Law Enforcement

Police, fire officials prepare for heavy rains, strong winds
With a major storm headed toward Los Angeles, county and city officials issued warnings Thursday to residents, cautioning that expected heavy rains and strong winds could lead to flash flooding. One critical area will be the Sepulveda Dam Basin Recreation area in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, said LAPD Cpt. John Egan, commander of the West Valley Division. “It's the lowest point in the Valley,” Egan said. “And the intersection of Balboa and Burbank is lower than the Dead Sea.”
Daily Breeze

LAPD station brings victims' loved ones together in holiday tradition
Jocella Hurd Collins' holiday routine changed forever in 2001, the year her 26-year-old son was killed one week before Christmas. Each year to remember her son, Cedric Hurd, she creates an ornament decorated with his name and face. Usually, it's shaped as a heart. Then she takes the ornament to the LAPD's 77th Street Community police station and places it on a tree in the lobby. The tree-trimming event is unique. No other L.A. station holds a similar ceremony. But in a district where detectives handle about 40% of the city's homicides each year, it has become a somber tradition since it began, the same year Cedric Hurd was shot to death.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD to Swarm Hollywood for Holiday DUI Crackdown That Starts [Thursday]
The Los Angeles Police Department wants you to know that celebrating the holiest of seasons is cool, so long as you don't get behind the wheel after a few too many eggnogs or whatever it is you people drink. Sgt. Sean Karmody explains: In addition to DUI/drivers license checkpoints, you will also see officers conducting an increased number of traffic stops during this highly visible enforcement period. If officers suspect anyone is driving while under the influence, officers will show zero tolerance for drunk or drugged driving.
LA Weekly

What Ferguson can learn from LAPD's rehabilitation
In a lengthy interview last week, Steve Soboroff, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission, gave his take on issues of race and policing, both nationally and in L.A. Soboroff, a developer and past chairman and CEO of Playa Vista, was appointed to the commission by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2013, but he has for decades been an official and unofficial adviser to politicians and organizations around Los Angeles. He spoke over lunch at Nate 'n Al delicatessen in Beverly Hills.
Jewish Journal

A Cop's Story: Monterey Peninsula resident writes about LAPD career
There's a better way to “protect and serve,” says former Los Angeles police officer Frank DiPaola, than slapping handcuffs on a gang-banger or, worse yet, collecting his body from some sidewalk after he's been shot to death. The Monterey Peninsula resident, who recently released the story of his life and career, “From Hell to Hail Mary: A Cop's Story” (2014, Seton Publishing), concluded midway through his stint with LAPD that “99 percent of kids are born good, and it's incumbent upon adults — especially cops — to be role models and mentors.”
Monterey Herald

City Government

Los Angeles County population tops 10 million
The population of Los Angeles County was estimated at more than 10.07 million as of July 1, an increase of 0.56 percent from the same time last year, the state Department of Finance reported Thursday. The number of Los Angeles-area residents increased by nearly 55,800 over the one-year period, the state agency's annual report on the population of California's counties shows. The region has added about 200,000 people since 2010.
Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles County Urges Residents to be Prepared for Storm
Los Angeles County officials warned residents Thursday to be prepared for a storm that is forecasted to sweep through the area overnight. Officials outlined emergency preparations and noted that flooding and power outages were possible. Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Michael Antonovich pointed to a 2011 incident when wind storms left thousands without power for weeks.
ABC7

Great Streets, plan to remake L.A. roads, enters second phase
Mayor Eric Garcetti's plans to remake L.A.'s streets from Northridge to San Pedro into pedestrian-bicycle friendly meccas is moving into its second stage. It began Thursday when Garcetti and Councilman Joe Buscaino unveiled the new San Pedro sign on the Gaffey Street bridge welcoming people to the harbor community.
Los Angeles Daily News