Articles in the forum - 2010 - ... NAACC and LA Community Policing

Cop-shooting suspect possibly seen near Kanab, Utah

Aug

Scott Curley
is hiding

Suspect has stored food in the mountains in so-called “spider holes” - by Nate Carlisle and Mark Havnes - The Salt Lake Tribune - August 27, 2010

Fredonia, Ariz. • The hunt for the man accused of murdering a Utah sheriff's deputy resumed at dawn Friday as an army of 100 police officers cordoned an area of the rugged, high desert just south of the Utah-Arizona border.

Kane County, Utah, Sheriff's Deputy Brian Harris was shot and killed about 2:30 p.m. Thursday while pursing a burglary suspect three miles east of Fredonia. The suspect, Scott Curley, is believed to be hiding in the mountainous area east of Fredonia and Kanab, Utah.

Portraits of the Fallen - artist Kaziah Hancock

Aug

Ricardo Duran,
Jr. (Air Force)

An artist named Kaziah Hancock paints portraits of fallen soldiers free of charge for their families as part of Project Compassion. - Military Times

SEE THE VIDEO INSIDE

Artist Kaziah Hancock's Project Compassion is an organization dedicated to immortalizing the images of soldiers who have lost their lives to war. Hancock vowed to create a portrait of each U.S. service member killed in the line of duty as a memorial keepsake for the soldier's family.

She said she won't quit, "until I either get them all painted or I expire trying. As long as I'm alive, and this old sister can pick up a brush, that ain't going to happen."

Islamophobia? Not really

Aug

The supposed anti-Muslim backlash among Americans is mostly a myth. - OPINION
by Jonah Goldberg - August 24, 2010

Here's a thought: The 70% of Americans who oppose what amounts to an Islamic Niketown two blocks from ground zero are the real victims of a climate of hate, and anti-Muslim backlash is mostly a myth.

Let's start with some data.

According to the FBI, hate crimes against Muslims increased by a staggering 1,600% in 2001. That sounds serious! But wait, the increase is a math mirage. There were 28 anti-Islamic incidents in 2000. That number climbed to 481 the year a bunch of Muslim terrorists murdered 3,000 Americans in the name of Islam on Sept. 11.

Now, that was a hate crime.

Press-Telegram readers support most Long Beach cuts in survey

Aug

Long Beach
at night

Don't want to eliminate one of two auto theft units from the Police Department - by Paul Eakins, Staff Writer - Long Beach Post Telegram - August 21, 2010

LONG BEACH -- Two years of an economic recession may have made Press-Telegram readers more realistic -- or at least less sympathetic -- about the state of Long Beach's budget.

The newspaper asked readers this month in a nonscientific online and print survey what they think about key budget cuts that are proposed by City Manager Pat West for the 2011 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

Long Beach is facing an $18.5 million general fund deficit, and the City Council has until Sept. 15 to approve a budget that eliminates the shortfall.

Terror at Sterling Hall - FBI fugitive

Aug

Leo Frederick
Burt

40 Years Later, Fugitive Search Continues - by FBI - August 23, 2010

Where is Leo Burt? You can earn up to $150,000 by helping us find him.

Forty years ago—on August 24, 1970—Burt and three other young men protesting the Vietnam War carried out a pre-dawn bomb attack at the University of Wisconsin in Madison that would stand as the largest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history until the Oklahoma City bombing 25 years later.

The three accomplices were eventually arrested and served time in prison for the bombing of Sterling Hall, which caused significant damage and the death of a physics researcher. But Burt—22 at the time and an aspiring journalist—has been on the run ever since.

Why California should just say no to Prop. 19 - OPINION

Aug

Should pot be legal in CA?
These folks
say "no" !!
----------------
What do you think?

Taxing marijuana sales wouldn't bring in much money because homegrown is tax free, drug officials say. Besides, any revenue would be wiped out by increases in healthcare and criminal justice costs. - OPINION - Los Angeles Times - August 25, 2010

This commentary was written by Gil Kerlikowske, John Walters, Barry McCaffrey, Lee Brown, Bob Martinez and William Bennett, directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the administrations of Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

Californians will face an important decision in November when they vote on whether to legalize marijuana. Proponents of Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, rely on two main arguments: that legalizing and taxing marijuana would generate much-needed revenue, and that legalization would allow law enforcement to focus on other crimes.

KNX Exclusive: LAX Cops "Over & Out"

Aug

LAX airport
in Los Angeles
- a matter of
Homeland Security

Officers stationed at podiums adjacent to TSA security checkpoints have engaged in unprofessional behavior - by Charles Feldman - KNX1070-NewsRadio - August 18, 2010

(KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO) Some LAX police officers stationed at podiums adjacent to TSA security checkpoints have engaged in unprofessional behavior, ranging from using their cell phones while on duty to make lengthy personal calls; to reading newspapers and magazines; and, even working on laptop computers, according to documents obtained by KNX as part of a four month investigation into security and safety at one of the nation's busiest airports.

A June 28th email to LAX police supervisors by then Assistant Chief of Police Frank Fabrega says, "these complaints are embarrassing to the organization and erode the professionalism of airport police."

See inside: Memo Sent by LAX Assistant Chief of Police to his Staff (pdf file)

In Chicago the city is running out of would-be cops

Aug

Chicago needs
more cops

120 in class - Call to ditch entrance exam draws fire - by Fran Spielman and Frank Main - Chicago Sun Times - August 23, 2010

A new class of 120 Chicago Police recruits will start six months of training Sept. 1, honoring Mayor Daley's promise to hire more officers -- but depleting the city's hiring list.

The city, which offered the last police entrance exam in 2006, is at a crossroad. The city could give a new exam but would have to wait months to award a testing contract, then develop, administer and grade it. Or the city could scrap the test in favor of an application-only process.

Grim Sleeper Sleuth Christine Pelisek: "How I tracked Lonnie David Franklin"

Aug

Award winning
LA Weekly
crime reporter
Christine Pelisek

ALSO: See about the use of a new technique -- finding criminals thru use of "Familial DNA" - by Jill Stewart, LA Weekly - July 9, 2010

"That day, in January 2006, was stranger than usual. I knew I had stumbled onto something that no one else had reported: a serial killer on the loose in Southern California. For the next four years, I became, in effect, a detective--an easy transition, given my love for crime shows that had begun as a kid, watching reruns of 'Columbo.' But let's start at the beginning, which was the hush-hush list of 38 dead women, many of them dumped in dumpsters and along parkways and alleyways, a list I eventually cajoled from my source at the coroner's office."

LA City Pensioner Lonnie Franklin, Jr

Aug

Grim Sleeper
serial-killer
suspect Lonnie
Franklin Jr

Grim Sleeper suspect will haul in $1 million from taxpayers and city - by Christine Pelisek - LA Weekly - August 19, 2010

When L.A.P.D. detectives swooped in to arrest Grim Sleeper serial-killer suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr., word leaked that the case was going to be "very embarrassing" to the city. The reason soon became clear: When detectives asked Franklin routine questions for a final report, the mechanic said he once worked as a trash collector for the Department of Sanitation, and even worked pumping gas — for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Franklin told L.A.P.D. Detective Dennis Kilcoyne he retired as a trash collector due to a shoulder injury, but Franklin also told Kilcoyne he'd never bothered to file a disability claim.

Baca to turn over Ruben Salazar files to civilian watchdog for review

Aug

Sheriff bows to pressure to release old records - August 18, 2010

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Wednesday that he was turning over thousands of pages on the slaying of former Times columnist and KMEX-TV news director Ruben Salazar to the civilian watchdog agency that monitors the Sheriff's Department so a report can be prepared on the 40-year-old case.

Baca's move comes in response to a California Public Records Act request filed by The Times in March seeking records that might shed light on Salazar's killing by a deputy who fired a tear-gas missile that struck the reporter during a massive riot in East Los Angeles. Questions and controversy continue to cloud the Aug. 29, 1970, slaying, which left an open wound that has yet to heal.

"The sheriff wants to move this forward," Baca spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Old West Showdown Is Revived

Aug

19th Century
Lincoln County
Sheriff Pat
Garett

Billy the Kid vs Pat Garrett - by Marc Lacey - New York Times - August 17, 2010

SANTA FE, N.M. — Billy the Kid is dead and buried. So is the lawman who shot him.

But in this city of adobe homes and historical plaques, the past and present are sometimes as hard to separate as the Kid's finger was from his trigger.

Gov. Bill Richardson, a history buff, has a special chair in his office, a facsimile of the one that a predecessor, Lew Wallace, used in the late 1800s.

Mr. Richardson, his time in office dwindling fast, also has a piece of unfinished business from the Wallace administration on his desk: the proposed pardon of Billy the Kid.

A Critical Look At Mayor Villaraigosa's Gang-Reduction Program

Aug

Gang member in LA

$26 million a year enough or not .. and is it working at all? - by Dennis Romero - LA Weekly - August 16, 2010

The Los Angeles crime-and-justice website WitnessLA on Monday (see report below) published the first of a two-part series looking at Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's $26-million-a-year gang-reduction program and whether it's worth your money. It finds that some of the youths most in need of prevention and intervention are being overlooked by the program:

" ... Gang prevention programs that may be systematically excluding many of the kids that most need their help and intervention programs that are based on a model that has little or no proven success. Further, the programs may fail to emphasize the most basic services that have been shown to help the men and women in L.A.'s most violent, troubled neighborhoods leave gang life behind."

NYPD fleet becoming more eco-friendly with introduction of Ford Fusion hybrid patrol cars

Aug

eco-friendly Ford Fusion hybrids are joining
Nissan Altimas
to replace
sturdy, but fuel-consuming NYPD Chevy Impalas

Horsepower and Greenpower in NYC - by Kerry Burke - New York Daily News - August 19, 2010

It's NYPD green.

Cops introduced the first Ford Fusion hybrid patrol cars on Wednesday as the fleet slowly turns more eco-friendly.

"These vehicles use less fuel and emit fewer pollutants into the air we breathe," Mayor Bloomberg said.

The first 30 of 102 Fusions join 76 Nissan Altima hybrids that are gradually replacing 3,000 gas-guzzling Chevy Impalas that regularly prowl the streets.

Three-strikes law: a big error

Aug

OPINION - L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley's policy of not pursuing three-strike convictions unless a suspect's third offense is serious or violent should be made law, not left to the whim of prosecutors. - August 19, 2010

An appellate court judge once likened Gregory Taylor, a homeless man who was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for trying to break into a church food kitchen because he was hungry, to Jean Valjean, the hero of Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables." It was an apt comparison.

Taylor, who was finally ordered released Monday by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, is a symbol of everything that's wrong with California's three-strikes law.

The Obama administration's attacks on the media

Aug

OPINION - Cases brought against journalists who ferreted out confidential information appear to have little to do with protecting national security interests. - August 16, 2010

It is a popular conservative myth to suggest that the "mainstream media" is a liberal lapdog to the Obama administration, that reporters favor the president and that he returns the admiration. In fact, this administration has pursued a quiet but malicious campaign against the news media and their sources, more aggressively attacking those who ferret out confidential information than even the George W. Bush administration did.

