Law Enforcement

LAPPL Issues Statement Regarding Venice Officer Involved Shooting
In response to Chief Beck's statement regarding the officer involved shooting in Venice late last night as identified by the LA Times, Craig Lally, President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League released the following statement on behalf of the League: “It is completely irresponsible for anyone, much less the Chief of Police, to render a judgement on an incident that is in the early stages of the investigation. As the final trier of fact in the use-of-force investigation and disciplinary process, the premature decision by the chief essentially renders the investigation process void.
LAPD.com

LAPD chief concerned about fatal shooting of unarmed man in Venice
The fatal police shooting of an unarmed homeless man near the Venice boardwalk Tuesday night had investigators turning to an increasingly reliable witness: video. Sometimes the images captured by a camera or cellphone help justify an officer's use of deadly force. This time, however, police officials didn't like what they saw. Less than 16 hours after the deadly encounter, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck stood before reporters and said he was “very concerned” about the shooting, which was recorded by a security camera.
Los Angeles Times, The Sacramento Bee, Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD Hollenbeck Police Activities League 9th Annual Awards Gala
LAPD Hollenbeck PAL's 2015 Gala honored AEG Vice President of Communications Michael Roth, Actor Hector Elizondo, and Sandra Berg of Ellis Paint Company. This segment aired on the KTLA News at 10p.m. May 6, 2015.
KTLA 5

LAPD officer indicted in alleged bid to smuggle Mexican citizen into U.S.
A Los Angeles police officer and his girlfriend were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for allegedly trying to smuggle a Mexican citizen hidden in the trunk of a car into the United States, officials said. LAPD Officer Carlos Curiel Quezada Jr., 34, and his girlfriend, Angelica Godinez, 31, both of Los Angeles are each charged with one count of bringing an undocumented immigrant without presentation, according to the U.S. District Court indictment.
Los Angeles Times

14-month-old girl allegedly abducted is returned, relative tells LAPD
Los Angeles police said they were trying to confirm a family member's report that a 14-month-old girl who had allegedly been abducted by her father in South Los Angeles on Tuesday was returned safely. Police received a phone call Wednesday morning from a relative who said the girl had been returned, said LAPD Officer Tony Im.
Los Angeles Times

Why riots won't die: 3 contributing failures of leadership
I was on the FBI Los Angeles SWAT team in 1992 when the riots broke out. During the riots, our job was to ride with the fire department and set up a perimeter around the firefighters to keep them from getting sniped so they could fight fires. We received some outstanding riot training from LAPD Metro. It was incredibly worthwhile work. Watching the recent riots in Baltimore brought back unpleasant memories of those riots in Los Angeles more than two decades ago — the similarities are a brutal reminder of how we continue to make the same mistakes..
PoliceOne.com

Port Authority Police Union Sues Over Searches of Officers' Cellphones
An internal investigation by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey led to the dismissal in November of nine probationary police officers and the suspension of three others for their conduct at a graduation party at a bar in Hoboken, N.J. Now, the Port Authority's police union has sued the agency, charging that investigators improperly demanded that probationary officers grant them access to their personal cellphones, making it clear that if they did not cooperate,
they would be fired.
New York Times

Battered Baltimore asks Justice Department to review police
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has asked the Justice Department to launch a broad inquiry into the city's troubled police department to determine if officers engage in a pattern or practice of biased law enforcement. The mayor's action came a day after meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch in which the two discussed bringing additional assistance to the city in an effort to address what Rawlings-Blake described as "fractured'' trust between the police department and the community it serves.
USA Today