Law Enforcement

Off-Duty Sheriff's Deputy Killed in Head-On Collision
The US police delegation headed by Major General Horace Frank, Deputy Commander of Special Operations and Anti-terrorism Bureau at Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), concluded its official visit to the UAE as a part of the international expertise exchange program and participation in field operations. Major General Frank expressed his satisfaction with the development he witnessed in all areas of police work, the utilization of sophisticated training plans, and with the Police Leadership's commitment to keep abreast of the latest developments and technology. He also praised the role and efficiency of police staff members.
NBC Los Angeles, CBS Los Angeles

Woman Indicted for Murder in 2014 Crash That Killed LAPD Motorcycle Officer
A Pacoima woman with prior drug and theft convictions has been indicted for murder in the 2014 fatal crash that killed LAPD motorcycle Officer Christopher Cortijo, officials said Wednesday. The three-count indictment against Qaneak Shaney Cobb, 35, was unsealed Tuesday. She was charged with one count each of murder, possession of a controlled substance, and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office stated in a news release.
KTLA 5 , Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD Asks for Help in ID'ing Burglars Who Stole More Than $700,000 in Personal Property From Beverly Crest Home
Police on Wednesday released surveillance video that allegedly shows three male burglars who stole more than $700,000 worth of personal property from a home in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of L.A.'s Westside. Anyone with information about the burglary was asked to call the LAPD's West Los Angeles burglary detectives at 310-444-1522 or 310-444-1523
KTLA 5

Police Search for Armed Robber Caught on Surveillance Video
Police were asking for the public's help in finding an armed robber who targeted several stores in Inglewood. The robber could be seen on video approaching store clerks and pointing a handgun at them as he demanded cash, according to the Inglewood Police Department. The suspect is described as a black male with a slim build, about 25-to-35 years old, 6-feet tall, and 150 to 180 pounds. Anyone with information was asked to call the Inglewood Police Department at 310-412-4353 .
NBC Los Angeles

LAPD underreported serious assaults, skewing crime rate for 8 years
The Los Angeles Police Department misclassified an estimated 14,000 serious assaults as minor offenses in a recent eight-year period, artificially lowering the city's crime levels, a Times analysis found. With the incidents counted correctly, violent crime in the city was 7% higher than the LAPD reported in the period from 2005 to fall 2012, and the number of serious assaults was 16% higher, the analysis found .
Los Angeles Times

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck Target Of Assassination Threats
A man has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and his family. Norman Valerio, of Santa Monica, allegedly posted a series of tweets saying he would kill Beck with a 9 mm Beretta. Valerio was charged with making felony criminal threats. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison .
ABC 7

L.A. to pay $2.5 million to settle lawsuit with children of woman assaulted by LAPD officer
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to pay $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit with the children of a woman who was kicked in the crotch by an LAPD police officer and later died, resulting in a criminal conviction for the officer. Wednesday's settlement came more than three years after Officer Mary O'Callaghan hit and kicked Alesia Thomas as the officer shoved the handcuffed 35-year-old into the back of a squad car in South Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Times

Search Intensifies For Missing 61-Year-Old Menifee Grandfather
The search for a missing 61-year-old Menifee man has intensified. Thomas Cottone went missing Monday. KCAL9's Crystal Cruz spoke to his distraught family Wednesday. They said Cottone's wheelchair made tracks outside his home located in the 26000 block of Wheat Street. The tracks go off into the distance. And then disappear. Officers have been searching the fields around his home without luck. Between the heat and Thomas' health, his family is worried.
CBS Los Angeles

A ‘virtual get-out-of-jail-free card'
In the 11 months since the passage of Prop 47, more than 4,300 state prisoners have been resentenced and then released. Drug arrests in Los Angeles County have dropped by a third. Jail bookings are down by a quarter. Hundreds of thousands of ex-felons have applied to get their previous drug convictions revised or erased. But along with the successes have come other consequences, which police departments and prosecutors refer to as the “unintended effects”: Robberies up 23 percent in San Francisco. Property theft up 11 percent in Los Angeles. Certain categories of crime rising 20 percent in Lake Tahoe, 36 percent in La Mirada, 22 percent in Chico and 68 percent in Desert Hot Springs.
The Washington Post

City Government

Drone pilots could get jail time, fine for violating new L.A. ordinance
Flying a drone too high, too close to people or at an airport in Los Angeles could soon land you six months in jail and a hefty fine. In a unanimous vote Wednesday, the L.A. City Council approved an ordinance that mirrors the Federal Aviation Administration's civilian drone regulations and makes it a misdemeanor to violate them.
Los Angeles Times

LA may face hurdles on homeless emergency plan
Weeks after Los Angeles City Hall leaders laid out a plan to issue a “state of emergency” to free up shelters and housing, lawmakers heard about possible hurdles to their proposal. At a Wednesday hearing on the plan, Deputy City Attorney Adrienne Khorasanee said the city may face challenges over the California Environmental Quality Act, for instance, with its homeless declaration. With an estimated 25,000 homeless living under overpasses, on sidewalks and in vehicles, Los Angeles city officials want to declare a state of emergency in the hopes of quickly allocating resources such as shelters and parking lots for street dwellers to use.
Los Angeles Daily News

Public Safety

Get ready for the ‘Great California ShakeOut' coming Thursday
Millions of Southland residents and millions more across the state and around the world are expected to “drop, cover and hold on” Thursday as part of an annual earthquake preparedness drill aimed at ensuring people are ready for the “big one.” Nearly 3.5 million people in Los Angeles County have registered to take part in the “Great California ShakeOut,” which is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. About 10.4 million people have registered to take part in the drill statewide, including nearly 1 million in Orange County, according to ShakeOut.org.
My News LA