James Risen of the New York Times has been ordered to testify about sources for his 2006 book, "State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration." A former NSA official has been indicted for allegedly supplying material to the Baltimore Sun, and for obstructing justice when he allegedly destroyed information related to those contacts. A former FBI official was prosecuted for leaking to a blogger. And now, the administration is accusing the WikiLeaks website of causing vague harm to American interests and operatives by posting classified material.

LA Judge Frees Thief Who Got 25 Yrs On 3rd Strike

Aug

Gregory Taylor was
serving a potential
life sentence for
stealing food from a
Los Angeles church

Was sentenced for breaking into a church kitchen when hungry - Associated Press - National Public Radio - August 17, 2010

After 13 years behind bars for trying to break in to a church kitchen to find something to eat, a man who became an example of the harsh sentences allowed by California's three-strikes law has been ordered released from prison.

A Superior Court judge amended Gregory Taylor's sentence to eight years already served and the 47-year-old, who was sentenced in 1997 to 25 years to life, will be a free man in a few days.

Tears streamed down Taylor's face and Judge Peter Espinoza asked a bailiff to get him a tissue.

Stabbing spree took some time to uncover

Aug

Elias Abuelazam
- networking helps
police nab
serial suspects

Police networking helps ID serial attacks - by Alan Gomez - USA TODAY - August 17, 2010

Police believe Elias Abuelazam's stabbing spree started in late May when he killed a 31-year-old on a dark street in Flint, Mich., but Flint police did not begin discussing the possibility of a serial killer until late July, when the area had six stabbings over six straight nights.

By the time they reached out to Michigan State Police to create a task force to track the killer in the first week of August, 14 people had been attacked, five fatally. He later became a suspect in attacks in two other states.

California moves forward with death row construction plan

Aug

CA will expand its
capacity to hold
Death Row inmates

$356 million for 1152 Death Row beds - by Rob Rogers - Marin Independent Journal - August 14, 2010

The new death row complex at San Quentin State Prison will feature 768 cells, 1,152 beds, six guard towers, a hospital and two fences, one of them electrified.

That is, of course, if the complex is built at all.

The state this week began soliciting bids from contractors to build the $356 million expansion to California's only holding facility for prisoners condemned to death.

Bay Area immigrants face obstacles when they are victims of crime

Aug

Successful
Neighborhood
Camera Program
in Oakland's
Chinatown

"Am I in greater danger from criminals, or from what could happen if I talk to the police?" - by Sean Maher and Sam Sutton - Oakland Tribune - August 18, 2010

OAKLAND -- Some immigrants wrestling with the city's serious crime problem face a question foreign to many residents born and raised here: Am I in greater danger from criminals, or from what could happen if I talk to the police?

Police have several times this year reported that crime is down in Oakland. But those statistics are based on crime that either police discover on their own or is reported by victims and concerned residents. When immigrants become the victims of crime, however, fears that they will be mistrusted, ignored, or worse, deported by the police, prompt many to secretly accept their abuse.

Fall from bike spins LA mayor into cycle advocate

Aug

many think that
using bicycles on
urban streets makes
a lot of sense

Bicylist activists surprised and pleased by his support - by Daisy Nguyen - Associated Press - August 16, 2010

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is the new champion of cyclists' rights in the nation's second-largest city, a conversion that came after a bone-breaking fall from his own bicycle.

The mayor, who said little on the topic during five years in office, is campaigning to make streets safer for cyclists after a parked cab abruptly pulled out across a bike lane, causing him to shatter an elbow. The ill-fated ride was his first on city streets since taking office.

In New Orleans, an unprecedented push for police reform

Aug

New Orleans
officers - can
they re-shape
the department?

The image of the Department needs to change - by Richard A. Serrano - Los Angeles Times - Tribune Washington Bureau - August 17, 2010

Reporting from New Orleans -- LaTrell Washington, one of 25 recruits at the New Orleans Police Academy, said what everyone was thinking when she addressed her class at their graduation ceremony this month.

"Mistakes have been made before our time," she said. "We are here to change the image of the New Orleans Police Department."

Torrance will require some new hires to pay retirement contributions

Aug

Affects a small number of positions in the city's 2,000-employee work force - by Nick Green - Daily Breeze - August 18, 2010

Reversing an almost 20-year-old policy, the city of Torrance will require some new hires to pay their own retirement contributions.

The city pays each employee's 9 percent retirement contribution for its firefighters and police officers and 7 percent for all other municipal workers.

The requirement affects a small number of positions in the city's 2,000-employee work force - primarily executive and management positions but also some miscellaneous jobs not covered by union contracts. All told, about 150 positions are affected.

For now, the move is largely symbolic. But it is a harbinger of things to come.

Cops, Crime, and the Economy

Aug

Economic
recovery
depends on
citizens willing
to spend money

Economic recovery on a local scale, whether in Los Angeles, Oakland, or St. Louis, is largely dependent on the willingness of citizens to live and spend money there. - by Jack Dunphy - Pajamas Media - August 16, 2010

Some time ago I was on patrol in a part of Los Angeles known then as now for its high level of crime. A woman driving through the neighborhood stopped me and posed some questions. She had been living in one of L.A.'s far-off suburbs, and she was contemplating a move into town where she would be closer to her job. In some ways the neighborhood would have been ideal for her.

Proposed California law would sanction cities that pay excessive salaries

Aug

CA government
salaries & benefits
a pot of gold?

Measure would raise income tax to 50% for overpaid council members, impose fiscal penalties on cities designated by the attorney general, and require open-session votes on top officials' compensation. - by Patrick McGreevy - Los Angeles Times - August 12, 2010 - Reporting from Sacramento

Cities that provide officials with excessive pay would be subject to significant financial penalties, including a 50% income tax on city council members, under a proposal considered by state lawmakers Wednesday in response to the salary scandal in Bell.

Board denies parole for Hillside Strangler

Aug

Kenneth Bianchi will remain in prison
August 18, 2010

Kenneth Bianchi, the Hillside Strangler who roamed the streets of northeast Los Angeles and Glendale with his cousin torturing and killing nine women in the late 1970s, has been denied parole.

The decision was made by a panel in Sacramento, authorities said.

The highly publicized strangulations by Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr. terrorized Los Angeles as the bodies turned up in public areas. All the victims had been sexually assaulted, authorities said at the time.

Who's to blame for Bell? Look in the mirror

Aug

OPINION - Voters and elected officials, not public employees, enable the kind of bureaucratic malfeasance that resulted in the Bell pay scandal. - by Bob Niccum - August 16, 2010

In his Aug. 11 Times Op-Ed article, " City of Bell salaries: Robert Rizzo is only a symptom," Ben Boychuk confronts the wrong end of the beast. He tips us off to his bias by repeatedly flogging the crusty cliche "unelected bureaucrats," on whom he blames the current crisis in state and local government. He then twists logic into a knot by using these specious assertions as a pretext for removing regulations to solve the problem. Huh?

Bell's scandal over high salaries for its top officials did not arise because too many regulations and statutes exist. It came about because of lack of interest among the city's residents, combined with little news coverage, allowed the culprits to do their work in the shadows. If regulations and statutes were involved in any way, it was not their existence, but the failure to observe them, that contributed to the problem.

Sex-offender limits sometimes go too far

Aug

Downloaded
child-porn to
his computer

OPINION - What do you think? - Chicago Sun Times - August 16, 2010

Is it possible for the hammer of the law to come down too hard on someone?

Sometimes the answer is yes. Let's look at the real case of a man we'll call Scott.

The crime: downloading child pornography onto a computer. There's no question about guilt. Scott admits it.

Scott installed software on his work computer that would search the Internet overnight and copy porn onto his hard drive. He didn't specify child porn, but he knew the images he was collecting included such material.

LA County deputies to get live video from planes / choppers

Aug

The LA County
Sheriff's Department
has a fleet of
different types of
helicopters and
fixed wing aircraft

The LA County Sheriff's Department has a fleet of different types of helicopters/planes - The Associated Press - Mercury News - Auguse 10, 2010

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is getting a new eye in the sky to help fight crime and wildfires.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved spending $2.6 million to buy video equipment that can transmit real-time images from aircraft cameras to patrol cars. Two airplanes, a helicopter and four sheriff's vehicles will get the gear.

On the Streets with the LAPD

Aug

see the slideshow

In an era of steep budget cuts, police officers' work just gets harder - by Robert Nickelsberg - TIME - August 2010

SLIDESHOW

Watch and listen to the multimedia presentation by Robert Nickelsberg for TIME. He recently spent several days with officers from the Southeast and 77th Street divisions in producing a compelling presentation now available for viewing on the Web.

In his narration he describes how budget cuts and looming financial disclosure rules are combining to reduce the presence of specialized officers from the areas of the city where they are most needed.

Police boost use of unmarked cars to target speeders

Aug

Much more
innocent looking
police vehicles are
now on the road
catching speeders

Speeding is a factor in nearly one-third of all highway deaths - by Larry Copeland - USA TODAY - August 9, 2010

Speeders, beware: That innocent-looking Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Fusion or SUV you're about to blow past just might be the law.

In their effort to reduce speeding — a factor in nearly one-third of all highway deaths — state and local police agencies around the USA increasingly are using unmarked patrol cars, sports cars and even "ghost" cruisers with obscured markings.

Should Videotaping the Police Really Be a Crime?

Aug

in partnership
with CNN
------------------
OPINION:
A police officer
arresting
someone on a
street
is engaging
in a public act.

Prosecutors across the U.S. claim the videotaping violates wiretap laws - CASE STUDY - by Adam Cohen - TIME Magazine - August 4, 2010

Anthony Graber, a Maryland Air National Guard staff sergeant, faces up to 16 years in prison. His crime? He videotaped his March encounter with a state trooper who pulled him over for speeding on a motorcycle. Then Graber put the video — which could put the officer in a bad light — up on YouTube.

It doesn't sound like much. But Graber is not the only person being slapped down by the long arm of the law for the simple act of videotaping the police in a public place. Prosecutors across the U.S. claim the videotaping violates wiretap laws — a stretch, to put it mildly.

Couple charged with posing as federal agents to trick an undocumented immigrant

Aug

Gregory Raymond Denny

Wanted to make her leave the US -- NOTE: this is NOT community-based policing ! - by Tony Perry in San Diego - Los Angeles Times - August 6, 2010

A Hemet couple have been indicted for allegedly tricking an undocumented immigrant to take a plane back to her native Philippines by claiming that they were enforcing a fugitive warrant issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gregory Raymond Denny Jr., 38, and his wife, Karen Evon Denny, 52, allegedly handcuffed the victim, Cherriebelle Magada Gabalonos Hibbard, and said they were taking her to San Diego's Lindbergh Field to be deported, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday in San Diego.

"The Cradler" - it may save your child's life - hear about it on our "Community Matters" radio talk show - Sunday

Aug

"The Cradler"
-------------
Hear Byron on
"Community
Matters"
radio talk show
-------------
listen to the
archived
interview,
now available
as a link inside
this article

The Cradler is a FREE child car seat product that's being promoted by an individual who tragically lost his infant son to a side-impact car wreck. His goal is to provide one to every American newborn's family as they leave the maternity hospital.

