Law Enforcement

LAPD Officer Injured After Struck By Civilian Car in Sylmar
An LAPD officer was injured early Tuesday morning after he was struck by a vehicle in Sylmar, deputies said. The accident occurred around 1:30 a.m. near El Cariso Community Regional Park where sheriff's deputies were looking for a robbery suspect. Deputies requested help from LAPD to help set up a containment perimeter, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. An LAPD sergeant assisting at the scene was struck by a civilian vehicle and transported to a hospital. The condition of the officer was unknown, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department .
NBC Los Angeles

Protect and Swerve: LAPD's Electric Cruiser Joins List of Odd Cop Cars
It may not strike fear in the hearts of hardened criminals, but the Los Angeles Police Department has added a new tool to its fleet of cruisers -- a modified version of the BMW i3 battery-electric vehicle. Bearing the LAPD's familiar black-and-white paint job, with the motto, "To Protect and to Serve," emblazoned on its doors, the pint-sized EV will patrol in downtown L.A. as part of the city's efforts to "green" its government fleet .
NBC News

New L.A. police commissioner – the board's only black man – has a to-do list
Matt Johnson remembers sitting on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike on a cold December day, his hands cuffed behind his back, watching a group of white police officers search his car. Then a student at Rutgers University, Johnson had been pulled over by an officer who told him he was suspicious because he had been driving slower than the other cars barreling down the turnpike. Johnson wasn't surprised — back in the late 1980s, police were notorious for stopping African Americans on the roadway .
Los Angeles Times

Medal of Valor awarded to rookie cop involved in a San Bernardino gun battle
Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday awarded the state's Medal of Valor to two police officers, including a San Bernardino officer involved in a deadly gun battle months after graduating from the police academy. The ceremony, held at the Capitol, was attended by Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and public safety officials from across the state .
Los Angeles Times

Killings Of Officers Nationwide Taking Toll On Law Enforcement, LA County Sheriff Says
“It makes the job that much more difficult” says Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell in responding to the recent deaths of law enforcement officers nationwide. He sat down with CBS2's Randy Paige and in a one-on-one interview on Monday night discussed the recent challenges law enforcement officers face. Challenges that include the Aug. 28 fatal shooting of Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Goforth in Houston, Texas, who was apparently chosen at random simply because he was wearing a uniform.
CBS Los Angeles

No hazards found at Inglewood courthouse after 'powdery substance' spotted in mail
The wheels of justice at the Inglewood Courthouse were brought to a standstill Monday when a court employee reported that he'd been burned by a "white powdery substance" from an envelope, officials said. The man was taken to a hospital and 14 others who were working on the second floor of the courthouse had to be decontaminated as a precaution, said Fire Inspector David Dantic of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. As a precaution, six more people were also taken to the hospital .
Los Angeles Times

Police Violence Claims Piling Up in Courts Across the Country
Four lawsuits charging police with unnecessary killings, shootings and other violence - two of them white cops on black men - were filed Friday, in Alabama, California, Colorado and Hawaii .
Courthouse News Service

Getting personal: on the beat with body worn cameras
Tim Compston of SecurityNewsDesk discovers that body worn video cameras are increasingly in the frame to help protect police officers, workers and the wider community. As Body Worn Video (BWV) camera solutions expand their reach amongst police forces, and filter down to private security guards and customer-facing employees, we look at the state of play of this technology and the impact it is having for users. From a police perspective, body worn video is certainly coming to the fore across the Atlantic in a US drive for greater ‘transparency' following a series of cases of fatal incidents involving police officers and subsequent nation-wide protests.
Security News Desk

Pensions

Your questions about California state retiree health benefits asked and answered
The Legislature has approved the terms of new labor agreements for California state engineers and scientists that include contributions to their retiree medical benefits, extend how long new employees must work to vest in the program and, for the first time, lower the state's share of cost for future retirees' medical, dental and vision coverage. With those contracts pending member ratification, the governor's attention now turns the remaining unions with expired or expiring labor pacts. During a Senate committee hearing last week, administration officials acknowledged that Brown wants to bargain similar terms with the other groups.
Sacramento Bee