals court unanimously overturned a Southern California man's second-degree murder conviction Tuesday, ruling that a Los Angeles prosecutor improperly struck a prospective juror because she was a Latina. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said Anthony Castellanos, convicted of second-degree murder for a fatally shooting a 12-year-old, deserved a new trial because the prosecutor used a "factually erroneous" reason for removing the woman.
Los Angeles Times