We were delighted to have Byron Blackwell as a Special Guest on our "Community Matters" talk radio show on Sunday, August 22. Byron has found a simple inexpensive product that might have saved his young son's life .. "The Cradler" .. and, together with Loyal Order of the Moose, has established the Zacharia Fund, named after his son, to give them away .. a program that he'll explain he hopes will go national.

At this point, the Moose lodges in CA and Nevada will consider a two-state version at their upcoming bi-state convention in Palm Springs.

Byron's passion for doing whatever he can to help others avoid the pain of losing a child in a side-impact car accident is infectious. The NAACC and "Community Matters" is delighted to help him promote "The Cradler" and help him distribute the product .. FREE !!!

New LAPD Newsletter devoted to outreach with Muslim community (pdf file)

Aug

LAPD wishes
Muslims a Happy
Ramadan

Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau – Liaison Section -- LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck and Deputy Chief Michael Downing active participants

Building a stronger relationship between L.A. Muslim communities and the LAPD -- a relationship that continues to develop into an active partnership based on trust and cooperation.

This is the (CTCIB) Liaison Section’s first newsletter. We would like to share the news about our activities and community outreach programs throughout the City of Los Angeles. If you are interested in being a member of our e-mail list, please send a request to CTCIB@LAPD.LACITY.ORG with your full name and email address, and you will be added to our list.

We look forward to keeping you updated!

Governments Go to Extremes as the Downturn Wears On

Aug

there is a 23%
chance that all
patrol units in
Colorado Springs
will be busy when
someone calls the
police

Are cuts in public safety necessary? - by Michael Cooper - New York Times - August 7, 2010

Plenty of businesses and governments furloughed workers this year, but Hawaii went further — it furloughed its schoolchildren. Public schools across the state closed on 17 Fridays during the past school year to save money, giving students the shortest academic year in the nation and sending working parents scrambling to find care for them.

Many transit systems have cut service to make ends meet, but Clayton County, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, decided to cut all the way, and shut down its entire public bus system. Its last buses ran on March 31, stranding 8,400 daily riders.

Even public safety has not been immune to the budget ax. In Colorado Springs, the downturn will be remembered, quite literally, as a dark age: the city switched off a third of its 24,512 streetlights to save money on electricity, while trimming its police force and auctioning off its police helicopters.

Schwarzenegger orders public alerts when sex offenders try to flee supervision

Aug

CA Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger
------------------
a simple matter
of public safety

20 to 60 times a month a parolee on GPS monitoring will manage to remove the device - by Ann M. Simmons - Los Angeles Times - August 5, 2010

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to alert the public whenever paroled sex offenders remove their personal electronic tracking devices and try to flee supervision.

In a statement released this week, Schwarzenegger said paroled sex offenders who remove their tracking devices “pose a threat to public safety, and the department must take every necessary step to eliminate that threat, including making sure the public is aware of these individuals.”

15 Linked to Major Ecstasy Ring Indicted in Los Angeles

Aug

just some of the
stacks and stacks
of pills seized in
recent DEA operation
in Los Angeles area
---------------------------
said to be worth
many millions

Organization believed responsible for distributing hundreds of thousands of MDMA pills every month - from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) - August 5, 2010

(LOS ANGELES) – Culminating a joint Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) investigation that led to the seizure of well over 1.1 million MDMA tablets this year, a federal grand jury has indicted 15 men linked to a San Gabriel Valley-based drug trafficking organization that was allegedly responsible for distributing hundreds of thousands of MDMA pills every month.

The indictment accuses the 15 defendants of participating in a conspiracy to distribute huge quantities of 3, 4 - MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), which is the chemical name of a party drug commonly called ecstasy. Ecstasy has recently been linked to the deaths of several teenagers who had ingested the drug at large “raves” at the LA Coliseum and LA Sports Arena.

Putting a difficult decade in perspective

Aug

LA Police
Protective League
-------------------
What a difference
a decade makes!

Recommending an LA Times article (posted inside) - by LAPPL Board of Directors - August 6, 2010

A recent Los Angeles Times headline summed up a decade that all of us in law enforcement hope will never be repeated, when they wrote, “It was a terrifying time.” On Wednesday's front-page story (see story inside), veteran crime reporters Scott Gold and Andrew Blankstein recount a 10-year period beginning in 1984 when the LAPD was recording a violent crime every eight minutes and people could be killed with impunity. The article is a recommended reading for everyone – police officers and citizens alike.

Gun owners backing 'open carry' law run into dilemma in Redondo Beach, CA

Aug

Redondo Beach Pier is a very popular
public venue

A city ordinance prohibits guns in public parks, and the city attorney says the pier is a park. The gun-rights advocates see it as a commercial district, but they don't push the issue. - by Mike Anton - Los Angeles Times - August 8, 2010

A group of gun owners who gathered Saturday on the Redondo Beach Pier to extol the virtues of the 2nd Amendment found themselves confronting a different hot-button legal issue: Redondo Beach Municipal Code 4-35.20 (a).

Passed by the City Council in May, the ordinance prohibits guns in public parks. The city attorney says the pier is a park. Members of South Bay Open Carry, an organization that promotes a California law that allows people to openly carry unloaded weapons, say the pier is a commercial district.

Heavily armed man orchestrates attack on Texas police building

Aug

Patrick Sharp,
of Anna, Texas,
is accused in
Tues shooting

Was killed after exchanging shots with police - by the CNN Wire Staff - CNN - August 17, 2010

(CNN) -- A heavily armed man opened fire on a public safety building in McKinney, Texas, on Tuesday and attempted to ignite explosive substances in his truck before he died in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement, police said.

No one was injured in the attack, which unfolded in fewer than five minutes, according to McKinney Police Chief Doug Kowalski.

New Community-Based Law Enforcement Initiatives from DHS

Aug

Sec of DHS
Janet Napolitano
------------------
“If You See Something, Say Something”

Expands “If You See Something, Say Something” Campaign to the Wash, DC, area - by Janet Napolitano - Dept of Homeland Security - August 3, 2010

Washington, D.C. - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced a series of initiatives to support state and local law enforcement and community groups across the country in identifying and mitigating threats to their communities and expanded DHS' "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to the Washington, D.C., area in conjunction with National Night Out, an annual anticrime campaign involving citizens, police and neighborhood groups.

"Homeland security begins with hometown security, and our efforts to confront threats in our communities are most effective when they are led by local law enforcement and involve strong collaboration with the communities and citizens they serve," said Secretary Napolitano.

Homeland Security Begins with Hometown Security

Aug

DHS announces new initiatives and
recommendations that stress the value of comunity-oriented policing

Seeking law enforcement partnerships with the community
from Dept of Homeland Security - August 3, 2010

One of the important lessons that we've learned over the years is that confronting violence in our communities works best when local law enforcement works in close collaboration with the communities and citizens they serve, as well as their partners in the federal government.

It's a simple idea, but a powerful one: that homeland security begins with hometown security.

And when we equip local law enforcement, citizens, and communities to understand and combat violent extremism, we make our home towns – and our nation – safer.

Those who give booze to youths now can be sued

Aug

you will now be
responsible if
you serve booze
that kids drink
at a party

"Parents and adults have a responsibility to protect children and underage youth from alcohol." - by Justin Ho - San Francisco Chronicle -
Sacramento Bureau - August 19, 2010

Party hosts now face the threat of a civil lawsuit if they provide alcoholic beverages to people under the age of 21.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law Wednesday that would allow adults to be sued if they serve alcohol to people under the legal drinking age who are subsequently injured or killed as a result of the intoxication.

13-Year-Old Girl Missing; Police Investigate Child's "MySpace" Account

Aug

Karina Valencia

Teach your children well .. and monitor their social networking site use !! - by Jack Noyles - NBC4-TV - August 17, 2010

Late Tuesday night the Los Angeles Police Department issued a critical missing bulletin for 13-year-old Karina Valencia of Sylmar.

"The family of Karina Valencia and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) are asking for the public's assistance in locating Karina, who has been missing since Saturday.

UPDATE INSIDE: She was found alive.

Chicago Police go high-tech to pinpoint crime hot spots

Aug

In Chicago
information will
pinpoint the time
of day and location
of violent crimes

A paradigm shift in how the department uses information - by Mary Houlihan - Chicago Sun Times - August 9, 2010

The Chicago Police Department is working with the Illinois Institute of Technology and the Rand Corp. on an innovative project that will help pinpoint hot spots of criminal activity.

The process -- called predictive analytics -- is to analyze every violent incident and gang interaction with police to extrapolate and identify future problems. The numbers will be analyzed by experts at ITT.

"This is a paradigm shift in how the department uses information," said Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis. "It will make for smarter policing."

A mosque near ground zero: It's the wise choice - OPINION

Aug

Rabbi Arthur
Waskow speaks at
a news conference
to show support
for a proposed
mosque at 45 Park
Place in New York

There's a civil war in Islam between moderates and radicals. Barring the building of a mosque near ground zero in New York would only help the radicals.
OPINION - by Doyle McManus - Los Angeles Times - August 8, 2010

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Muslim clergyman who wants to build a cultural center and prayer room two blocks north of ground zero, has repeatedly denounced Islamist terrorism. He admonishes members of his congregation to be, in his words, "both good Americans and good Muslims." He's not an ally of Osama bin Laden; he's an adversary.

Still, it was predictable that some New Yorkers who lost loved ones on 9/11 would object to building a Muslim institution so near the site of their tragedy.

They're entitled to their feelings, and a cultural center that hopes to bridge gaps among Muslims, Christians and Jews needs to take those feelings into account. But they're not entitled to make their feelings a basis for discriminatory government action.

The controversy extends far beyond the question of whether a mosque should be built so near ground zero. Movements to deny Muslims the right to build houses of worship have sprung up all over the country — from Staten Island, N.Y., to Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Temecula as well. (Temecula is 2,407 miles from ground zero.)

Safe Parking Program in Designated Areas for homeless with vehicles

Aug

Councilman Bill
Rosendahl wants
your opinions on
the "Safe Parking"
(in designated
areas) program
for the homeless
who still have
a vehicle

Let your voice be heard! - from: Councilman Bill Rosendahl - July 26, 2010
EDITOR'S NOTE: This came to me recently as a follow-up to a story we spoke of on "Community Matters" last week. The listener said, "Thought you might want to know about this and let your voice be heard.. Another chance to let the City hear your opinion!!" She forwarded the following letter from a Los Angeles City Councilman, Bill Rosendahl, who represents part of the West side.

Dear Friends,

I am writing to share with you some news about the progress we are making on a groundbreaking program to deal with the issue of people living in their vehicles in Council District 11.

As many of you know, city agencies and I have been working very hard to develop a comprehensive strategy to come up with a solution that balances restricted parking and law enforcement with social services for those who need them.

Last month, the City Council approved amendments to an ordinance that will make it easier to restrict oversized vehicles from parking on our streets overnight. At the same time, I have been working to create a Safe Parking program, which would create designated areas where economically disadvantaged people living in vehicles could sleep lawfully, obtain counseling and social services, and begin the transition to permanent housing.

