Law Enforcement

Capitol ceremony honors California's fallen police officers
The strains of bagpipes pierced the silence of a cool spring morning Monday outside California's state Capitol. Just beyond the elegant building's grand entrance off Capitol Mall in Sacramento, thousands of law enforcement officers in blue, green and beige uniforms lined both sides of the sidewalk, their ranks stretching for more than a block. They stood in quiet stoicism, some wearing formal white gloves, in remembrance of 13 of their own who died in the line of duty last year.
The Sacramento Bee , KCRA.com

NYPD officer shot in head dies, commissioner cites historic anti-police sentiment
A New York City plainclothes police officer who was shot in the head died on Monday, the fifth officer gunned down in as many months amid anti-law enforcement sentiment not seen since the turbulent 1960s, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said. Officer Brian Moore, 25, was in an unmarked car pursuing Demetrius Blackwell, who was wanted on a weapons charge, when he was shot during the weekend in a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, police said.
Reuters , Los Angeles Times

'Django Unchained' Actress Daniele Watts to Apologize to LAPD
Seven months after she said she'd never apologize for suggesting Los Angeles cops racially profiled her, "Django Unchained" actress Daniele Watts agreed Monday to apologize to the three officers who detained her and her boyfriend last year, authorities told NBC News. Watts, who is black, and Brian Lucas, who is white, pleaded no contest Monday to disturbing the peace with loudness in the September 2014 incident, in which police said they responded to a "citizen complaint of indecent exposure" after someone called 911 to complain that two people were engaged in sexual acts in a car parked near the CBS studio lot. The three officers briefly detained Watts and Lucas before releasing them that day.
NBC Los Angeles , Los Angeles Times

Parolee Who Police Say Escaped From Custody Nabbed In Van Nuys
A parolee who authorities say fled from custody in Van Nuys has been captured, it was reported Monday. The suspect was reported to have been apprehended just after 5 p.m. after being detected by a police dog. The Los Angeles Police Department said the suspect escaped from parole custody earlier Monday afternoon from the Van Nuys Police Station.
CBS Los Angeles

2 Venice Kids Missing Since Saturday Found
Two juveniles who were reported missing over the weekend were found Monday night and appeared to be in good condition, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Detectives were interviewing 14-year-old Timothy Jacob Reed and his girlfriend, 12-year-old Ashley Montes, who had been missing since Saturday afternoon. The pair appeared at the young girl's home in Venice.
ABC 7

String Of Street Robberies In Panorama City Has Both Police And Residents Concerned
The LAPD says for the past few weeks a man and woman-- have been driving around in this truck looking for women who are alone and vulnerable. Police say the male driver pulls alongside. The female gets out and robs victims. She has been armed with several different types of weapons. Sometimes the victims are walking by themselves, sometimes they're driving alone.
MyFOXla.com

Hit-And-Run Suspect Sought After Slamming Stolen Vehicle Into Pedestrian, Building In Garden Grove
Police Tuesday were searching for a hit-and-run suspect wanted for seriously injuring a pedestrian in Orange County. The accident took place just after 9:30 p.m. Monday on Garden Grove Boulevard and Benton Street in Garden Grove, officials said.
CBS Los Angeles

Police Rethink Long Tradition on Using Force
Amid the largest national debate over policing since the 1991 beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, a small but vocal set of law enforcement officials are calling for a rethinking of the 21-foot rule and other axioms that have emphasized how to use force, not how to avoid it. Several big-city police departments are already re-examining when officers should chase people or draw their guns and when they should back away, wait or try to defuse the situation.
New York Times

City Government

LA To Launch 2015 Gun Buyback Program On Saturday
The city of Los Angeles will look to buy back illegal and unwanted guns over the weekend. The program, which has taken over 13,000 weapons off the streets in its six years of existence, is set to begin again Saturday, when the LAPD and City Hall will team up once more as part of the city's Gang-Reduction and Youth Development program.
CBS Los Angeles

L.A. pushing regulators to legalize ride-sharing services at LAX
More than a year after airport police began cracking down on ride-hailing services picking up passengers in the terminal area, Los Angeles city officials are pushing regulators to legalize Uber and Lyft. In his recent State of the City speech, Mayor Eric Garcetti promised that travelers would be able to hail a ride "by the summer." The change could ease the traveler experience at LAX, but it would also add a new wrinkle to the war between ride hailing and the city's 2,361 taxis. Some politicians have voiced concerns about the plan, saying Uber and Lyft picking up passengers at the airport could decimate the cab industry's last remaining revenue stronghold.
Los Angeles Times