Law Enforcement

LAPD Officers Shoot Knife-Wielding Man in Exposition Park
A knife-wielding man, who suffers from mental illness, was shot by Los Angeles police in Exposition Park Friday night. The shooting occurred in the 1400 block of W. 29th Street at about 11:45 p.m. The man was transported to a local hospital in stable condition. His name was not immediately released. The investigation is being led by the Los Angeles Police Department's Southwest Division.
ABC 7

Man in Critical Condition After DTLA Hit-and-Run
A man was in critical condition Sunday morning after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver in downtown Los Angeles, police said. LAPD responded to a call at about 4:45 a.m. in the 300 block of East Washington Boulevard where a male adult was found unconscious in the street. The victim was transported to USC Medical Center in grave condition.
NBC Los Angeles

Man Shot During Possible Neighbor Dispute In Van Nuys
A Van Nuys man was hospitalized after being shot by an acquaintance during a dispute Friday night, police said. Police responded to an apartment building in the 13800 block of Oxnard Street regarding an assault with a deadly weapon shooting at about 9:30 p.m. and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound upon their arrival. The victim was transported to a local hospital in stable condition. The shooting suspect has been identified, but police say he remains at large.
ABC 7

Man in Critical Condition After Beating at Night Club
A man was in critical condition after he was assaulted by a group of men at a night club early Saturday morning in Hollywood, police said. The incident was reported around 12:45 a.m. in the 1700 block of North McCadden Place. Officers found the man unresponsive in the upper level of the building, according to the LAPD. The victim was transported to a hospital where he was in critical condition. |
NBC Los Angeles

Bay Area police releasing information in officer-involved deaths
In the age of Black Lives Matter, where activists on Twitter quickly can turn quiet streets into organized protests and every person seemingly has a cellphone camera, the pressure on Bay Area police to deliver timely, accurate information after an officer-involved death has never been higher. Law enforcement agencies around the country are finding they don't have a lot of choice except to release information in ways that would have been unimaginable a few years ago -- or else risk losing control of the narrative altogether. However, some critics say that information is only forthcoming when it paints the police in a good light.
San Jose Mercury News

What's the right police body camera policy?
Body cameras are on the verge of changing policing as we know it. But along with the promise of more transparency and accountability come tough policy choices. A particularly thorny question is whether officers who use force against individuals should be permitted to view the video footage of their encounters before writing their incident reports. After grappling with this issue, the Los Angeles and the New York police departments are opting to permit the viewing of the footage.
Los Angeles Times

Pensions

Another View: State pension funds are recovering
Perhaps an oil slick is clouding the crystal ball of Stephen Eide of the Koch brothers-funded Manhattan Institute when he suggests that the effort to undermine the retirement security of millions of Californians – disguised as “pension reform” – is gaining steam (“Pension reform has momentum”; Viewpoints, Aug. 14). Here's a reality check: The state's pension funds are on the road to recovery, the governor and Legislature have enacted significant pension reform, and the ballot measure attacking retirement security is on life support.
The Sacramento Bee

Public pension shocker: Shutting a pension plan actually costs taxpayers money
Amid the nationwide panic over the rising costs of public employee pensions, one proposed solution is nearly universal: States and municipalities should shutter their traditional defined benefit plans and place all new employees in a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan instead. That's the idea in a proposed California ballot initiative we reported on last week. The measure, which would end defined benefit plans for new employees as of Jan. 1, 2019, was praised by the Wall Street Journal as one that would "end defined-benefit pensions and save taxpayers billions of dollars."
Los Angeles Times

Immigration

Judge orders prompt release of immigrant children from detention
A federal judge has once again dealt a blow to the Obama administration's immigration policies, ordering federal officials to promptly release children held at family detention facilities. The judge, in a ruling released Friday evening, said that children should not be held for more than 72 hours unless they are a significant flight risk or a danger to themselves and others. It's unlikely that a mass release will happen right away, however. Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles gave federal officials until Oct. 23 to comply with her order.
Los Angeles Times