Law Enforcement

Moving and shaking: LAPD show up for torah-dedication, Far West USY reunion and more
A torah-dedication ceremony at the ultra-Orthodox Hancock Park synagogue Kollel Yechiel Yehuda drew about 400 people on Aug. 11 — including a number of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers. “It's important to tap into the ultra-Orthodox community,” LAPD officer Adam Deckel, 31, said during a phone interview afterward. Deckel, whose father is Moroccan and whose mother worked in ultra-Orthodox Jewish education, identifies as Modern Orthodox and is a member of Em Habanim Sephardic Congregation in North Hollywood. Previously, he taught at Milken Community Schools.
Jewish Journal

LAPD report: Woman fatally shot last week had moved toward officer with knife
A woman who was fatally shot by Los Angeles police in a Baldwin Hills alley a week ago was killed after she moved toward an officer while holding a knife, according to an internal LAPD report reviewed by The Times. The report's account differs sharply from one provided by a woman who told The Times last week that she watched police shoot as the woman ran from officers. The LAPD's version of the Aug. 12 shooting was included in a single-page incident log that provides the first explanation by the department as to why police opened fire on the woman.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD Vice Squad Investigating a Prostitution Ring
LAPD Vice Squad is investigating a prostitution ring that's trying lure young women using a video of a female rap model Amber Rose. Looking for New Faces for a paid celebrity photo-shoot and clothing line! Its all part of an Instagram scam, using the likeness of model Amber Rose to lure women into prostitution.
KABC.com

Times reaffirms decision that Ted Rall's blog post did not meet its standards
Rall is a freelance cartoonist and commentator whose work has appeared in The Times' Opinion pages. On May 11, he published a post on The Times' OpinionLA blog in which he criticized as excessive a police crackdown on jaywalking. In the post, Rall described being ticketed for jaywalking years earlier by a Los Angeles police officer. He wrote that the officer “threw me up against the wall, slapped on the cuffs, roughed me up and wrote me a ticket.”
Los Angeles Times

Residents on Alert Following Pair of Burglaries in Sierra Madre; 3 Sought
Residents were on alert Wednesday as police searched for three people believed to be involved in a pair of burglaries in Sierra Madre. The burglaries took place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday on Monterey Lane (map), the Facebook page for the City of Sierra Madre stated.
KTLA 5

2 sought after chemical attack on L.A. County family services worker
Police are searching for two people they say fled after throwing a caustic chemical on a Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services worker, burning her arms. The attack occurred about 4:25 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the county agency at 10355 Slusher Drive in Santa Fe Springs, according to Lt. Bryan Ellis of the Whittier Police Department. Police said the attack occurred “without provocation.” The victim, a woman who works at the department, ran into a restroom in the building to wash herself, Ellis said.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A.'s voided law against sleeping in cars costs it $1.1 million in legal fees
The city of Los Angeles agreed Wednesday to pay $1.1 million to lawyers who successfully challenged a municipal ordinance prohibiting homeless people from sleeping in their vehicles. The payout comes as the city continues to press new enforcement laws against homeless encampments that have spread into residential neighborhoods over the last two years. Lawyers have warned that the new laws, which make it easier to dismantle camps and dispose of homeless people's property, are unconstitutional.
Los Angeles Times

Pensions

Daniel Borenstein: Attorney General Kamala Harris is right about Chuck Reed's latest pension initiative
Former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed claims his latest pension reform initiative would not reduce the future benefits of current public employees. Attorney General Kamala Harris says it could -- and she's right. Last week, Harris released the initiative summary that would appear on the ballot if backers collect sufficient signatures. She began by saying it "eliminates the constitutional protections for vested pension and retiree health care benefits for current public employees.
Contra Costa Times