Law Enforcement

Man Shot by LAPD Outside Venice Coffeeshop ID'd; Box-Cutter Found at Scene
A man who was left in critical condition after being shot by police outside a Venice coffeeshop was identified Tuesday by LAPD, which released a statement on the incident. The shooting occurred Monday afternoon at the Groundwork Coffee shop in the 600 block of Rose Avenue.
KTLA 5

LAPD Focuses on Use of Force in New Training Series
The Los Angeles Police Department, under fire for the shooting death of an unarmed, mentally disabled man in South LA last August, is now under mandate from Chief Charlie Beck to get a "refresher" course on use of force training. Officers from LAPD's Topanga Division were among the first of the city's estimated 10,000 officers who will be required to participate in the 5-hour course for what the department calls "Preservation of Life Training" within the next 30 days.
NBC Los Angeles

Crime spike: New residents, homeless “attract predators” to downtown LA
A recent surge in violent crime and property crime in LAPD's downtown Central Division may be due to the growing number of homeless and non-homeless population in and around Skid Row, according to law enforcement officials and people who work in the area.
KPCC

Thief Caught On Video Stealing Drones From Van Nuys Business
Los Angeles police are hoping surveillance video will lead to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing drones from three separate locations. The latest burglary occurred at PiroFlip RC in the 16200 block of Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys on Monday at about 5 p.m. Police say the suspect walked in with a broken drone and inquired about the cost of fixing it. While one employee was checking on the cost of replacement parts and labor, the other employee began helping customers. That's when the suspect took two drones worth $22,000 off the shelf and fled the scene, leaving the broken drone behind.
ABC 7

2 Officers, Suspect Injured During Domestic-Violence Investigation In Westminster
Westminster police say two officers and a suspect were injured Tuesday during a domestic-violence investigation. Officers responded to Westminster Boulevard and Edwards Street to a domestic-violence incident in progress around 5:30 p.m.
CBS Los Angeles

The Truth: Why Crime Is Up in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Times reported this week that crime is on the rise in the City of Angels after a 12-year decline. “Crime surged across Los Angeles in the first six months of this year,” the story begins, “despite a campaign by the Los Angeles Police Department to place more officers on the streets and target certain types of offenses.” The only mystery about LA's recent crime spike is why anyone finds it a mystery. Civic leaders have been at pains to explain the reversal. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Police Chief Charlie Beck have blamed a rise in gang violence and homelessness, along with voter approval in November of Proposition 47, which made many “nonviolent” felonies into misdemeanors. All of these have contributed to the increase, but conspicuously missing from their list is a factor both Mayor Garcetti and Chief Beck are surely aware of but are unlikely to address, at least publicly: officer morale in the LAPD is abysmal.
CityWatch LA

Gardena police shooting video: Justified or 'cold-blooded' killing?
Dramatic video released Tuesday showing Gardena police officers shooting two unarmed men -- one fatally -- is once again igniting debate about police use of force. And like other cases, some people view the same video in very different ways. A judge's decision to release the tape capped months of legal battles, with the city fighting to keep the tape private.
Los Angeles Times, The Guardian

As deadline looms, police and fire unions put pressure on San Jose
If San Jose doesn't reach a deal with its police and fire unions over the contentious Measure B pension changes by the end of Wednesday, public safety union leaders plan to walk away from talks with City Hall and the two sides will head back to court. "We better reach an agreement by the end of the day," said Gregg Adam, an attorney representing the San Jose Police Officers' Association. "Because, if we don't, I will be taking off my negotiator cloak and putting on my litigator cloak, and I'd much prefer to be wearing the negotiator cloak because it's in the best interest of everybody."
San Jose Mercury News

Police Union Chief Calls $5.9 Million Eric Garner Settlement "Obscene"
The family of Eric Garner, the 43-year-old Staten Island man who was killed by an NYPD officer using a prohibited chokehold almost one year ago, has accepted a $5.9 million settlement offer from the city. Comptroller Scott Stringer announced the settlement last night, saying "we have reached an agreement that acknowledges the tragic nature of Mr. Garner's death while balancing my office's fiscal responsibility to the City."
Gothamist

Obama Outlines Criminal Justice Reform Plan After Year of Police Killings and Protests
As President Barack Obama nears the end of his second and final term in the Oval Office, he is pushing to fulfill his promises to overhaul America's criminal justice system, announcing proposals for wide-ranging reforms within communities, courtrooms, and cellblocks to "fix a broken system." Obama revealed his plans after taking the podium on Tuesday in Philadelphia on the last day of the NAACP's 106th annual convention.
Vice News