Law Enforcement

$75 million in police body cameras proposed by President Obama in wake of Ferguson events
President Barack Obama wants to see more police wearing cameras to help build trust between the public and police by recording such events as the shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., but is not seeking to pull back federal programs that provide the type of military-style equipment used to dispel the resulting racially charged protests there.
Los Angeles Daily News

High-speed chase suspect tries to elude LAPD on skateboard; fails
A car theft suspect tried to elude Los Angeles police on a skateboard after he ditched his BMW following a high-speed chase in Van Nuys. Most of the pursuit was captured by news helicopters; the skateboarding aspect drawing a lot of attention from social media to what was otherwise a typical police pursuit.
Los Angeles Times

McDonnell Sworn In As 32nd Sheriff Of LA County
Jim McDonnell was sworn in Monday as head of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. McDonnell is a 29-year veteran of the LAPD and most recently was chief of the Long Beach Police Department. He is the first outsider to take over the department in more than a century, according to KNX 1070's Claudia Peschuitta.
CBS2

Los Angeles Port Police taps Costa Mesa top cop
The Port of Los Angeles' next deputy police chief will come from Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa Police Chief Tom Gazsi, 54, is retiring from the city to become the Los Angeles Port Police's deputy police chief in charge of emergency management. Gazsi, who is expected to start Dec. 8, was chosen for his strong background in emergency services and his tenured law enforcement experience, said Los Angeles Port Police Chief Ron Boyd. His salary amount was not immediately available.
Los Angeles Daily News

Officer takes taxi during Hollywood police pursuit
A Los Angeles police officer who was running after a burglary suspect got an unexpected assist when a taxi driver pulled to the curb and offered to help the officer catch up. Authorities said the incident began early Sunday on Lemon Grove Avenue in Hollywood when a pair of officers chasing an auto burglary suspect decided to split up -- with one returning to their squad car and the other continuing the foot chase.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD continues investigation of officer-involved shooting of alleged car burglar
Los Angeles police continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the officer-involved shooting of an alleged car burglar who police officials said fired on officers who pursued him, authorities said. The shooting happened Sunday morning near Wilton Place and Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles police Officer Norma Eisenman said.
Westside Today

L.A. Hit-and-Run Crashes Involving Bicycles up 42% and Almost No One Gets Caught
The Los Angeles Times crunched numbers from the California Highway Patrol and found a 42% increase in hit-and-run incidents involving bicyclists between 2002 and 2012. During that time, 5,600 cyclists were hit and 36 died. The increase was not totally unexpected. Drivers who run into bicyclists and then flee almost always get away with the crime. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) closed just one in five hit-and-run cases between 2008 and 2012, according to the Times. Less than half the closed cases were concluded because of an arrest.
AllGov California

Proposition 47 Consequences

City attorney needs more staff for 8,800 new Prop. 47 misdemeanors
Because California voters reduced penalties for a number of drug and theft crimes by passing Prop. 47, Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer asked the City Council on Monday to let him hire more employees to file roughly 8,800 more cases expected annually – crimes that used to be handled by the district attorney as felonies but now are misdemeanors.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl wants ‘every child' to be safe
Casting herself as champion for equal rights, Sheila Kuehl was sworn in Monday to represent Los Angeles County's Third District on the Board of Supervisors. Kuehl, 73, took the oath of office before a packed audience gathered at the Board of Supervisors' chambers.
Press Telegram

New Los Angeles County officials sworn in
A new era in Los Angeles County government formally got underway Monday with the inauguration of two new county supervisors, a new sheriff, a new tax assessor and heightened anticipation about how the historic changes will alter the balance of power. The officials face a variety of looming issues that include labor union demands, controlling spending, scandals that have consumed the L.A. County jail system, child welfare programs and the county's property assessment agency.
Los Angeles Times