Law Enforcement

Real or fake? Tragic encounters fuel debate over realistic-looking replica guns
"Our officers have to assume that any weapon, regardless of the color, is fully loaded and capable of shooting live rounds," President Craig Lally said, adding, "the very last thing we need is for officers to have a false sense of safety."
Los Angeles Times

Crime, Punishment, Good Intentions and Skid Row
Last November, Californians overwhelmingly approved Proposition 47. Its backers touted the move to rehabilitate nonviolent offenders and keep them out of prison. It garnered endorsements from prominent supporters including the Los Angeles Times, the American Civil Liberties Union and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Los Angeles Downtown News

Fullerton Police Department Becomes First Agency In O.C. To Outfit Entire Force With Body Cameras
The Fullerton Police Department has become the first agency in Orange County to outfit an entire force with body-worn cameras. As CBS2's Michele Gile reports, all 140 officers within the police department are equipped with the cameras, which record both video and audio.
CBS Los Angeles

LAPD Warns Public About Child Funeral Scam Being Run In Van Nuys
The Los Angeles Police Department is warning the public about a scam involving a child's funeral in and around Van Nuys. Officials said the scammers have been collecting donations for a child's funeral in the area of Sepulveda Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard. They did not reveal how long the scam has been in operation.
CBS Los Angeles

CHP officers rescue 86-year-old woman from burning Encino house
Los Angeles Fire Department officials continued Saturday to investigate the cause of a greater-alarm fire Friday evening that engulfed a heavily cluttered Encino house near the 101 Freeway. California Highway Patrol officers on a routine traffic stop nearby rescued a female occupant, who was taken to a hospital in fair condition after suffering burns and smoke inhalation.
Los Angeles Times

Teen Dies While Playing Russian Roulette in Torrance: Sheriff's Department
A 17-year-old died after shooting himself in the head while playing a game of Russian roulette in a Torrance apartment, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said Monday. The potentially fatal game is typically played when a group of people place a single bullet in a gun's chamber, then pull the trigger while pointing it at themselves one time each until someone is shot.
KTLA 5

Veterans

Promised Land: VA Deal to House Homeless Los Angeles Veterans
An army of volunteers fans across greater Los Angeles to count the homeless — and more than 1 in 10 is a veteran. Los Angeles has long had the largest population of homeless veterans in the country, even though many get a cool reception. It wasn't always that way. In 1888, 300 acres of land were given to the federal government "to be permanently maintained as a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers." A VA facility was established, but much of what the site, which eventually became 387 acres, was leased to outside interests having nothing to do with veterans.
NBC News

City Government

South L.A. is up for revival, but how depends on next Council member
Sales clerk Nicole Daniels leans over the glass countertop at A-1 Wireless and ticks off what the four candidates competing to replace retiring City Councilman Bernard C. Parks should focus on. Children in her South Los Angeles neighborhood need more after-school activities to combat the allure of gangs, she says. She'd like to see a Wal-Mart and more grocery stores nearby. She thinks major boulevards should be spruced up with the kind of landscaping she's seen in other parts of the city.
Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles ballot measures have benefits for City Hall politicians
Some Los Angeles City Hall politicians backing two measures on the March 3 ballot to move city election dates and temporarily extend term limits could leave office with bigger pensions if the initiatives pass. City Council President Herb Wesson would tack on at least $5,650 per year to his pension if the measures are approved, based on calculations provided by the city's retirement department. He faces re-election this year and would only get the higher pension if he stays in office.
Los Angeles Daily News