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Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
LA Police Protective League
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Los Angeles
Police Protective League
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the union that represents the
rank and file LAPD officers
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Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
Daily News Digest
from LA Police Protective League
May 13, 2016 |
Bail Set At $3 Million For Lincoln Heights Rape Suspect
A 27-year-old convicted felon was charged Thursday with raping a woman in a Lincoln Heights park only 12 hours after he was released from police custody on a parole violation. Bail was set at $3 million for Edgar Alexander Lobos and his arraignment for rape and gun-possession charges was rescheduled to May 26. Cameras were not allowed to show his face in the courtroom because of concerns about witness identification. Officials say Lobos is a known gang member with a criminal history that includes spousal abuse and drug offenses. He has a distinctive facial tattoo that helped with identifying him after the attack.
ABC 7
Gunman Struck By Victim's Vehicle in North Hollywood Robbery
A gunman who tried to rob a man and a woman outside an apartment building in North Hollywood Thursday morning was struck by one of the victim's vehicles before he opened fire, police said. No injuries were reported after the robbery outside an apartment building in the 6800 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard about 4:50 a.m., according to Los Angeles police. The victims were approached by a man armed with a gun who demanded money, police said. The male victim took money out of his pocket, threw it on the ground and walked away, but the woman got into a car and followed the robber, police said.
NBC 4
Pedestrian Killed in West Hills-Area Hit-and-Run; Driver Sought
Los Angeles police on Thursday asked for the public's help in identifying a hit-and-run driver who fatally struck a pedestrian in his mid-70s the previous evening in the West Hills area. The collision occurred about 10:10 p.m. on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, south of Parthenia Street, according to an LAPD news release. The vehicle was traveling northbound on Topanga when it hit the man, who was walking with a shopping cart. The driver did not stop to render aid or identify himself or herself, a violation of the California Vehicle Code, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
KTLA 5
Pedestrian collisions on the rise in the San Fernando Valley
Los Angeles Police Department Officer Guillermo Rocha was stopping pedestrians at a bustling intersection near the North Hollywood Red and Orange Line station one recent afternoon. He stared ahead as five people walked north on Lankershim Boulevard at Chandler Boulevard in a marked crosswalk after the red hand started flashing. “Normally, I could cite every one of you for doing that,” the Valley Traffic Division officer told them as he passed out an LAPD “Walk Smart” program brochure, with its “responsible walking habits.” “The next thing you know, you're going to get hit and get hurt.” There's reason for concern. The number of traffic collisions involving pedestrians in the San Fernando Valley increased nearly 25?percent over the past five years, from 714 in 2011 to 884 in 2015, according to LAPD data. Citywide, the number of pedestrian collisions increased nearly 35 percent from 2011 to 2015.
Los Angeles Daily News
Students at Sylmar High School Walk Out of Class To Protest Violence
Hundreds of students at Sylmar High School walked out of class on Thursday morning to protest violence on campus. Around 9:30 a.m., students walked out of class and gathered at the bleachers near the football field for more than an hour. The walkout was another event in a string of incidents following a school fight that was caught on camera Monday. Some students say the fight was the result of gang activity, while others said it was racially motivated. School officials say they are still working to determine the cause of the fight.
ABC 7
Charges dismissed against Black Lives Matter protesters who blocked L.A. freeway
Charges were dismissed Thursday against a group of demonstrators accused of blocking the 101 Freeway during a 2014 protest against the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., part of a series of Los Angeles demonstrations that drew national attention because of the high number of arrests police made. Attorneys representing the seven Black Lives Matter protesters have long called for the misdemeanor charges filed against their clients to be thrown out, saying the demonstrators were peacefully exercising their free speech rights. In March, jurors rejected some of the charges against some of protesters but could not agree on a verdict on all of the counts. The group was accused of blocking the freeway near Alvarado Street on the morning of Nov. 26, 2014. They were ultimately charged with obstructing a thoroughfare and refusing to comply with lawful police orders, both misdemeanors.
Los Angeles Times
LAPD tests Tesla Model S as a potential future patrol car
The Tesla Model S may soon come in black and white…with an emergency light and siren bar on top. The Los Angeles Police Department is testing out two Tesla Model SP85-D loaner sedans over the next year. The electric car isn't practical for a police car yet, but, who knows where the technology will be in five years. A LAPD spokesperson says they'll assess the Tesla's performance in a police environment... They're very curious about its strengths and weaknesses. The department is looking at it as a fleet vehicle and also a possible patrol vehicle that would do all the things regular patrol cars do -- including high speed pursuits.
Fox 11
Victims' families testify in death penalty phase of Grim Sleeper trial
Kennietha Lowe recalled how the girls would don flower-print dresses and primp their hair decades ago. She said she and her older sister, Mary, were aspiring entertainers who loved performing for their family, dancing and singing in their living room. With their cousin, the three girls emulated their idols, the all-women R&B trio the Emotions. Mary was the lead singer and dancer. She was also their choreographer, costume designer and manager. She ran the show, Lowe recalled during testimony Thursday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.
