Law Enforcement

5 Views of LAPD Community Policing Strategies
The LAPD's relationship with the communities it policies has improved dramatically since the videotaped beating of Rodney King by officers in 1991. The acquittal of those officers in state court sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots. A federal jury later convicted two officers.Today, amid a renewed debate about policing in America, the LAPD touts itself as a leader in community engagement. But not everyone is convinced. Here are five views of the LAPD's community policing efforts.
89.3 KPCC

Driver Charged in Dragging of LAPD Narcotics Officer Prior to Granada Hills Crash, Manhunt
A 21-year-old Porter Ranch man who allegedly fled on foot after leaving an LAPD narcotics officer injured in a vehicle crash was charged Tuesday with multiple criminal counts. Grant Anthony Muldrow was arraigned in San Fernando Superior Court on charges of assaulting a police officer, kidnapping and transportation for sale of a controlled substance, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.
KTLA 5

$75,000 Reward Proposed for Break in Da Vinci Fire Probe
Los Angeles city officials are weighing whether to offer a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people who started a destructive fire that consumed an apartment complex under construction in downtown Los Angeles last month. City Councilman Jose Huizar proposed the reward Tuesday in the wake of the late-night blaze that consumed a seven-story building in the Da Vinci apartment complex in the 900 block of Fremont Avenue.
Los Angeles Times , mynewsLA.com

Who Was the Bicyclist Who Shot Real Estate Nogul? $10,000 Reward
Real estate mogul Kameron Segal was sitting in his Rolls-Royce behind his company's building in Hollywood when a bike-riding gunman appeared and fired on him at close range. Now a $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest in theshooting that left Segal critically injured.
Los Angeles Times , NBC Los Angeles

Sheriff: Overhaul of L.A. County Jails Has Seen ‘Huge Progress'
Los Angeles County's new sheriff said Tuesday “huge progress” has been made in overhauling management of the jail system, but a representative for the agency that monitors the Sheriff's Department said it still isn't being given access to information it needs to do its job. Reporting to the Board of Supervisors on the status of jail-management changes for the first time since his swearing-in, Sheriff Jim McDonnell highlighted some of the accomplishments.
mynewsLA.com

Detectives Seek Help In Identifying 4 Men Accused In Palmdale Home-Invasion Robbery
Detectives sought the public's help Tuesday in identifying four men suspected of committing a home-invasion robbery. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, three Hispanic men and one white man about 6 a.m. entered a victim's home in the 36400 block of Windtree Circle.
CBS Los Angeles

Los Angeles County District Attorney Announces Human Sex Trafficking Crackdown
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced Tuesday an initiative aimed at cracking down on human sex trafficking. Long Beach itself has seen a few high-profile convictions. Much of the trafficking is being driven by gangs that see it as a high-profit, low-risk enterprise, according to Lacey. Authorities are working together to change that perception through enacting the harshest possible sentences on convicted pimps and to raise the number of convictions.
Los Angeles Daily News

San Bernardino Officer Hurt in Gun Battle Returns Home
A Southern California police officer critically wounded during a gun battle last August has finally gone home. San Bernardino Police Officer Gabriel Garcia left a Pomona rehabilitation facility last week and has moved into his parents' home, San Bernardino Police Lt. Richard Lawhead said Tuesday.
NBC Los Angeles Times

Pursuit Ends in Crash, Gunfire in South L.A.; LAPD SWAT Team Responds
Los Angeles police deployed a SWAT Team and K-9 units in their search for up to two people after an officer opened fire on a man following a short pursuit in South L.A. early Wednesday. The incident began shortly around 1 a.m. when a person flagged down officers patrolling the area and told them someone had a gun on 57th Street between Manhattan and Saint Andrews places, according to Sgt. Frank Preciado with the Los Angeles Police Department. KTLA5

City Government

L.A. City Council to Study Moving City Elections to Even-Numbered Years
Eight months after receiving the LA 2020 report, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday decided to formally study many of the key recommendations aimed at making the city more transparent and responsive. Voting without comment, the council agreed to delve into the LA 2020 proposal to move city elections to even-numbered years, something it already is seeking with Charter Amendments 1 and 2 on the March 3 ballot.
Los Angeles Daily News

Immigration

Los Angeles Mayor: ‘Cities Don't Have the Luxury to Determine National Policy' on Immigration
With no comprehensive immigration reform legislation in sight and President Obama's executive action giving some undocumented immigrants relief continuing to roil many Republicans on Capitol Hill and in statehouses around the country, the nation's mayors have been left on the frontlines dealing with the day-to-day impacts of an incredibly complex policy issue.
Government Executive