Law Enforcement

LAPD Chief ‘Shocked' By Video Of Officer's Confrontation With Robbery Suspect
Police Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday he believes an officer charged with using excessive force during an October arrest committed a “criminal act,” and he personally urged the district attorney to file charges. “I was shocked by the content of the video,” Beck said of the surveillance footage of the Oct. 16 arrest of 22-year-old Clinton Alford Jr. near 55th Street and South Avalon Boulevard.
CBS Los Angeles

LAPD: Officers fatally shoot man who charged at them with a knife
Los Angeles police fatally shot a man Tuesday after he charged at them with a large hunting knife, authorities said. Police were called to the 3400 block of Manitou Avenue in Lincoln Heights after a woman reported that a relative had stabbed himself, LAPD Officer Mike Lopez said. Officers arrived about 4:30 p.m. and found the man holding a large knife, Lopez said.
Los Angeles Times

Driver in Custody Following Suspected Drug Deal, LAPD Pursuit and Standoff in Downey
Los Angeles police pursued a driver on surface streets through cities southeast of downtown L.A. on Tuesday afternoon, ending the chase in a standoff that lasted about an hour and 15 minutes outside a home in the Downey area. The driver was taken into custody without incident about 5 p.m., aerial video from Sky5 showed.
KTLA 5

South Gate case spotlights the ubiquity of video devices
So on Sunday, when a lawman was caught on video snatching a woman's cellphone in South Gate as she recorded and smashing it on the floor, it was with relief that South Gate police said the officer wasn't one of their own but a deputy U.S. marshal. “We've had incidents where people have videotaped us and it requires unbelievable restraint. Typically during times where things can be a little chaotic,” said South Gate police Capt. Darren Arakawa. “We really have to convey we're living in a different environment now where police action is scrutinized and a lot of video is surfacing. We simply tell our officers to assume they're being recorded out in public at all times.”
Los Angeles Times

Police kill more whites than blacks, but minority deaths generate more outrage
An analysis released last week shows that more white people died at the hands of law enforcement than those of any other race in the last two years, even as the Justice Department, social-justice groups and media coverage focus on black victims of police force.
The Washington Times

City Government

City of Los Angeles Team Up With Waze App
More than a million Angelenos rely on the Waze app to avoid traffic and get around town faster. Now, Waze users will also get alerts about hit-and-runs, kidnappings and road closures, thanks to a new partnership between the city of L.A., LAPD and Waze. "This is gonna be updated in real time, every two minutes, giving motorists the information they need to avoid those road closures and to get home for dinner in time," Garcetti said.
ABC 7

City should collect more revenue from LAFD 911 callers, audit says
The Los Angeles Fire Department should change the way it bills people who call 911 for medical help, according to an audit released Tuesday. The 97-page report, issued by City Controller Ron Galperin, urges fire officials to develop new ways to recover millions of dollars spent each year to provide medical rescues. Currently the city only charges 911 callers who are transported to a hospital, and the vast majority of those fees go uncollected.
Los Angeles Times

Councilman Mitchell Englander to run for Los Angeles County supervisor
Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander said Tuesday he will run for an open seat on the county Board of Supervisors next year."I look at this ultimately as a terrific opportunity to continue what I do [on the City Council] and do more for more people," Englander said during a telephone interview with The Times.
Los Angeles Times