Los Angeles Times
Chilling Dashcam Video Shows Deputies Greeted By Barrage Of Bullets After Responding To 911 Call
Dashcam video has been released that shows three deputies from Orange County ducking for cover after being greeted by a barrage of bullets. The bullets blew out several of the patrol car windows and dozens hit the home across the street. A couple pierced the garage door, while another went right through a front window. The incident unfolded on April 27 after deputies responded to a 911 call in San Juan Capistrano. When they arrived, they were greeted with an intense firefight. Diane Duffy's son was home next-door. “Something he's never seen before,” she said of her son. “He's never even heard gunshots before so he thought at first it was an explosion in our kitchen.”
KCAL 9
Parents wrongly put on a child abuser list will get $4.1 million to settle their suit
The father and stepmother of a 15-year-old runaway girl who falsely accused them of child abuse are set to receive $4.1 million from the state and Los Angeles County to settle a lawsuit that contended their civil rights were violated when a sheriff's deputy placed their names on a list of child abusers. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $2.4-million payout at their meeting Tuesday, and state lawmakers approved an additional $1.7 million in October. In addition to the payout, county officials spent $935,000 on lawyers' fees to fight the suit filed by Craig and Wendy Humphries.
Los Angeles Times
Nextdoor.com Makes Changes To Stop Racial Profiling On Site
A social media network created to connect neighbors in online communities said it is making changes on how members can report suspicious activity, after a group complained it was being used for racial profiling. The change comes after some residents in racially diverse Oakland complained the site that was created to share recommendations on plumbers or pass along information on used furniture was instead being used to post racially-based warnings about minorities. In an effort to remedy that, Nextdoor.com will no longer allow immediate postings on its a crime and safety section, said company chief executive Nirav Tolia. Instead, it will require people reporting a crime or warning about a suspicious person to fill out several forms before their post is published.
CBS 2
Bill mandating rape-kit data clears California Assembly
The California Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a proposal requiring local police departments to report how many rape kits they collect and give a reason for every kit that goes untested in an effort to reduce the accumulation of untested DNA samples taken in sexual assault cases. Under the proposal from Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, law enforcement agencies would tell the state Department of Justice the number of DNA samples they collect in sexual assault cases. They would be required to give a reason for every kit not sent to a crime lab every four months they are not tested. The data would become public once a year in a summary from the attorney general. "In our state, we know there is a significant backlog, but we don't know how many rape kits have been collected nor do we know how many have been tested or why kits have not been tested," Chiu said.
Associated Press
Illegally Manufactured Fentanyl Leaving Trail Of Destruction Across California
I egally manufactured Fentanyl is leaving a trail of destruction across California. In Sacramento, for instance, 52 people just overdosed and 12 died from it. “He was my rock. I loved that kid,” said Tim Fettig, whose 19-year-old son, Timmy, had it all: handsome, athletic, a loving family in a well-to-do Orange County neighborhood until he unknowingly put a powerful new form of drug up his nose. “He made a poor decision and he wasn't a user,” Fettig said. “He was just like every other kid out there who made a bad decision and it cost him his life.” Fentanyl, a pharmaceutical opiate originally designed to alleviate severe pain, can be up to 100 times more powerful than morphine. But now, drug cartels in China and Mexico are altering it by cutting it into cocaine and heroine and making it into pills that look like painkillers like Norco tablets.
CBS 2
‘Check Kkang' counterfeit-check king gets 5 years in $15M bank swindle
The leader of a large-scale bank account “bust- out” scheme that used counterfeit checks to swindle Southland banks out of at least $15 million was sentenced Thursday to more than five years in federal prison. Jae Ho Chung, 46, of Westwood, was also ordered to pay more than $2 million in restitution to various financial institutions, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Chung was arrested in May 2014 after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on a flight from Mexico. More than a dozen people were arrested two years ago in the case dubbed “Operation Check Kkang,” named for a Korean term that describes check kiting. Chung had been charged in Los Angeles days earlier with running a scheme in which co-conspirators deposited bogus checks into bank accounts and then immediately withdrew the funds. Once the financial institution realized that the check was fraudulent and dishonored the deposit, the account was “busted.”
MyNewsLA.com
Prison sentences in Green Card bribery scam
A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and an accomplice were sentenced Thursday in Los Angeles to federal prison terms for bribing government workers to obtain green cards and citizenship for immigrants. George Wu, 62, of Pico Rivera, was sentenced to 37 months behind bars, ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison time, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Wu was convicted in August of conspiracy and five counts of bribery of a public official. He was a CBP officer until 2012, then opened Great Eastern Immigration Services and worked as an immigration consultant, prosecutors said. Wu and another consultant, Michael Bui, would solicit money from immigrants looking to obtain green cards or citizenship, and some of the money was used to bribe public officials, according to prosecutors.