LA City Employee Salaries Database

Aug

LA City Controller
Wendy Greuel
---------------------------
she earns over
$196,000 a year

Database offered in response to the salaries of officials in the nearby small city of Bell
Los Angeles Times - August 7, 2010

Responding to the salary scandal in Bell, Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel posted the annual salaries of every L.A. city employee online on August 6, 2010.

"The public's trust has been broken as a result of the recent scandal in Bell," Greuel said. "This is an important step to provide greater transparency and openness in how taxpayer dollars are spent."

She said Los Angeles is now the largest city to post a comprehensive list of city employee salaries.

Here's the full Database:

LA City Employees Salaries

Chicago's Mayor Daley walks fine line on crime

Aug

Mayor Daley listens
as Chicago Police
Supt. Jody Weis
discusses the
city of Chicago's
crime statistics

Homicides down, but city has a PR war on its hands
by Fran Speilman, City Hall Reporter - Chcago Sun Times - August 4, 2010

It's tough to make the case that Chicago is a safe place to live and work when three police officers are gunned down in two months, and a 13-year-old who just moved here is shot 22 times, execution-style, in an apparent case of mistaken identity.

That's why Mayor Daley and Police Supt. Jody Weis are walking a tightrope on a crime issue that, polls show, is resonating with the public. On the one hand, they're doing everything they possibly can without money -- with the city facing a record, $654.7 million shortfall -- to stop a raging gang war that's terrorizing entire communities.

On the other hand, they're fighting a public relations war. They're trying to persuade jittery Chicagoans to ignore the fear factor because, bad as it seems, crime is going down.

"The number of homicides today is far lower than a decade ago. But numbers don't provide much consolation if you've lost a family member or a friend to violence or feel vulnerable to its awful grip," Daley said Tuesday after a crime-fighting summit with State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and aides to Chief Circuit Judge Tim Evans.

Weis noted that crime has dropped for "19 consecutive months" and that July homicides were down 24 percent from the same period a year ago.

From the NYPD to JetBlue

Aug

JetBlue flight
attendant, Leonard
Spivey, uses
lessons from his
days as a NYC
fire fighter

After 30 years as a firefighter in Manhattan, Mr. Spivey is most concerned about safety
Wall Street Journal - August 5, 2010

Some airlines try to hire flight attendants who are young and attractive. JetBlue Airways has a type, too: cops and fire fighters.

It's "Law & Order: Cabin Crew." Or "CSI: jetBlue."

Since its launch 10 years ago, the New York-based airline has hired several hundred New York police officers and fire fighters, most of them retirees, for its flight attendant ranks. By some counts, 10% of its total cabin crew workforce of 2,400 has emergency response experience, though the airline doesn't have an exact number.

The very first class of jetBlue flight attendants included a retired fire fighter, Leonard Spivey, who became the role model for the airline and is still flying today at age 70. Mr. Spivey brought gravitas to the job—crucial for an airline with no experience—and provided a pipeline to bring in others. To jetBlue, his focus on safety was appealing; his take-charge manner and calm under fire were crucial and his corny jokes and upbeat nature were infectious.

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: She Helps Gardens Bloom

Aug

Mary Haith Savage,
79, turns vacant
lots in Pitts, PA,
into colorful oases

"Flower Lady" proves volunteers come from all ages, walks of life
by Diana Nelson Jones - The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - August 8, 2010

When 79-year-old Mary Haith Savage leaves her house in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh with her bucket of tools and her gardening gloves, she might walk west to Dallas and Bennett. She might go north to Monticello Street. Wherever she turns, she has a garden to tend.

Under her hand over the last 40 years, a dozen plots of land have blossomed here among vacant lots and big, sturdy houses with boarded-up windows.

Back in 1950 when Pittsburgh was a prosperous steel town twice the size it is today, Homewood was solidly middle-class and a vacant lot was as abnormal as divorce. Now, nearly 80% of households in this predominantly African-American community earn less than $35,000 a year, and Savage stands out as “the flower lady.” She does the equivalent of full-time work as a volunteer.

San Bernardino CA police union accepts concessions deal

Aug

San Bernadino, CA
--------------------
grateful to its
police officers !!

Works out to a 10-percent deal - by Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer - San Bernadino Sun - July 30, 2010

SAN BERNARDINO - Police union members have agreed to a concessions deal that will initiate a two-tiered retirement system and continue the givebacks that police officers agreed to last year.

The deal, which will require police officers to forego roughly one-tenth of their wages, negates the threat of police officer furloughs.

"It all works out to a 10-percent deal," said Rich Lawhead, president of the San Bernardino Police Officers Association. "We see it as a little more than 10 percent. They see it as 10 percent."

Mayor Pat Morris and City Manager Charles McNeely both expressed gratitude to city police officers.

Authorities find body in Malibu Canyon, seek possible Mitrice Richardson link

Aug

Mitrice Richardson
- its her body -
had been missing
since last Sept
when she vanished
in Malibu

UPDATE - its her body - was missing since last Septembert - August 13, 2010

Police investigators went to a remote area of Malibu Canyon on Monday afternoon after park rangers told L.A. County sheriff's officials that they'd found what appeared to be human remains.

It was not immediately clear if the bones, found more than 20 miles southeast of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station, were those of Mitrice Richardson, who vanished after being released from Sheriff's Department custody last September.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said investigators had been dispatched to an area he described as "treacherous terrain filled with overgrown trees and brush" and possibly would have to be taken in by helicopter.

"All we know now is that there is a report of some bones," Whitmore said. "No one from law enforcement has seen this other than the park rangers."

Whitmore cautioned about drawing any quick conclusions given the remote location and the lack of additional facts.

Baca refuses to release records related to Times journalist Ruben Salazar's death

Aug

LA County Sheriff
Lee Baca says
he'll not release
confidential
records

The Times filed a Public Records Act request. Salazar was killed during a violent war protest in 1970. - by Robert J. Lopez, Los Angeles Times - August 9, 2010

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said through a spokesman Monday that he was refusing to release eight boxes of records regarding former Times columnist and KMEX-TV News Director Ruben Salazar, who was killed by a deputy in 1970.

The Times filed a California Public Records Act request with the department in March seeking records that might shed light on the circumstances involving Salazar's slaying, which left an open wound that has yet to heal 40 years later.

Salazar had been covering a huge anti- Vietnam war rally in East Los Angeles that exploded into rioting when deputies and protesters clashed along Whittier Boulevard on Aug. 29, 1970. The newsman, who was taking a break in the Silver Dollar bar, died instantly after he was struck in the head by a tear-gas missile fired into the bar by a sheriff's deputy.

The documents identified in response to The Times' request include investigative reports and other files on the journalist, according to Baca spokesman Steve Whitmore.

Long Beach to pay nearly $8 million to man who was in prison for 24 years

Aug

Long Beach
at night

Thomas L. Goldstein was wrongfully convicted in 1979
Los Angeles Times - August 11, 2010

The city of Long Beach agreed Wednesday to pay nearly $8 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who spent 24 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murder based largely on the testimony of a jailhouse informant.

Thomas L. Goldstein was convicted in the 1979 shotgun slaying of John McGinest in Long Beach. Edward Fink, the informant, testified that Goldstein confessed to the murder while they were in Long Beach City Jail.

A judge overturned the conviction more than a dozen years later because of Fink's credibility problems as well as prosecutors' failure to tell Goldstein's attorney that they had cut a deal to go easy on Fink in a separate criminal case.

Goldstein, a Marine Corps veteran, was freed in 2004. He sued the Los Angeles County prosecutors involved in his case, contending officials regularly used jailhouse informants and did not take steps to make sure they were telling the truth.

Cleared, and Pondering the Value of 27 Years

Aug

Michael Green
missed his mom's
funeral while in
prison for a rape
that DNA tests
showed he did
not commit.

Says the best years of his life are lost forever
by James C. McKinley, Jr. - New York Times - August 12, 2010

HOUSTON — Since a judge let him out of prison for a rape that prosecutors now say he did not commit, Michael A. Green has had trouble sleeping.

Late at night, he walks the neat, quiet sidewalks in the neighborhood where he is staying with an aunt, chain-smoking cigarettes, his mind spinning furiously with questions about why he was convicted 27 years ago and how to spend what is left of his life.

He also ponders, he says, whether to take a $2.2 million compensation payment from the State of Texas or file a civil lawsuit in the hope of exposing the truth about the investigation that led to his incarceration. To receive the compensation, he must waive the right to sue.

“What I really need to do is to make them pay for what they done to me,” he says. “Two-point-two million dollars is nothing when it comes to 27 years of my life, which I spent with mental torture and physical abuse.”

Oakland police, city reach pension agreement

Aug

"They've given
their lives
for this city.
They've now
given more."

Officers will pay 4 percent of their salaries toward their pensions starting in 2011
by Matthai Kuruvila, Chronicle Staff Writer - San Francisco Chronicle - August 10, 2010

Oakland's police union said Monday that its members agreed to pay more into their pensions and accepted a later retirement for new hires, concessions that depend on voters passing a four-year, $360-a-year parcel tax in November.

If voters pass the ballot measure, the City Council has agreed to lay off no officers for three years.

However, if voters do not pass the parcel tax and a modification of a prior parcel tax also on the November ballot, the department would be left with roughly 574 officers. In December of 2008, the department had a record high of 837 officers, but now has 686 due to attrition and the layoffs of 80 officers on July 13.

"The police officers in this department are heroes every day," said the police union's president, Dom Arotzarena. "They've given their lives for this city. They've now given more."

In Oakland, CA, Private Force May Be Hired for Security

Aug

Oakland's
Chinatown leads
a new trend in
crime fighting
-- privately
financed
public safety

Chinatown is leading a new trend in the crime-ridden city: privately financed public safety - by Richard Parks - New York Times - August 13, 2010

In a basement office that serves as a police headquarters and community center, Oakland Chinatown leaders pored over maps of the neighborhood with representatives from a private security firm last week.

“Many of our merchants are already installing cameras,” said Carl Chan, the chairman of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, outlining in highlighter the several blocks that form the core of the area. “Eventually, we will be hiring security guards to patrol Chinatown.”

In the wake of the city's laying off 80 police officers last month, Chinatown is leading a new trend in the crime-ridden city: an increase in privately financed public safety. Mr. Chan has asked every business owner to install a street-facing camera. A new Chinatown security force, perhaps staffed by armed guards, could be on the streets as soon as next month, he said.

The layoffs, which helped close a budget deficit of more than $30 million, eliminated a community-policing program that assigned officers to walk their beats and attend neighborhood meetings. Now some residents are pooling resources to restore a law-enforcement presence. The affluent Montclair District in the Oakland Hills and the Kings Estates neighborhood in East Oakland are also looking into private patrols.

Border security bill passed; headed to Obama

Aug

Money for 1000
new Border
Patrol agents
is included

Money for 1000 new Border Patrol agents is included
by Dena Bunis, Washington Bureau Chief - Orange County Register - August 12, 2010

In a rare move the Senate came back into session for less than an hour on Thursday so one senator could take the floor and get the $600 million border security bill passed and sent to President Barack Obama , who is expected to sign it.

The bill, said Sen. Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., “will significantly enhance the security and integrity of our nation's southern border – which currently lacks the resources needed to fully combat the drug smugglers, gun-runner, human-traffickers, money launderers and other organized criminals that seek to do harm to innocent Americans along our border.”

