Law Enforcement

LAPD closed homicide cases without bringing killers to justice, analysis shows
Officials in the Los Angeles Police Department's San Fernando Valley Bureau reported they solved 63 percent of homicide cases over 11 years — a significantly better track record than the rest of the LAPD and many other law enforcement agencies reported. But many of those cases were solved without a single arrest being made. In others, suspects were arrested but never faced a jury. Officials failed to bring the killers to justice.
Los Angeles Daily News

Decline in gang violence leads to dramatic drop in Los Angeles homicides
They moved away, found peace or were locked up. However it happened, fewer gang members have been killing others since the early 2000s, and the decline has fueled a dramatic drop in all Los Angeles County homicides, experts say. Nearly all of the nation has benefited from a drop in crime, but Los Angeles County stands out. In 2002, 1,231 people died at the hands of others, but by 2010, the figure dropped below 700. Fueling the countywide drop, the city of Los Angeles' homicide rate fell at about twice the pace of New York's between 2000 and 2010, according to U.S. Census and FBI statistics.
Los Angeles Daily News

Nearly half of all Los Angeles County homicides go unsolved, data shows
A shooting death that followed a dispute in a liquor store parking lot on a warm spring evening nearly five years ago defines the face of the unsolved homicide in Los Angeles County, according to more than a decade's worth of law enforcement data analyzed by this news organization. Killed was Luis Arturo Palomera. A gunman apparently intent on finishing the dispute drove through an alley in front of Palomera's parents' Baldwin Park house and shot him in the back as Palomera talked with a friend.
Los Angeles Daily News

Officials gather in South L.A. to discuss police, community relations
Federal and state legislators are hosting a public forum Saturday in South Los Angeles to address concerns about police and community relations, and raise awareness of the president's new task force on policing.The forum is being held at Ward AME Church and is hosted by Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles). Also in attendance are Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), who also chairs the Congressional Legislative Black Caucus, and attorney Connie Rice, who is an appointee to the task force. The forum runs from 10 a.m. to noon.
Los Angeles Times

Man, 50, Stabbed Outside Of NoHo Gym
A 50-year-old man was stabbed during an altercation outside a North Hollywood gym Sunday, according to police.The victim and the unidentified suspect were involved in fight outside L.A. Gym located at 13069 Victory Boulevard, just before 10 a.m., said Lt. Bob Toledo of the LAPD's North Hollywood Division.
CBS Los Angeles

L.A. considers reward system for hit-and-run crashes
The Los Angeles City Council's Public Safety Committee Friday advanced a proposal to set up standing rewards to help find, arrest and convict hit-and-run drivers. Councilman Joe Buscaino and others say they are hoping to create automatic reward offers — similar to ones that already exist for graffiti and vandalism crimes — to try to curb what they call an epidemic of drivers fleeing the scene and failing to render aid after hitting pedestrians, other cars or property.
MynewsLA.com

Cops Establish Perimeter In Palms For Possibly Armed Man
A six-block perimeter was established Friday night in Palms as police searched for a possibly armed man.The suspect was briefly confronted by a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant, who believed he saw a weapon, LAPD Lt. Daniel Gonzales said.
Santa Monica Mirror

Inmate who escaped Los Angeles sheriff's vehicle back in custody
An inmate who escaped a Long Angeles County Sheriff's Department patrol vehicle was back in custody, authorities said today.The inmate, who was not identified, was recaptured at 11:45 p.m. Friday, Sheriff's Deputy Trina Schrader said. ABC7 said the suspect was found hiding beneath a vehicle in a car lot.
Los Angeles Daily News

Gunman in Custody After SWAT Team Searches Pico Rivera Neighborhood
A gunman suspected of stealing a car was arrested Sunday night after a SWAT team conducted a search in a Pico Rivera neighborhood, authorities said.The man was taken into custody on a rooftop near the intersection of Telegraph Road and Rosemead Boulevard, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Special Enforcement Bureau said on Twitter at 8:30 p.m.
KTLA5

City Government

Tipoff: Unions playing low-key role in elections, so far
After a couple of election cycles in which they were the dominant force, city unions are stepping back — at least until after the March 3 primary election — to decide if they should move to once again play a major role in local politics.The unions have wielded a mixed bag of influence in recent years, losing heavily when Mayor Eric Garcetti defeated Controller Wendy Greuel in 2013
Los Angeles Daily News