Law Enforcement

LAPD finds officers were justified in fatal shooting of mentally ill man, sources say
Craig Lally, president of the union that represents rank-and-file officers, declined to comment on the officers' tactics prior to the shooting, saying he did not know all of the facts. But he defended their use of deadly force, saying the situation escalated when Ford grabbed Wampler's gun. "The only reason you try to take a gun away from an officer is to use it against the officer or use it against somebody else," Lally said. "Had that person not escalated to try and get the gun away from the officer, this would be a non-event in everybody's life. The suspect dictated what happened in this. "The officer has a right to defend themselves," he said. "They have no other alternative."
Los Angeles Times

Special Olympics, LAPD Torch Run Starts Monday
The Special Olympics Torch Run -- in which Los Angeles police will take part -- begins Monday in Los Angeles and will continue in the area through Friday. June 12. The times of the run will vary throughout the week. And the run will encompass the city of Los Angeles and the Southern California area. Through the city of Los Angeles, in a hand-to-hand exchange, hundreds of participants will run a segment of the Special Olympics relay in this team and individual fundraising event as it passes through the city. The Relay will exit the city June 12 and head to the Summer Games venue in Long Beach.
Highland Park - Mount Washington Patch

Black Lives Matter Protesters Demand Mayor Garcetti Fire LAPD Chief Charlie Beck
Protesters with the group #BlackLivesMatter stood outside the Hancock Park home of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti Sunday demanding he fire LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. The group — about a dozen holding signs — says they will remain outside the mayor's residence until Tuesday.
CBS Los Angeles , KTLA5

Prevalence of gang colors fades, but they can still be deadly
Melvin Farmer remembers the days when Bloods and Crips openly flashed their colors. Gang members wore an evolving uniform; bandannas, T-shirts, shoes and even earrings to signal their affiliation. But Farmer, a former Crip who is now a gang intervention worker, said that for many years colors remained the key distinction. Today, colors, so tied to gang affiliations in popular culture, are rarely at the root of street conflict. As authorities cracked down on gangs with injunctions and other new tools, the culture has become less overt. "If you dressed in gang attire with the colors, it was pretty much a red flag for officers," said LAPD Det. Chris Barling, who has been working homicides in South Los Angeles for more than 20 years. "Gang members don't wear their colors in public anymore, so those colors don't tell as much about the individual."
Los Angeles Times

Glendale man with gun, badge and car accused of impersonating LAPD officer
Police say that Oliver James looked like a Los Angeles Police Department officer. He had a gun, a uniform, a badge, a patrol belt and even a black-and-white sedan, authorities said. The 44-year-old from Glendale had a name plate, and his car had police lights on top. When police in Ventura approached James on Sunday about 1 p.m. near Capri Avenue and Johnson Drive, he introduced himself as an off-duty LAPD officer, according to the city's Police Department. But police say his story quickly unraveled. Ventura officers confirmed James was not an LAPD employee and not a sworn officer, police said.
Los Angeles Times

Man Surrenders Peacefully After Barricading Himself Inside Leimert Park Home: LAPD
A police standoff ended peacefully in Leimert Park on Sunday afternoon, hours after a man barricade himself in a home with three children, officials said. Shortly before 7 a.m., officers responded to a “domestic-type call” in the area of Arlington Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, said Commander Phil Tingirides of the Los Angeles Police Department.
KTLA5

Police Name Suspect They Say Sexually Battered Homeless Woman
Pasadena Police have named a suspect in the case of a sexual battery against a homeless woman. The suspect is also believed to be a transient. Officials said Emilio Buch, 47, battered the woman as she slept early Saturday morning. The alleged crime took place around 2:50 a.m., authorities said. The unidentified woman was sleeping on the 400 block of South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said. The woman apparently awoke to a partially-clothed man sleeping behind her with his hands on her groin area. Police said the woman got startled and the suspect ran off.
CBS Los Angeles

Fatal Shooting Under Investigation In El Segundo
Authorities were investigating the fatal shooting of a man found inside a bedroom at an El Segundo apartment on Sunday. A family member discovered the man at about 2 p.m. in the 1700 block of East Sycamore Avenue with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Friends told Eyewitness News that the 21-year-old lives with his mother and she was the one who found his body. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and El Segundo police were canvassing the neighborhood for evidence and a gun.
ABC7 , Los Angeles Times

Police Set up Safe Havens for Online Transactions
Concerned about robberies, scams and killings tied to purchases arranged through Craigslist and other online marketplaces, police and sheriff's departments nationwide are carving out areas of their stations for people to complete transactions. At least 70 departments in the U.S., from Boca Raton, Fla., to Bedford, Texas, have created such zones, usually in parking lots or lobbies, according to websites that track the programs. Though the trend began several years ago, it has taken off in recent months, authorities say. The areas, sometimes dubbed “safe zones” or “safe havens,” deter criminals by virtue of their location on law-enforcement property that is under constant video surveillance, supporters say. Skeptics, however, are concerned that departments are opening themselves to liability if a transaction goes awry.
Wall Street Journal