‘The measure had passed the Senate and House on a voice votes last week. But because of a constitutional requirement that measures that raise money have to begin in the House, the Senate needed to take this action or wait until September when the August recess is over.

Included in the $600 million is $176 million for 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to form a “strike force” that would be deployed along the Southwest border as needed; $32 million for drones to do unmanned surveillance on the border; $80 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including $50 million for new personnel.

FBI issues more top secret clearance for terrorism cases

Aug

Top-secret
clearances
granted by FBI
are increasing
for local police working on Fed
terrorism task
forces

Clearances granted to other law enforcement officers & contractors have soared
by Kevin Johnson - USA TODAY - August 13, 2010

Clearances granted to members of the FBI's network of regional terrorism task forces jumped to 878 in 2009, up from 125 in 2007, signaling intensified attention to domestic terror threats. During the same period, clearances granted to other law enforcement officers and contractors soared to 945 from 364.

As of last month, the number of clearances this year were on pace to equal or surpass last year's totals, with 557 granted to task force members and 587 to other officers.

More state and local law enforcement officers are getting top-secret clearances from the FBI to access sensitive federal information in terrorism cases than at anytime since the Sept. 11 attacks, a USA TODAY review of bureau records shows.

Police officials said the clearance program, once widely criticized as slow to provide access to key information about emerging threats and terror investigations, has added needed intelligence to recent terror inquiries from Colorado to New York.

Fine-tuning the LAPD

Aug

LAPD's notorious
paramilitary culture has been replaced
by an inclusive culture of
community policing

Many recent reforms have held fast. But the inspector general's office still needs more charter powers and full independence from the Police Commission
OPINION - by Joe Domanick - Los Angeles Times - August 12, 2010

The bad old days of the Los Angeles Police Department are mostly behind us. Thanks to the Christopher Commission reforms, a federal consent decree, the seven-year tenure of former Chief William J. Bratton and the continuance of his approach to policing by Chief Charlie Beck, the worst of the LAPD's insensitivity and brutality has been curbed.

Its notorious paramilitary culture has been replaced by an inclusive culture of community policing. And, most important, its officers can no longer resort to using indiscriminate force without consequence.

In a recent interview, the LAPD's new inspector general, Nicole Bershon, was remarkably upbeat about the cooperation she receives from the police. "There's really nothing today that we can't look at [within the department]. We ask for it, we get it. No discussion, no questions."

Business groups amp up campaign against marijuana legalization

Aug

Say workers would be high on the job

Analysis by the California Chamber of Commerce says Proposition 19 would allow workers to be high on the job and severely limit employers' ability to take action against them.
by John Hoeffel - Los Angeles Times - August 13, 2010

The California Chamber of Commerce and other groups representing employers are starting to line up to oppose the initiative to legalize marijuana, charging that Proposition 19 would allow pot smokers to light up on the job and operate dangerous equipment while stoned.

Stepping up the campaign on Thursday, the chamber released a five-page analysis that starts: "Imagine a workplace where employees show up to work high on marijuana and there is nothing you can do about it."

Allan Zaremberg, the chamber's chief executive, criticized the measure, saying it would set a high bar for employers to act against workers using marijuana by requiring proof that they were actually impaired. "Prop. 19 creates a new protected class of California citizens," he said.

Long Beach firefighters photographed dying man

Aug

pictures of a dying patient ended up on Facebook

Pictures of stabbing victim ended up on Facebook - August 13, 2010

Long Beach firefighters photographed a dying man they had taken to the emergency room for treatment, a department spokesman said Friday.

The Times previously reported that staffers at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach photographed stabbing victim William Wells after he was brought to the emergency room April 9 and posted the photo on Facebook.

Wells was taken to the emergency room by a Long Beach fire captain, two firefighters and two firefighter paramedics, some of whom photographed him, said department spokesman Steve Yamamoto.

Yamamoto would not say how many of the firefighters photographed Wells, how they photographed him or whether they were disciplined, saying it was a confidential personnel matter.

Radio Host Is Convicted for Comments on Judges

Aug

Harold C. Turner
threatened Judges

Man said Judges "deserved to be killed" because of recent decisions
by Colin Moynihan - New York Times - August 14, 2010

A right-wing Internet radio host was convicted on Friday by a federal jury in Brooklyn of threatening three federal judges who had issued a ruling he disagreed with.

Two previous prosecutions of the host, Harold C. Turner, ended in mistrials after jurors were unable to agree on a verdict, but the decision Friday came after less than two hours of deliberation.

Mr. Turner, 48, posted inflammatory Internet messages about the three appeals court judges who had upheld a ban of handguns in Chicago. He was charged with a single count of threatening to assault or kill the judges with the intent of impeding their official duties.

In a June 2009 posting about their unanimous decision to uphold the gun ban, which the Supreme Court overturned in June, Mr. Turner wrote, “If they are allowed to get away with this by surviving, other judges will act the same way.”

With Keepers Obsolete, Lighthouse Duties Fall to New Set of Stewards

Aug

Hundreds of
lighthouses
need volunteers
to keep them
"alive"

Volunteers and non-profit groups often run them
by Susan Saulny - New York Times - August 15, 2010

ST. HELENA ISLAND, Mich. — MaryAnn Moore and Pan Godchaux had eager smiles and the to-do list ready when their guests arrived for a four-day stay. “Sweep sidewalks and dock,” it said. “Wash tower windows. Pump water.”

And for anyone feeling really generous, two big requests were scrawled on a kitchen whiteboard: a boat “that doesn't leak” and “$1,000,000.”

The women are keepers of a lighthouse, nine miles from the nearest town, on an uninhabited island at the treacherous convergence of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. For more than 10 years, volunteer keepers have worked to restore the 137-year-old station, and in the summer they count on vacationing friends and preservation-minded Michiganders to pitch in.

“We want to build ownership and for people to feel like, ‘This is our lighthouse,' ” said Ms. Moore, 63, a former teacher and full-time volunteer with the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, a nonprofit group. “I want to do what it takes to keep it alive.”

It takes a lot.

Fire and Imagination - OPINION

Aug

Franklin
Roosevelt
“You cannot
borrow your
way out of debt
but you can
invest your way
into a sounder
future.”

Make full employment, meaning job creation in both the short and the long term, the nation's absolute highest priority
OPINION - by Bob Herbert - New York Times - August 14, 2010

The Obama administration seems to be feeling sorry for itself. Robert Gibbs, the president's press secretary, is perturbed that Mr. Obama is not getting more hosannas from liberals.

Spare me. The country is a mess. The economy is horrendous, and millions of American families are running out of ammunition in their fight against destitution. Steadily increasing numbers of middle-class families, who never thought they'd be seeking charity, have been showing up at food pantries.

The war in Afghanistan, with its dreadful human toll and debilitating drain on the nation's financial resources, is proceeding as poorly as ever. As The Times reported on Friday, an ambitious operation that was supposed to showcase the progress of the Afghan Army turned into a tragic, humiliating debacle.

This would be a good time for the Obama crowd to put aside its concern about the absence of giddiness among liberals and re-examine what it might do to improve what is fast becoming a depressing state of affairs.

Nurses fear even more ER assaults as programs cut

Aug

+

------------------------
M.J. Goyings
has served as
a night shift
Emergency
Room nurse
in rural Ohio
for many years

"Enough is enough" - from M.J. Goyings, NAACC and LACP - August 13, 2010

Throughout my many years as an ER nurse, I've been on the receiving end of countless incidences of verbal and physical abuse and assault. I recognize and accept the fact that I see people at some of the worst times in their lives and they react in ways they normally wouldn't.

Violence in our ER's is a problem that the general public gives little thought to. I've been slapped, punched, pinched, scratched, bitten, kicked, spit at and spoken to in ways I won't relate here. The elderly often react with these behaviors but I understand they truely don't know what they are doing.

However, I also see many patients reacting inappropriately because of drugs or alcohol. The article below speaks of the very decision I made about 10 years ago...."Enough is enough."

(See the Associated Press article on this issue inside)

Memo urges deputies to weigh arrests

Aug

When should a
young person
be put "into
the system"?

Internal memo by lieutenant at Norwalk station stresses discretion in felony cases, raising debate on the challenges faced by law enforcement.
by Robert Faturechi - Los Angeles Times - August 14, 2010

A Los Angeles County sheriff's lieutenant recently sent an internal memo to deputies in Norwalk encouraging them to consider an individual's past and career potential before making a felony arrest.

In the memo, Lt. Bill Evans offers the hypothetical example of a student "who seems like a decent kid" from Biola, a nearby Christian university, being caught with an illegal folding pocket knife.

"Are you really going to put a felony on this guy…" reads the e-mail. "Here is a kid that could have been planning on going into the military, being a cop or fireman, and/or just being a guy with a career."

The memo, obtained by The Times, offers an inside look at the challenges deputies face in balancing the need for efficient policing while avoiding bias in arrests, law enforcement experts said.

Firefighters Stress Hot Weather Safety in Los Angeles

Aug

- LAFD -
Serving with
Courage,
Integrity and Pride

Good advice no matter where you live .. from: Los Angeles Fire Department - August, 2010

With the arrival of peak Summer temperatures in Southern California, the Los Angeles Fire Department suggests that you: 1) Learn the risks of hot weather, 2) Prepare your household, pets and workplace, and 3) Plan to get relief from and avoid the effects of heat.

The best ways to remain protected from the ill effects of heat are to dress appropriately, stay indoors, refrain from strenuous work or exercise during the hottest part of the day - and stay hydrated.

Plan in advance to wear loose, lightweight and light-colored clothing that covers as much of your skin as practical, and a well-ventilated hat with a wide brim. Stay in the shade whenever possible.

Water is usually the best liquid to drink during hot weather. If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are under a doctor's care, consult with a Physician to determine your best plan for liquid intake.

States rethink illegal immigrant bills after Arizona ruling

Aug

AZ's law would have required police to question the status of anyone stopped for any offense if there was a "reasonable suspicion" they were in the country illegally

A few states might go forward with the core components of S.B. 1070
by Alan Gomez - USA TODAY - August 3, 2010

PHOENIX — Legislators who wanted to bring an Arizona-style immigration law to their own states are changing course after a federal judge temporarily halted the core of Arizona's law.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton ruled last week that key portions of the law could not go into effect, prompting an immediate appeal from Republican Gov. Jan Brewer that could end up before the Supreme Court.

Courtney Combs, a Republican state representative in Ohio, was planning to file a nearly identical bill this week but says he will remove the parts Bolton blocked to avert the possibility of a lawsuit.

Filing an Arizona-style bill "would be wasting taxpayers' money," Combs says. "I think we need to make sure that we comply with what the federal courts come up with."

FBI - On the Southwest Border

Aug

The cartels make billion-dollar profits trafficking drugs. Gaining and controlling border access is critical to their operations.

Fighting corruption, drugs, gangs, and more - August 3, 2010

The U.S. border with Mexico extends nearly 2,000 miles, from San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas. At too many points along the way, criminals ply their trade with surprising ease and devastating results.