City News Service
Viral video effect' stifles policing? Could be, FBI chief says
FBI Director James Comey caught heat last year when he blamed an uptick of violence in some cities, in part, on the "Ferguson effect." He doubled down this week. While Comey said Wednesday he was reluctant to use the term "Ferguson effect" -- the notion that police are reluctant to enforce laws proactively for fear of becoming the next bad cop on YouTube -- he said that was only because the shooting death of Michael Brown didn't involve cameras. The phenomenon can be better described as "the viral video effect," he said, and it's marked by "changes in the way police may be acting, and in the way communities may be acting, in terms on how much information they share with police." Before Wednesday's round-table discussion, Comey was briefed on the quarterly homicide statistics in more than 40 cities, and in most of them, homicide "numbers are not only going up, they're continuing to go up, in most of those cities, faster than they were going up last year," he said. "A whole lot more people are dying this year than last year. Last year than the year before. I don't why for sure.
CNN
Blue Lives Matter' bill nearing final passage in Louisiana
Louisiana is on track to become one of the first states where it is a designated hate crime to target police officers and firefighters. Legislation that aims to add law enforcement and other first responders to the list of protected classes in the state hate crimes law is quickly advancing through the Capitol. House Bill 953, which would ultimately increase penalties for certain crimes that target law enforcement and firefighters in Louisiana, passed through a state Senate committee on Tuesday after little discussion. According to data the National Conference of State Legislatures provided to The Advocate last month, no state has gone so far as to include law enforcement or firefighters among protected classes in hate crime laws. But state Rep. Lance Harris, an Alexandria Republican who is sponsoring the bill, said he thinks that additional protections are needed in light of high-profile attacks on first responders across the country.“Due to what's going on across the country in every region, I think it behooves us to include our law enforcement officers and first responders in the hate crime bill,” he said.
The Advocate |
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City Government News
LA City Council moves to stop ‘McMansion' construction in Old Granada Hills
The Los Angeles City Council moved Wednesday to restrict the size of new homes in Old Granada Hills, passing a sweeping new law designed to stop the construction of so-called McMansions. Under the new ordinance, homeowners on a 7,500 square foot lot are restricted to building a dwelling that's 30 percent of the lot, or a 2,250 square foot home. Exemptions, such as building a street-friendly design, could allow homeowners to create a larger home, however. The law generally covers the area between San Fernando Mission Boulevard, San Jose Street, Amestoy Avenue and Zelzah Avenue. The pocket is known for its collection of 1920-era residences. Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander, who represents Old Granada Hills, said the law will “preserve and protect the character of the neighborhood, and allow some flexibility.” Developers are coming into Old Granada Hills and splitting the lots to put two or three homes on a site, said Dave Beauvais, president of the Old Granada Hills Residents' Group.
Los Angeles Daily News
Parents Of 2 Boys Who Drowned After Family Car Plunged Into Water Off Pier In San Pedro File Lawsuit
Authorities said the parents of two boys who drowned when the family's car plunged off a pier into the water of the Port of Los Angeles last year have filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. Several government entities were also named in the suit filed by Ali Elmezayen and Rabab Diab. They filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking unspecified damages on allegations of wrongful death, dangerous condition of a public property, negligence and strict product liability. The suit also names as defendants the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, the state Department of Transportation, Jiffy Lube International Inc. and Honda North America Inc.
CBS 2 |
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County News
Water district spends $2.2M telling you to conserve: Two days ago restrictions ended
Two days after it ended restricted water deliveries to its member agencies thanks to improved statewide supply, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Thursday began a $2.2 million advertising effort to encourage residents to continue conserving. The eight-month public outreach campaign will feature radio, print and digital advertising, along with social-media messages, highlighting a message of water conservation. The campaign will build on the agency's “Take a Turn” advertising effort that began last year, featuring images of water faucets, knobs and handles, encouraging people to turn them off. On Tuesday, the MWD board voted to end a mandatory use-reduction program it imposed on its 26 member agencies to combat the drought. The move ended a mandatory 15 percent cut in the amount of water delivered to agencies. Water companies that exceeded their allotment were charged punitive rates for the excess water.
MyNewsLA.com
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Closes After Nearly 57 Years
After nearly 57 years, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena closed permanently Thursday. City leaders held a closing ceremony to bid the iconic venue farewell. The building that Bruce Springsteen affectionately dubbed "the dump that jumps" was sent off with one last national anthem and a champagne toast. "We are celebrating its glorious past and looking forward to an even more glorious future," L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. The arena, which played host to some of the 20th century's biggest moments in sports, politics and rock 'n' roll, closed to make way for the construction of a $250 million soccer stadium, a museum, restaurants, and retail and office space.
ABC 7 |
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Homelessness News
Heartwarming Photos Show Security Guard Giving Away Jacket to Homeless Man
In a touching gesture, a security guard in downtown Los Angeles gave a homeless man his jacket, and a passerby was there to capture the moment with his camera. "It looks good on you," Victor Rivera told the homeless man in Spanish. "All you need now is the badge to be a security guard!" Victor Rivera, 50, works as a security guard at Discount Jewelry, a block away from the Jewelry District. After seeing a man sleeping next to his store at the corner of 8th Street and Broadway and walking up and down the street almost every day, he decided to step in. "He was very dirty and I felt bad for him," Rivera told NBC4 in a phone interview. "So I gave him the jacket. It's too big for me." NBC 4 |
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About the LAPPL Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at:
www.LAPD.com |
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