Law Enforcement

Hundreds Protest Against Police Brutality In ‘Rally For Justice' March
Hundreds of protestors took to the streets in South Los Angeles on Saturday as part of the ‘Rally For Justice' protest against police brutality. Community leaders say they wanted to send a loud message to local law enforcement on the topic of police brutality in the city. The mother of Ezell Ford, who was killed by police in 2014, was in attendance, and added her voice to the protest.
CBS Los Angeles , ABC7 , Los Angeles Times

CA Gov Jerry Brown Blocks Parole of Infamous Mexican Mafia Hitman Rene "Boxer" Enriquez
California Governor Jerry Brown has blocked the mooted parole of notorious Mexican mafia hitman Rene "Boxer" Enriquez. In his decision, Gov. Brown said that while the killer had "provided officials with valuable information" in his role as a snitch, he still poses "an unreasonable danger to society" due to his "decades-long record of violent crime."
NBC Los Angeles

‘Party Bus' Drags Man More Than 200 Feet in Norwalk Hit-and-Run; Driver Sought
Authorities Saturday were searching for the driver of a “party bus” that struck a man and dragged him more than 200 feet in a hit-and-run collision in Norwalk. The 26-year-old victim was walking on Fairford Avenue, just south of Ratliffe Street (map), about 2:31 a.m. when he was hit by the southbound bus, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
KTLA 5

San Pedro homicide victim's mother knew case wouldn't be solved
Mary Logan never expected police to solve her son's killing 15 years ago in San Pedro. She knew crimes committed by gang members are difficult to solve. Witnesses don't come forward. She doesn't expect others to understand, but she chose to somehow live her life, trying not to remain “stuck in the event.” “I used to go to some of the groups, but everyone just seemed to relive the moment all of the time. Our kids wouldn't want us to do that,” she said.
The Daily Breeze

Killers sought in South Los Angeles shooting
Authorities were searching Sunday for suspects in the shooting death of a man who was found dead in his vehicle on a South Los Angeles street. The shooting occurred at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday in the 9900 block of Budlong Ave., said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffrey A. Gordon. Witnesses said they saw several people approach a vehicle and begin shooting. The killers then walked north on Budlong. Deputies found a man seated in his vehicle with several gunshot wounds to his upper torso, Gordon said. The victim, whose name was not released, died at the scene.
Los Angeles Times

Privacy Activists Fight Police Bodycams
Everyone wanted police body cams, but the new accountability tool raises numerous privacy and public records questions. Prodded by the public outcry following Ferguson and federal grants from the Obama administration, police departments across the country have launched pilot programs to equip officers with body cameras. But the new technology has outpaced department guidelines and public records laws, raising a dizzying amount of questions over who gets access to the hours and hours of footage.
The Daily Beast

LAPD Hustles to Post Records
A CalWatchDog.com review of the website of the Los Angeles Police Department found it has updated its reports on discipline and use of force after criticism for posting aged data in the aftermath of federal oversight. It also now takes just one click to go from the department's landing page to the reports. The most recent annual use-of-force report now covers the first half of 2014. The site now provides a 2013 officer discipline report for the fourth quarter.
PublicCEO.com

Maximizing use-of-force simulators in law enforcement training
As the Lead Instructor for the San Jose Police Department in both the perishable skills delivery of the Force Options Simulator as well as the Force Options Simulator Instructor Course, I am a firm believer in the use of simulators in conjunction with live-fire training. The two programs coupled together increase officer safety tactics and reduce agency and personnel liability. In order to maximize efficiency and deliver the highest quality training to our personnel, I believe simulator programs should include several, equally-important components.
PoliceOne.com

Prop 47

Homicides, Rapes, Kidnappings Go Unsolved Due to Prop 47
George Soros sponsored Proposition 47, the prime mover for increased crime rates in California, as Breitbart News reported on Thursday, is responsible for a huge decrease in crucial DNA collection for law enforcement agencies. DNA collection is mandatory under current state law for those arrested for felonies. With the passage of Proposition 47, which reduced penalties for a variety of crimes, reclassifying numerous felonies as misdemeanors, the state's DNA samples have diminished. The basic equation is less felonies equals less DNA samples equals reduced ability to solve crimes. Since the law was passed in November, the state can no longer analyze some 250,000 DNA samples. On top of that, according to an editorial in the Sacramento Bee, hundreds of thousands of previously collected DNA samples may have to be deleted from the state's database due to the new law. The Bee editorial reads, “We shudder to think of the serious crimes that will go unsolved as a result.”
BreitBart.com

Prop. 47's effect on jail time, drug rehabilitation is mixed so far
"I hate to look at it as a waste of time but, yeah, [arresting him] probably would be," said LAPD Sgt. Chris Gomez, who was present when the officers chose not to arrest the homeless man. "Nothing much would have come of it." In the months since Proposition 47 became law on Nov. 5, California's criminal justice system is already undergoing dramatic changes — and not always in expected ways. The idea was to reduce incarceration times for nonviolent offenders and focus on rehabilitation while easing jail overcrowding. On the streets, some people who are committing Proposition 47 crimes are not being arrested, avoiding jail but also the drug treatment that could turn their lives around. Narcotics arrests have dropped by 30% in the city of Los Angeles and 48% in areas patrolled by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, as busy police officers decide that the time needed to process a case is not worth it.
Los Angeles Times

Unions

LAUSD superintendent warns of layoffs as teachers union prepares to strike
As the teachers union ramps up strike preparations, Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines on Friday discussed union demands, the district's budget deficit and layoffs. With a projected deficit of nearly $160 million and no money in the reserve fund, Cortines wants every department to make cuts ranging from 7 percent to 10 percent in hopes of balancing the budget by the July 1 start of the 2015-16 Fiscal Year. “I'm not sure I can do it,” Cortines said. Despite his doubts, Cortines will try to zero out the deficit by eliminating some positions. The first round of pink slips — notifying teachers and other staff they have 60 days left on the job – will be mailed Mar. 15.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government

Are Los Angeles mayors jinxed when it comes to winning higher office?
If former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants to be California's next U.S. senator, he's going to have to beat the jinx. L.A.'s City Hall has proved to be a political graveyard for a string of its former mayors, whose appeal at home didn't extend widely enough when they set their sights on statewide office. Former Mayor Tom Bradley broke racial barriers and shaped the city's modern skyline during two decades in office, from 1973 to 1993, but he failed twice to become governor. His predecessor, Sam Yorty, served a dozen years but bombed in races for governor and president. Businessman Richard J. Riordan, who held the post from 1993 to 2001, lost a bid for governor in 2002.
Los Angels Daily News