Drug cartels transporting kilos of cocaine and marijuana, gangs who think nothing of kidnapping and murder, traffickers smuggling human cargo, corrupt public officials lining their pockets by looking the other way—any one of these offenses represents a challenge to law enforcement. Taken together, they constitute a threat not only to the safety of our border communities, but to the security of the entire country.

During the next several weeks, FBI.gov will take you to the Southwest border for a firsthand look at our efforts there to fight crime. We will take you to San Diego—home of the world's busiest port of entry—and across the border into Tijuana. We will also visit El Paso, Texas, whose sister city in Mexico—Juarez—has become as deadly as any war zone thanks to the drug cartels.

FBI - Committed to fighting child exploitation

Aug

LACP encourages you to stay aware of missing / exploited kids
----------------------
the Internet is the number one destination for pedophiles

Use a three-pronged approach to direct efforts to have the greatest impact
by Thomas J. Harrington - Executive Assistant Director - Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, FBI
National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction - National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - Alexandria, Virginia - August 2, 2010

The FBI remains committed to fighting child exploitation. We use a three-pronged approach to direct our efforts to have the greatest impact on the child exploitation threat. I'd like to briefly highlight for you the FBI's specialized teams that investigate child abductions, child pornography, and child prostitution.

First, in cases where children are abducted and murdered, research shows that 74 percent are killed within the first three hours of being abducted.

The Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team—or CARD Team, as it's known at the FBI—provides investigative, technical, and resource assistance to our network of FBI field offices and their local law enforcement community partners during the most critical time after a child is abducted or reported missing.

CARD teams have deployed 59 times since in the past four years; 62 children have been taken during the same period. Of those 62 children, 25 have been recovered alive, and six remain missing. In the balance of those cases, the CARD Team and our Evidence Response Team have provided forensic evidence and support for our local law enforcement partners and their prosecutors.

DOJ - National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction

Aug

Kids depend on us
-----------------------
Since FY 2006, the DOJ has filed 8,464 Project Safe Childhood (PSC) cases against 8,637 defendants

U.S. Marshals Service to Launch Nationwide Operation Targeting Top 500 Most Dangerous, Non-compliant Sex Offenders - August, 2010

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that the Department of Justice released its first-ever National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction.

The strategy also provides the first-ever comprehensive threat assessment of the dangers facing children from child pornography, online enticement, child sex tourism, commercial sexual exploitation and sexual exploitation in Indian Country, and outlines a blueprint to strengthen the fight against these crimes.

The strategy builds upon the department's accomplishments in combating child exploitation by establishing specific, aggressive goals and priorities and increasing cooperation and collaboration at all levels of government and the private sector.

As part of the overall strategy, the U.S. Marshals Service is launching a nationwide operation targeting the top 500 most dangerous, non-compliant sex offenders in the nation.

Chicago: Where Criminals No Longer Fear the Police

Aug

Chicago cops
face a murder rate that's twice as big as Los Angeles and three times that of New York City

What level of depravity has a city reached when a uniformed police officer is no safer from a street robbery than anyone else? - by Jack Dunphy - Pajamas Media - July 31, 2010

It's a shame that the public has to be reminded of this from time to time, but any cop can testify to this inescapable fact of police work: Where there is no punishment for criminal behavior, crime will flourish.

Nowhere has this been demonstrated with greater clarity lately than in Chicago, where the Sun-Times has taken notice and sounded the alarm. In a three-part series that concluded Tuesday, reporters Mark Konkol and Frank Main examined the violent incidents that occurred over a single weekend in Chicago two years ago.

During that 59-hour period, from April 18 -20, 2008, forty people were shot in the city, seven of them fatally. Stop and consider that for a moment: one city, one weekend, seven people murdered, and 33 others shot but still alive.

As horrifying as those numbers are, they are far from the most disturbing revelation in the Sun-Times series. You might assume that such an extraordinary outbreak of carnage would have aroused the citizenry in Chicago to demand swift action from their police, prosecutors, and elected officials to see to it that those responsible for the violence were brought to justice. You might assume so, that is, if you don't live in Chicago.

In India, Using Facebook to Catch Scofflaw Drivers

Aug

Traffic in New Delhi, a city with just 5,000 traffic officers to police the often-clogged roads.
--------------------
Now using Facebook

Community Policing in India - by Heather Timmons - New York Times - August 1, 2010

NEW DELHI — This city is famous for its snarled traffic and infamous for its unruly drivers — aggressive rule-breakers who barrel through red lights, ignore crosswalks and veer into bicycle or bus lanes to find open routes.

Now, the city's overburdened traffic police officers have enlisted an unexpected weapon in the fight against dangerous driving: Facebook.

The traffic police started a Facebook page two months ago, and almost immediately residents became digital informants, posting photos of their fellow drivers violating traffic laws. As of Sunday more than 17,000 people had become fans of the page and posted almost 3,000 photographs and dozens of videos.

The online rap sheet was impressive. There are photos of people on motorcycles without helmets, cars stopped in crosswalks, drivers on cellphones, drivers in the middle of illegal turns and improperly parked vehicles.

Using the pictures, the Delhi Traffic Police have issued 665 tickets, using the license plate numbers shown in the photos to track vehicle owners, said the city's joint commissioner of traffic, Satyendra Garg.

Israel to deport hundreds of migrant workers' children

Aug

Children of foreign workers play in Tel Aviv. Israel moved Sunday to deport
the offspring of migrant workers, mostly small children who were born in Israel, speak Hebrew and have never seen their parents' native countries.

Most are youngsters born in Israel who speak Hebrew. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cites the strain of illegal immigration and Israel's Jewish identity.
by Edmund Sanders - Los Angeles Times - August 2, 2010 - Reporting from Jerusalem

Israel moved Sunday to deport the offspring of hundreds of migrant workers, mostly small children who were born in Israel, speak Hebrew and have never seen their parents' native countries.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the new policy was intended to stem a flood of illegal immigrants, whose children receive state-funded education and healthcare benefits, and to defend Israel's Jewish identity.

"On the one hand, this problem is a humanitarian problem," Netanyahu said during a meeting Sunday of the Cabinet, which had debated the move for nearly a year. "We all feel and understand the hearts of children. But on the other hand, there are Zionist considerations and ensuring the Jewish character of the state of Israel.

"We don't want to create an incentive for the inflow of hundreds of thousands of illegal migrant workers," he said.

Critics, including some government officials, said the decision would punish children by sending them to impoverished or insecure nations that their parents had left in search of better lives in Israel.

Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age

Aug

Digital technology makes copying and pasting easy. But that is the least of it. The Internet may also be
redefining how students understand the concept of authorship and the singularity of any text or image.

Stealing is stealing, and plagerism is stealing some else's writing
EDITOR'S NOTE: We believe in being honest and transparent with you, our readers. This is why LA Community Policing gives compete attribution to the articles we carry here on the LACP.org web site (and usually a direct link at the bottom of the page). - by Trip Gabriel - New York Times - August 2, 2010

At Rhode Island College, a freshman copied and pasted from a Web site's frequently asked questions page about homelessness — and did not think he needed to credit a source in his assignment because the page did not include author information.

At DePaul University, the tip-off to one student's copying was the purple shade of several paragraphs he had lifted from the Web; when confronted by a writing tutor his professor had sent him to, he was not defensive — he just wanted to know how to change purple text to black.

And at the University of Maryland, a student reprimanded for copying from Wikipedia in a paper on the Great Depression said he thought its entries — unsigned and collectively written — did not need to be credited since they counted, essentially, as common knowledge.

Professors used to deal with plagiarism by admonishing students to give credit to others and to follow the style guide for citations, and pretty much left it at that.

President Obama and a racial dialogue

Aug

The president and his White House have treated the hot-button issue of race mostly as a dangerous distraction from the business they wanted to focus on.

OPINION - Obama prefers not to talk about race; but if he won't lead a national dialogue, perhaps he should choose someone who will. - by Doyle McManus - August 1, 2010

Barack Obama, our first black president, doesn't like talking about race. He wants his presidency to be remembered for fixing the economy, installing a national healthcare plan and building a new foreign policy, not the color of his skin.

But the original sin of racial discrimination never stays out of our national conversation for long, and last week even Obama couldn't duck the subject. By an accident of scheduling, he spoke Thursday to the National Urban League, one of the nation's oldest civil rights organizations. It was only a week after the embarrassing episode of Shirley Sherrod, in which Obama's administration forced a black official to resign over a bogus charge of reverse racism.

Here's what Obama said: "We've made progress. And yet, for all our progress … we were reminded this past week that we've still got work to do.

"We should all make more of an effort to discuss with one another, in a truthful and mature and responsible way, the divides that still exist, the discrimination that's still out there, the prejudices that still hold us back."

National Night Out 2010 - a big success - Tuesday, Aug 3rd

Aug

Police-community
relationships were
celebrated all
across the country
on August 3rd
--------------------
see the pictures
inside of LAPD's
Hollenbeck event

Police-community relationships celebrated around the country
EDITOR'S NOTE: LA Community Policing was represented at National Night Out by its founder, Bill Murray, who attended the festivities at LAPD's Hollenbeck Police Station. Hundreds of residents joined Bill, including many children, to thank the Department for serving the community well.

The local crime statistics are as low as they've been since the early 50s, and much of the credit must go to the partnerships that have been established over the last several years under the philosophy of community based policing.

Many dignitaries also attended, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the local Councilmen, Jose Huizar. Bill also got to thank many hard working LAPD officers face-to-face, including the two Division Captains and the Central Bureau Commander. Mnay other public safety workers were also on hand.

The Hollenbeck Division festivities included speeches, a parade and a block party, complete with hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy for all.

Successful fun-filled events were held all over the country on this, the 27th Annual National Night Out.

LAPD Seeks Help in Finding a 24-Year-Old College Graduate

July

Mitrice Richardson
vanished in Malibu
without a trace
in Sept 2009
------------------------
reportedly seen
recently in
Las Vegas

UPDATE - Missing since September 2009 - from Los Angeles Police Department - July, 2010

A joint news conference was held today in Las Vegas, Nevada with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, asking for the public's help in locating Mitrice Richardson.

Between September, 2009 and January 2010, the LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) have worked together in attempting to locate Mitrice, including using search and rescue efforts in the Malibu and Calabasas area.

LAPD and LASD investigators have conducted numerous interviews of close friends, family members, co-workers and other witnesses in attempts to located Mitrice. Investigators continue to follow-up on numerous clues and sightings.

Detectives have received reports that Mitrice has been seen in Las Vegas, Nevada as recently as June, 2010. LAPD and LASD investigators have been in Las Vegas, Nevada since the sightings to concentrate their efforts to locate Mitrice.

A Milestone In Police Training

July

Hugh Clegg
FBI Executive
1934

Seventy-Five Years Ago - from the FBI - July 29, 2010

It's hard to imagine now, but in the early part of the last century there was very little formal training for law enforcement officers around the country. In some smaller cities, police departments simply issued new officers a badge and gun and told them to get to work.

So when criminals started getting smarter, more organized, and better armed in the 1920s and early 1930s—as represented by such cunning characters as Al Capone, John Dillinger, and Alvin Karpis—law enforcement nationwide was hardly prepared to deal with them.

