Law Enforcement

Misperception of safety personnel and workers' compensation
Recent Los Angeles Times articles have attacked L.A. police and fire departments for the high cost of workers' compensation. These articles focus on an audit conducted by the City controller that alleges that the City's public safety personnel take paid injury leave at significantly higher rates than other public safety employees throughout the state. These articles consistently fail to include important facts and challenges faced by safety personnel who are injured on duty.
LAPD.com

Carjacking at West Hills Gas Station Caught on Video; LAPD Seeks Public's Help
Los Angeles police were asking for help Tuesday identifying a man who pushed a woman aside at a West Hills gas station and stole her car in an incident caught on surveillance video. The carjacking occurred about 8 a.m. Saturday at a gas station in the 22700 block of Vanowen Street, when the victim was filling the tank of her gray 2000 Toyota Camry.
KTLA 5

Dodgers: 75 citations but no arrests in tailgating crackdown
Los Angeles police officers cited 75 people on the Dodgers' opening day on Monday but made no physical arrests, officials said Tuesday.The majority of the citations -- 60 -- were for drinking in public, said Officer Drake Madison, a department spokesman. Nine people were cited for urinating in public and four for illegal vending.
Los Angeles Times

Teen Stabbed To Death In Backyard Of His South LA Home
The family and friends of a teenager who was fatally stabbed in the backyard of his South Los Angeles home are at a loss as to why anyone would want to hurt him. Tommy Cheatham, 18, was stabbed around 9:30 p.m. Monday in the 800 block of W. 101st Street, according to the LAPD.
CBS Los Angeles

"They Said He's Going to Be OK": Condition of Boy Shot in Head Improves: Family
The condition of an 8-year-boy who was hit in the head by a stray bullet Monday is improving according to family members. The youngster had been alert throughout the day, and had even asked why everyone was crying, his aunt told NBC4.
NBC Los Angeles

Skid Row in Los Angeles: A City Within a City
Skid Row can feel like a chaotic airport terminal — people carting their possessions down the street and jaywalking in front of speeding cars. There's always someone yelling or screaming, and there's often the howl of sirens. About 60,000 homeless people live in the city of Los Angeles. But you might never know it until you start motoring south, past Disney Concert Hall, past City Hall, Pershing Square and newly renovated million-dollar condos. That's when you'll begin the slow descent into Skid Row, arguably the largest concentration of homeless people in the U.S.
KQED

Circumstantial Evidence Can Be Used to Prove DUI: Ruling
In a ruling originating out of Orange County, the state Supreme Court today ruled that circumstantial evidence such as an officer's observations can be used to show a motorist had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit.
NBC Los Angeles

The Front Sight Truth
The truth is that hit rates for police involved shootings are pretty abysmal. Oftentimes, we hear hit rates of 25% or less in some agencies. Large metro agencies, such as the NYPD, with their huge number of officers have limited range visits per year with minimal number of rounds fired. Not to gig NYPD, in my own state the police training commission reduced the annual qualification to 25 rounds. Many smaller agencies revolve their firearms "training" sessions on completing this minimal course of fire—only.
Law Officer

City Government

L.A. County to allow probationers, parolees to apply for Section 8 housing
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved draft changes to rules that would allow people on parole or probation to apply for Section 8 housing, but dropped a plan to loosen restrictions on access to public housing.
mynewsLA.com

Protests

Los Angeles marchers carry 617 mock coffins to protest police brutality
The 617 coffins came from four directions of Los Angeles County on Tuesday morning with a single purpose. They came from the east, where Kendrec McDade, 19, was shot by two Pasadena Police Department officers in 2012. From the west, where Douglas Zerby, 35, was shot by two officers with Long Beach police in 2010.
Los Angeles Daily News