Law Enforcement

Daniele Watts: LAPD chief says officers acted 'well within' authority
Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck expressed support Tuesday for the way a sergeant and two officers acted last week when they detained and handcuffed an actress. Beck cautioned that he had not made a final decision about the matter but said he believed, based on an initial review of audio recordings, photographs and witnesses' statements, that the officers acted within their legal authority.
Los Angeles Times

Providing ID to police officers - A public service announcement
The Los Angeles Police Protective League provides the following as a public service for those whose understanding of the law regarding the necessity to provide identification to police comes from watching, or acting in, fictional police dramas. Instead, they might want to rely on the considered advice of legal professionals, such as the prosecutors at the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.
LAPPL Blog

Woman killed in Mount Washington hit-and-run accident
A 57-year-old woman was killed in a hit-and-run accident while crossing a street in a marked crosswalk in the Mount Washington area, police said Monday. The accident occurred at the intersection of Avenue 50 and San Marcos Place at 7:50 p.m. Sunday, said investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Traffic Division.
City News Service

LAPD: Man breaks 15 windshields with chain in downtown lot
Splintered glass and the broken windshields of 15 cars sat in a downtown parking lot Tuesday morning after a man reportedly vandalized the vehicles with a chain, police said. Los Angeles Police Department officials received reports of vandalism before 8 a.m. at a monthly parking lot at 732 S. Spring St.
Los Angeles Register

Van Nuys homeowner shoots alleged intruder
A suspect remained hospitalized Tuesday after police say he was shot by a homeowner during an attempted robbery. The shooting happened around 11:15 p.m. Monday in the 6200 block of Matilija Avenue in Van Nuys, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities said a man found the suspect in his home, a struggle ensued and several shots were fired.
CBS LA

Homeless man allegedly shot by men on BMX bikes near LA River
A homeless man was shot by two random men near the LA River in Atwater Village early Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The homeless man, believed to be around 50 years old, was approached by two unknown men on BMX bikes just before 2 a.m., police said. The men on the BMX bikes allegedly shot the homeless man twice.
NBC4

Public's help needed to find Hollywood burglar
Detectives released a composite sketch Monday of a man they say has committed several burglaries, including one that turned violent, in the Hollywood area. Los Angeles police say the man is believed to have committed at least three burglaries this year. The first burglary was reported about 7 p.m. Jan. 4. The man entered through a window and burglarized a home in the 1000 block of North Oxford Avenue.
CBS LA

LAPD's art theft unit is a piece of work
Tibetan artifacts shouldn't be stashed among a pack of pot-bellied pigs, but that's how Detective Don Hrycyk found them. They'd been stolen over a decade earlier by a man who'd befriended the owner, a New York art collector and scholar. Hrycyk, 63, has made more such discoveries as head and often lone investigator of the country's only known unit dedicated to full-time investigations of art crimes.
Los Angeles Register

Ballot Initiatives

Proposition 47 does not put public safety first
Californians are facing one of our most serious public safety threats in recent memory. The threat is Prop 47 - a ballot initiative that would flood the streets with thousands of dangerous felons and soften penalties to make misdemeanors out of serious crimes that are now felonies. We face a huge uphill battle to defeat it.
LAPPL Blog

City Government

Los Angeles City Council approves ticketing nuisance violations
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved the concept of what began as "the good neighbor ordinance," allowing officials to give out the equivalent of traffic tickets for nuisance infractions such as barking dogs, gas-powered leaf blowers and other quality-of-life issues. The Administrative Code Enforcement program, originally proposed five years ago by former City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and former Councilman Greig Smith, moved through on a 9-1 vote.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAFD gets new anti-nepotism rules in wake of hiring controversy
The Los Angeles Fire Commission adopted new rules Tuesday to prevent conflicts of interest and reform a firefighter hiring process that a city report called "tainted" by concerns of nepotism. The changes will require all LAFD officials involved in the selection process to notify superiors when they have a friend or family member in the applicant pool.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Chamber formally denounces Garcetti plan for $13.25 minimum wage
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce formally came out against Mayor Eric Garcetti's $13.25 an hour minimum wage proposal on Tuesday, saying that boosting the rate would "reduce, not increase the number of jobs" in the city. Chamber President and Chief Executive Gary Toebben said his organization's board concluded that any discussion of a wage hike should be part of a larger economic development strategy for the city.
Los Angeles Times