The FBI—which had launched its own formal training for special agents in the late 1920s—realized it could help. At a national crime conference in December 1934, Director J. Edgar Hoover joined with Attorney General Homer Cummings in announcing plans for a national school of instruction for law enforcement.

That call was widely acclaimed, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police quickly endorsed the concept and lent its support.

Aspiring police officers train, compete at event

July

Explorer Programs
- learning and fun-
filled activities -
----------------------
LACP is a big
fan of such
programs

Explorer Programs - for young men and women who have completed the eighth grade and are 14 years of age, or are 15 years of age but have not yet reached their 21st birthday
by Greg Bluestein - Associated Press - July 30, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: LA Community Policing is a big fan of Explorer Programs, which can be found around the country. Law Enforcement Explorer posts help youth to gain insight into a variety of programs that offer hands-on career activities. For young men and women who are interested in careers in the field of law enforcement, Exploring offers experiential learning with lots of fun-filled, hands-on activities that promote the growth and development of adolescent youth.

ATLANTA — Shoot or don't shoot? Eighteen-year-old William Bryant takes a deep breath and gulps before he aims his pistol and shoots a passenger in a van who appears to be reaching for a weapon.

Applause comes from the audience. Moments later, they groan when Bryant "kills" a disgruntled woman who pulled a can of mace from her purse and began spraying it.

The video-game simulation is meant to teach young aspiring law enforcement officials the split-second decisions officers routinely encounter.

Arizona Ruling Acts as a Warning to Other States

July

How to deal with
immigration issues
continue to vex us
---------------------
Decisions bound to
be appealed to
higher courts

News Analysis - by Julia Preston - New York Times - July 28, 2010

A federal judge in Arizona on Wednesday broadly vindicated the Obama administration's high-stakes move to challenge that state's tough immigration law and to assert the primary authority of the federal government over state lawmakers in immigration matters. The ruling by Judge Susan R. Bolton, in a lawsuit against Arizona brought on July 6 by the Justice Department, blocked central provisions of the law from taking effect while she finishes hearing the case.

But in taking the forceful step of holding up a statute even before it was put into practice, Judge Bolton previewed her opinions on the case, indicating that the federal government was likely to win in the end on the main points.

The decision by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to throw the federal government's weight against Arizona, on an issue that has aroused passions among state residents, has irritated many state governors, and nine states filed papers supporting Arizona in the court case.

But Judge Bolton found that the law was on the side of the Justice Department in its argument that many provisions of the Arizona statute would interfere with federal law and policy.

Congressional Testimony - FBI - on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security

July

Congressional
Testimony
from the FBI

Statement before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security - by Gordon M. Snow, Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation - July 28, 2010

Good morning, Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Gohmert and Members of the Subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today regarding the FBI's efforts to combat cyber crime as it relates to social networking sites.

Let me begin by acknowledging that the rapid expansion of the Internet has allowed us to learn, to communicate, and to conduct business in ways that were unimaginable 20 years ago. Still, the same technology, to include the surge in the use of social networking sites over the past two years, has given cyber thieves and child predators new, highly effective avenues to take advantage of unsuspecting users.

These cyber criminals are using a variety of schemes to defraud or victimize innocent social networking site users, some of which I would like to highlight today.

Cop killers in Philadelphia now face death penalty

July

Philadelphia Police Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski was killed in 2008

In Pennsylvania partners in crime can all share the same fate
by Joseph A. Slobodzian, Troy Graham, and Kia Gregory - Philadelphia Inquirer - July 28, 1020

Neither Eric DeShann Floyd nor Levon T. Warner fired a shot the day Philadelphia Police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski had his fatal encounter in Port Richmond with a trio of fleeing bank robbers.

But applying conspiracy law to reach two first-degree murder verdicts, a Philadelphia jury on Wednesday ruled that Floyd, the driver of the getaway car, and Warner, a backseat passenger, were as culpable as triggerman Howard Cain, 33, who was killed by police after Liczbinski's murder on May 3, 2008.

On Monday, the same Common Pleas Court jury will return to the city's Criminal Justice Center to decide whether Floyd, 35, and Warner, 41, deserve to share Cain's fate - but at the hands of a state executioner.

In Pennsylvania, a jury that delivers a first-degree murder verdict must decide whether the person should be executed by lethal injection or spend life in prison without parole.

Freedom of photography: Police, security often clamp down despite public right

July

The First
Amendment
protects the right
of citizens to take
photographs in
public places

Courts have long ruled that the First Amendment protects the right of citizens to take photographs in public places - by Annys Shin - Washington Post - July 26, 2010

A few weeks ago, on his way to work, Matt Urick stopped to snap a few pictures of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's headquarters. He thought the building was ugly but might make for an interesting photo. The uniformed officer who ran up to him didn't agree. He told Urick he was not allowed to photograph federal buildings.

Urick wanted to tell the guard that there are pictures of the building on HUD's Web site, that every angle of the building is visible in street views on Google Maps and that he was merely an amateur photographer, not a threat. But Urick kept all this to himself.

Photos: Caught with a camera

Audit says hard to know if LA gang program works

July

City spent $525,000
to thus-far
determine the
program needs
better oversight

City spent $525,000 to determine the program needs better oversight
The Associated Press - MercuryNews.com - July 27, 2010

LOS ANGELES—The city's two-year effort to consolidate the fight against street gangs is poorly monitored and nobody knows whether it's responsible for a drop in gang violence, according to an audit released Tuesday.

Still, progress has been made in following a 2008 blueprint for coordinating efforts to fight gangs and prevent at-risk kids from joining them, City Controller Wendy Greuel said in releasing the audit.

Gang Reduction and Youth Development, which is run out of the mayor's office, has laid a solid foundation for a comprehensive anti-gang strategy but it needs better oversight, Greuel said. "This calls into question the effectiveness of the city's approach to keeping our communities safe and gang-free," said a statement from the controller's office.

In the past two years, gang-related crime in areas where the program is operating has dropped 10.7 percent, according to Guillermo Cespedes, the mayor's appointed gang czar.

But gang crime also is down in other areas and Greuel said it was unclear whether the program was working because the Urban Institute, which received $525,000 to evaluate the program, still has not released results after a year.

Founding a Charity at 6, and Walking Across the Country for It at 12

July

Zachary L. Bonner, 12, walking in
Arizona last week

Zachary L. Bonner admits that walking nearly 2,500 miles to raise money for homeless children is not how most 12-year-olds spend their time.
by James C. McKinley Jr. - New York Times - July 27, 2010

SAN CARLOS, Ariz. — He cuts a tiny figure in the vastness of the upland desert, the expanse of scrub and brush and saguaro cactuses and red ragged mountains. He is a red-headed boy with a sunburned nose and sunglasses, and he moves with a step not graceful, nor terribly fast, but steady and determined, his mouth set in a hard line.

The boy, Zachary L. Bonner, has walked nearly 1,950 miles from his home outside Tampa, Fla., to this spot in the desert, and he intends to walk another 500 miles or so to the Pacific Ocean, all to raise money for homeless children.

At 12 years old, he is something of a prodigy among do-gooders. This is the third and longest trek he has organized to raise money for the Little Red Wagon Foundation, the charity he started when he was 6 to help get water to people after Hurricane Charley hit Florida in 2004.

The Big Green Buy

July

a wind turbine
complex in
southern Wyoming
- we need a radical
departure in our thinking

The transition to a clean economy must be a radical departure from the way we currently think about energy - by Christian Parenti - The Nation Magazine - July, 2010

In the wake of the BP oil spill, some captains of industry have begun calling for government leadership to spur a clean-energy revolution. In June billionaire software mogul Bill Gates visited Washington and encouraged lawmakers to pony up public subsidies to triple clean-tech R&D funding from $5 billion to $16 billion annually.

Gates explained to the Washington Post that much of what is touted as free-market innovation was born of government subsidies: "The Internet and the microprocessor, which were very fundamental to Microsoft being able to take the magic of software and having the PC explode, were among many of the elements that came through government research and development."

See the slide show: CLICK HERE

WikiLeaks emerges as powerful online whistle-blower

July

WikiLeaks website
and founder Julian
Assange operate in
relative secrecy

WikiLeaks website and founder Julian Assange operate in relative secrecy even as they seek to publish classified or private documents to spark public debate. Partnering with news media adds new heft.
by Noam N. Levey and Jennifer Martinez, Tribune Washington Bureau - July 27, 2010 - Reporting from Washington

Though propelled to fame by its recent disclosures about the U.S. military, WikiLeaks has homed in on targets as wide-ranging as corruption in the family of a former Kenyan ruler, alleged illegal activities by a Swiss bank and Sarah Palin's private e-mail account.

And in just 3 1/2 years, the secretive organization founded by a convicted Australian hacker has helped pioneer a new model for using the Internet to unearth classified government documents and private corporate memos.

Operating from undisclosed locations around the world and using sophisticated Internet technology, WikiLeaks has managed to largely skirt legal challenges and technical intervention.

L.A to give people living in cars on Venice-area streets 'safe overnight parking

July

Program aims to
link the occupants
to social services

Program aims to link the occupants to social services and, eventually, permanent housing
Los Angeles Times - July 26, 2010

In an effort to deal with the rising tide of people living in cars and campers on the streets of Venice and environs, the city of Los Angeles will soon begin seeking an agency to operate a "safe overnight parking" program aimed at linking the occupants to social services and, eventually, permanent housing.

The program would be similar to efforts in Santa Barbara and Eugene, Ore., where participants sleep in their vehicles in designated parking areas and gain access to counseling and other services, including help finding subsidized apartments.

In Los Angeles, bathrooms, showers and trash facilities would be made available for participants, who would sign a contract and agree to a strict code of conduct.

LAPD-sponsored carnival aims to raise funds, build trust

July

Carnival rides
- hundreds of
people attended
the three day
event

Hundreds of people attended the three day event
by Julio Morales - KPCC - Spothern California Public Radio - July 26, 2010

Hundreds braved the midday heat to attend the last day of a three-day police-sponsored carnival in West Los Angeles.

The carnival was sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Department's Operations West Bureau. Sgt. Omar Bazulto of the OWB said the event was a way of raising funds and reaching out to a community that hasn't always found it easy to trust the police.

"Money's tight throughout the city and we're trying to think of different ways to raise funds," Bazulto said.

See the slide show: CLICK HERE

Americans with Disabilities Act hits 20 today

July

Fifteen percent of
Americans have
disabilities,
41.3 million people

Fifteen percent, or 41.3 million, of (noninstitutionalized) Americans have disabilities
by Zlati Meyer - FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER - July 26, 2010

Marva Ways remembers peering longingly through restaurant windows at the diners enjoying their meals.

All too often, she was unable to join them because her wheelchair couldn't fit through the door or maneuver up the stairs.

Today, the 60-year-old Dearborn Heights woman and millions of others who have benefited will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The legislation made everything from sign-language interpreters at speeches to public restroom grab bars to anti-discrimination hiring policies possible.

"Before the ADA was passed, it was almost like people with disabilities had no civil rights," Ways said. "A lot of it had to do with attitudinal barriers."

