Law Enforcement

At emotional hearing, LAPD officer gets 36 months in jail in assault caught on video
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta sentenced O'Callaghan to 36 months in jail, with the last 20 months suspended, meaning she could be released within five months with good behavior. The case against O'Callaghan has attracted intense scrutiny amid the national criticism of excessive use of force by police. And the video evidence at trial underscored the value of monitoring police encounters with patrol and body cameras.
Los Angeles Times

D.A. to review case of homeless woman facing life in prison for hoisting police baton
Los Angeles Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said Thursday she will review the case of a mentally ill homeless woman who faces decades in prison after picking up an LAPD officer's baton and raising it into the air during a violent skid row incident earlier this year. “Shortly after the case was filed, the District Attorney became aware that charges were pending against Ms. Carey," Lacey's office said. She didn't learn of the specific charges or that the defendant was mentally ill until this week. The District Attorney has asked her managers to review the matter.”
Los Angeles Times

Knife-Wielding Man Barricades Self Inside Home In Westlake District
Officers Friday were responding to a barricade situation at a home within the Westlake District. Shortly after 4 a.m., officers were sent to a home located in the 800 block of South Barrington for report of a disturbance call involving a man with a knife. Upon their arrival, police said a man entered his home and has refused to come out. He is armed with a large knife and is believed to be alone inside the residence. A preliminary investigation revealed the victim of criminal thefts has been threatened by the suspect, but has not sustain any physical injuries, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
CBS Los Angeles

2 children, 1 woman shot in car in South L.A.
A gunman walked up to a car and opened fire Thursday night in South Los Angeles, wounding two boys and a woman, police said. LAPD Sgt. Tim Jones said the woman, 18, was shot in the leg. A 4-year-old boy was shot in the wrist and an 11-year-old boy was shot in the leg, he said. The shooting occurred in the 2000 block of W. 99th Street shortly before 10 p.m., Jones said.
Los Angeles Times

Teen Arrested in South LA Laundry Room Rapes
A 19-year-old man wanted in connection with several rapes in South Los Angeles laundry rooms in December and January has been arrested, police said Thursday. Darius Michael Williams of Los Angeles was arrested Wednesday in connection with the rape of a woman in a La Cienega-Jefferson area apartment building laundry room in December 2014, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
NBC Los Angeles

LA Sheriff's Department plans dramatic expansion of mental health policing
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department plans to dramatically beef up its mental health policing capabilities, according to a newly-released report that provides a county-wide roadmap for county law enforcement's handling of suspects experiencing a mental health crisis.
89.3 KPCC

L.A. County Sheriff: New law plays ‘significant' role in crime rise
A recent change in California law making certain drug and property crimes misdemeanors instead of felonies played “a significant role” in the rising crime rate in Los Angeles County and has taken away the incentive for addicts to seek treatment, Sheriff Jim McDonnell said Thursday. In an interview with The Associated Press, McDonnell also said legalizing marijuana for recreational use is a bad idea and that recent public backlash against police over use of force is having an impact on his agency, the largest sheriff's department in the country. Many in law enforcement have criticized Proposition 47, which voters passed in November. To ease overcrowding in the prison system, it reduced the penalties for shoplifting, forgery, fraud, petty theft and possession of small amounts of drugs — including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines.
Los Angeles Daily News

Shooting at Louisiana movie theater leaves 3 dead, including gunman
A gunman opened fire in a movie theater in Lafayette, La., on Thursday night, killing two people and injuring nine, officials said. The shooter -- identified early Friday as John Russel Houser, a 59-year-old drifter from Alabama -- is also dead, authorities said. No motive for the attack has been established, they said. "It appears that the shooter has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after discharging his weapon numerous times," Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft told reporters late Thursday.
Los Angeles Times

Special Olympics

Special Olympics Torch Heads for the Sky
The U.S. Bank Tower, sometimes called the Library Tower, still, with affection, is a structure with oodles of story and symbolism 'round Southern California. Prepare to put another memorable feather in the tower's cloud-reaching cap: Participants in the final leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, the flame-traveling fundraiser and awareness-building campaign for the Special Olympics, will head up the iconic building, to its very rooftop and helipad, but they will not be empty-handed. The Flame of Hope, the burning bright torch that's been handed off, person to person, in towns around the country, will pay a visit to the tippy-top of our city's highest height.
NBC Los Angeles

Los Angeles Preps for the Special Olympics
Los Angeles is quietly preparing to host the largest sporting event it has seen since the 1984 Olympics. Beginning Saturday, the city will host first Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held in the U.S. in 16 years. The 10-day event will bring nearly 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches and support staff from about 169 countries to Los Angeles, said Dennis Kato, a commander with the Los Angeles Police Department who is in charge of the organization's Special Olympics planning.
The Wall Street Journal