Law Enforcement

Two stolen car suspects arrested in North Hollywood following chase
Police arrested two stolen car suspects who had earlier eluded officers following a brief foot chase in North Hollywood Tuesday. A woman left her purse and keys in the car at Victory Boulevard and Whitsett Avenue around 4 p.m. while she brought a forgotten tip into the Nail Jungle salon, said Sgt. Season Nunez of the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Station. "It was a crime of opportunity," Nunez said. "The suspects hopped into her car and drove off with it."
City News Service

LAPD releases footage of hit-and-run near Exposition Park
Authorities Monday asked for the public's help in identifying and locating a couple accused of intentionally running over a man with their vehicle back in August. Hoping for leads, the Los Angeles Police Department released the graphic footage of the crime on their Facebook page.
CBS LA

Chinese blessing ceremony hoax targeting Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Police Department's Asian Crime Unit seeks to inform the public about a recent rash of "Blessing" scams targeting the Chinese community. The victims are contacted by the first suspect, a Chinese female, who claims to be a psychic and offers to tell the victims their fortune free of charge.
Echo Park - Silver Lake Patch

SWAT officer shot in head during San Gabriel operation dies
A Pomona police SWAT officer shot in the back of the head while serving a search warrant in San Gabriel early Tuesday has died, authorities said. "It is with a heavy heart that we must deliver the news that early this morning Pomona police SWAT Officer Shaun Diamond had succumbed to his injuries," the Pomona Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
Los Angeles Times

Ventura County sheriff's deputy killed by suspected DUI driver on 101 in Camarillo
Ventura County sheriff's officials say a veteran deputy has been struck by a car and killed during a freeway traffic stop, and a drunken-driving suspect has been arrested. Officials say the deputy pulled a vehicle over around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday on U.S. 101 in Camarillo and then was struck by another vehicle. Forty-one-year-old Sgt. Eugene Kostiuchenko died at the scene.
Associated Press

LAPD seeking better police officer safety via telematics
"More police officers die of traffic accidents than any other cause," Los Angeles Police Department assistant commanding officer, Michael C. Williams, said during a presentation at Telogis Latitude on Tuesday. The LAPD fleet sees some 500 preventable accidents per year among their thousands of patrol cars, according to Williams, a figure he would like to see drop to zero.
Fleet Owner

Homeland Security

US to increase security at some federal buildings
Security will be increased at various federal government buildings in Washington and other major American cities, the Homeland Security Department announced Tuesday in what it described as a ''precautionary step.'' The move came one week after a gunman in Ottawa fatally shot a soldier as he stood as a ceremonial guard at Ottawa's National War Memorial, then stormed the Parliament building.
Associated Press

Cyber Security

California AG says 18.5 million residents' info exposed
Personal information about more than 18.5 million Californians was hacked, stolen or otherwise exposed last year and as many as one-third of those people will become victims of fraud, California Attorney General Kamala Harris said Tuesday in a new report on data breaches in the nation's biggest state.
Associated Press

November 4 Election

Election 2014: Jim McDonnell fights expectation in sheriff's race against Paul Tanaka
When the Hall of Justice was rededicated earlier this month, Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell was among the dignitaries at the ceremony. He said he resisted the impulse to go in and look at the sheriff's third-floor office and imagine what it would be like sitting there and governing the nation's largest sheriff's department.
Los Angeles Daily News

Residential crime could tip the vote in San Jose's mayoral race
It's tough to unite neighborhoods in a city as sprawling, diverse and economically divided as San Jose. But the issue of residential crime appears to be doing just that this election season. San Jose residents are demanding that mayoral candidates Sam Liccardo and Dave Cortese answer one big question: How do they plan to reduce a relatively high rate of home burglaries and car thefts in the city?
KQED News

City Government

Los Angeles speeds up push for drone policy
Voicing concern about their impact over stadiums and other large venues, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday asked the Los Angeles Police Commission to expedite its recommendations on the use of drones to limit them to specific areas. Councilman Tom LaBonge said he is concerned with how the crafts could impact the public.
Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. city workers rally over bank deals as bargaining continues
A large crowd of city workers, labor activists and their allies marched downtown and packed the stairs of City Hall on Tuesday, demanding that city leaders step up pressure on Wall Street banks to renegotiate deals they say are costing the city. The protest comes as bargaining drags on between employee unions and Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. lawmakers seek study on possible minimum wage hikes
A committee of Los Angeles lawmakers decided Tuesday to seek outside help in analyzing the possible effects of raising the minimum wage to $13.25 or $15.25. Mayor Eric Garcetti has recommended gradually raising the wage to reach $13.25 in 2017, then tying future annual increases to inflation.
Los Angeles Times