Police use federal databases to ID illegal immigrants after arrests

July

comparing
fingerprints by
using databases

Does this raise profiling concerns? - by Dianne Solis - The Dallas Morning News - July 25, 2010

Arizona's law aimed at removing illegal immigrants has grabbed headlines, but quietly this year the number of cities and counties nationwide joining a federal program targeting illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes has more than doubled.

More than half of Texas counties are now part of the program known as Secure Communities. The program relies on an FBI database and a fingerprint database of anyone who has had contact with federal immigration authorities.

Dallas County was the second county in the nation to sign up for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program.

The program targets "the worst of the worst" and has taken criminals off the streets, ICE said.

Mexico Braces for Effect of Arizona Immigration Law

July

surge of deportees
could be headed
back to Mexico

Could lead to a surge of deportees back to Mexico - by Chris Hawley - USA TODAY - July 26, 2010

MEXICO CITY — The other side of the border is also preparing for the implementation of Arizona's new immigration law, which could lead to a surge of deportees back to Mexico.

Migrant shelters along the border in Mexico say they're bracing for new arrivals after the law goes into effect Thursday.

Mexico's government has added more workers to its consulate in Phoenix to assist detained Mexicans. Migrants who have been deported say they're watching to see how the law is enforced before deciding whether to try again to cross the border illegally into Arizona.

"On the plane, everybody was talking about the law," said Ernesto González, a deportee who arrived here last week on a U.S. government flight from Tucson. "Everybody knows it's coming."

Freed inmates carried out killings, Mexico police say

July

in Mexico, prison
guards lent their
guns to inmates
who murderd 17,
wounded 18

Prison guards loaned their own weapons to the killers, who went on to slay 17 at a birthday party. Inmates from the same prison are suspected in other attacks.
MEXICO UNDER SIEGE - by Ken Ellingwood - Los Angeles Times - July 25, 2010

Reporting from Mexico City - Prison inmates allowed to leave their cells with weapons borrowed from guards carried out last week's killing of 17 people in northern Mexico, federal authorities said Sunday.

Ricardo Najera, spokesman for the federal attorney general's office, said prison officials in the northern state of Durango lent the inmates weapons and official vehicles to carry out several tit-for-tat killings on behalf of organized crime.

The deadliest was the July 18 attack on a birthday party at an inn in Torreon, in neighboring Coahuila state. Gunmen sprayed gunfire at revelers who had been summoned by an invitation on Facebook.

Authorities have not specified a motive for the attack, which also left 18 people wounded.

Fire department fees: An abdication of government

July

some cities plan to
bill car accident
victims for fire
fighters' response

It's absurd to charge motorists when the fire dept shows up at the scene of an accident
OPINION - Los Angeles Times - July 26, 2010

Democrats and Republicans validly debate the size and reach of government. But certain services have always been considered fundamental. During California's pioneer days, rudimentary municipal services sprang up when communities of settlers agreed to chip in to provide common law enforcement, fire protection and, usually, basic public education.

In the latest efforts to close the gaps in public budgets, though, an increasing number of California cities are ripping holes in the fabric of local government. More than two dozen municipalities, including Stockton and Roseville, now charge motorists who are involved in auto accidents that require the fire department to respond to the scene. That might be for emergency rescue or putting out a fire with foam. Some charge anyone involved in a crash; many levy a fee only on nonresidents who have the bad luck to be in an accident in such inhospitable locales.

Detained immigrants can now be located online

July

To find a detainee,
the searcher must
enter the person's
country of origin
and either their
full name or alien
registration number

ICE launches a search service for relatives and attorneys trying to find people in a nationwide maze of prisons and jails - by Anna Gorman - Los Angeles Times - July 24, 2010

Responding to criticism of secrecy within the immigration detention system, federal officials launched an online service Friday to help relatives and attorneys find detainees in the sprawling networks of prisons and jails.

In the past, locating a relative was cumbersome, time-consuming and sometimes impossible, requiring numerous phone calls to detention centers around the nation.

The public, Internet-based tool is designed to fix that, said Phyllis Coven, acting director of detention policy and planning for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The locator can be found at: http://www.ice.gov

"This is about accountability and transparency," she said. "It is a project that has been needed for a long time."

State agrees to discuss prison lockdowns with rights group

July

during a prison
lockdown, inmates
are confined
to their cells

During lockdowns, inmates are confined to their cells, unable to participate in programs
by Michael Montgomery - California Watch - July 26, 2010

Facing a threatened legal battle over alleged racial discrimination, California prison officials have agreed to meet with the Prison Law Office over the department's controversial use of lockdowns on general population inmates.

In a July 17 letter to the secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Matt Cate, the Prison Law Office threatened to sue the department over lockdowns that singled out entire races for punishment – sometimes for months.

Now, the department has agreed to meetings with the nonprofit law firm.

"The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is working with the Prison Law Office on the issue they identified," CDCR spokesperson Terry Thornton said.

There's a Battle Outside and It Is Still Ragin' - OPINION

July

- for this story there's plenty of blame to go around
--------------------
America still has a
long way to go and
our journalists
need to lead the
way, using time-tested methods, not create their own stories

There's a Battle Outside and It Is Still Ragin'
OPINION - by Frank Rich - New York Times - July 25, 2010

The glittering young blonde in a low-cut gown is sipping champagne in a swank Manhattan restaurant back in the day when things were still swank. She is on a first date with an advertising man as dashing as his name, Don Draper. So you don't really expect her to break the ice by talking about bad news. “The world is so dark right now,” she says. “One of the boys killed in Mississippi, Andrew Goodman — he's from here. A girlfriend of mine knew him from summer camp.” Her date is too busy studying her décolletage, so she fills in the dead air. “Is that what it takes to change things?” she asks. He ventures no answer.

This is just one arresting moment — no others will be mentioned here — in the first episode of the new “Mad Men” season premiering tonight . Like much in this landmark television series, the scene haunts you in part because of what people don't say and can't say. “Mad Men” is about placid postwar America before it went smash. We know from the young woman's reference to Goodman — one of three civil rights activists murdered in Mississippi in 1964 — that the crackup is on its way. But the characters can't imagine the full brunt of what's to come, and so a viewer in 2010 is left to contemplate how none of us, then or now, can see around the corner and know what history will bring.

Shirley Sherrod and a 'post-racial' America - OPINION

July

Shirley Sherrod -
portions of a
speech she made
were released out
of context, edited
as if to show her
as a racist
- but she's not -
who's to blame?

Obama talked eloquently about race during the 2008 presidential campaign. But the Sherrod episode shows just how much work remains.
EDITORIAL OPINION - Los Angeles Times - July 22, 2010

Nobody involved in the Shirley Sherrod scandal emerged with reputation intact — except, of course, for Sherrod herself. But although key players Andrew Breitbart, Tom Vilsack or Benjamin Jealous all deserve a measure of scorn, we're even more distressed by a political culture that, despite the promise of a "post-racial" society after Barack Obama's election as president, has clearly made little progress in coming to terms with the issues that divide our multiracial nation.

The whole sorry spectacle was set in motion last week at the annual convention of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, which approved a resolution accusing the "tea party" movement of harboring racists. Breitbart, a conservative Internet entrepreneur who has built a career out of taking umbrage, responded Monday by posting a short, edited video on his BigGovernment.com website that he presented as evidence of racism in the NAACP.

It showed Sherrod, an official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making a speech at an NAACP meeting in which she confessed to giving less than "the full force of what I could do" for a white farmer who came to her for help 24 years previously.

Cell Phone Ban for Federal Prisoners Approved by House

July

cell phones in
prison have been
used for drug
operations, credit
card fraud, and
gang hits

Will prevent prisoners from partaking in criminal business
by Tiffany Kaiser - DailyTech.com - July 22. 2010

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Cell Phone Contraband Act of 2010 (S. 1749) on Tuesday which is a bill that prohibits the use of wireless devices like cell phones by Federal prisoners.

According to Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-California), those in federal prisons have used cell phones to lead criminal business inside and outside of the prison, including drug operations, credit card fraud, and gang hits. Clearly defining cell phones as contraband will eliminate this abuse of cell phone use.

The bill was introduced in October 2009 and the Senate approved it in April of this year. Now that it has passed through the House of Representatives, this cell phone bill only needs to be signed by President Barack Obama to become law.

LAPD's community outreach to youth is a national model

July

LAPD is enhancing its youth initiatives to encourage young people to make the right choices

Cadet Program highlighted on Leadership Day - by LAPPL Board of Directors - July 21, 2010

LAPD, once again, is setting the standard – this time for community outreach to youths through its highly acclaimed LAPD Cadets Program. One of the highlights of the program is the Youth Leadership Day, which is spearheaded by Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger. On July 13, more than 1,200 cadets attended the third annual event to discover the rewards of public service by spending a full day as a partner with a member of the Department's leadership team.

It was a memorable day for everyone, as witnessed by a great video posted at www.LAPDcadets.com. The day's activities began with a keynote address from Chief Charlie Beck, who praised the cadets' commitment to becoming the next generation of leaders. Throughout the day, youth participants had the opportunity to tour various LAPD facilities across the City, as well as observe presentations by SWAT, Dive Team and the Bomb Squad. Special thanks go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Capitol Records, ABC 7 and NBC 4 for also opening their doors to these young leaders.

'Scary' arsenal found at scene of Philadelphia police officer's shooting

July

More and more, cops in USA find themselves facing assault weapons

Cops recovered an AK-47, an SKS carbine, two Bushmaster AR-15 assault-type rifles, a TEC-9 semiautomatic pistol, a Taurus PT24 pistol, and two Glock pistols

by Peter Mucha - Philidelphia Inquirer - July 19, 2010

Police recovered a "scary" arsenal of semiautomatic weapons at the scene where an officer was shot Thursday night in Kensington, authorities said Friday.

Officer Kevin Livewell, 30, was recovering at Temple University Hospital and over the weekend is expected to undergo surgery on his right leg. He was shot just below the knee.

Police had one man in custody Friday and were seeking two others the shooting. The Fraternal Order of Police offered a $5,000 reward for each wanted man.

Gunfire erupted after Livewell and his partner stopped a white van in the 3000 block of North Water Street, police said. Men with assault-type weapons immediately fired four times at the two officers, striking Livewell once, police said.

Study: US police fatalities increase 43 percent

July

If the trend
continues, 2010
could become one
of the deadliest
years in two
decades

Police Duty: Daily danger - by Nafeesa Syeed - Associated Press - July 21, 2010

WASHINGTON — A nonprofit group in Washington says the number of police officers who have died in the line of duty is up 43 percent so far this year.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund released preliminary data Wednesday. It shows that 87 officers died in the line of duty between Jan. 1 and June 30. That's compared with 61 officers during the first six months of last year.

The deaths were spread across 36 states and Puerto Rico — with California, Texas and Florida showing the most fatalities. Other states included Virginia and Maryland, where a state trooper was fatally shot June 11.

Among the causes of death were traffic accidents and shootings. If the trend continues, 2010 could become one of the deadliest years for U.S. police agencies in two decades.

National Guard troops to head to border states starting Aug. 1

July

Nat Guard troops
will provide
"direct support" to
law enforcement
/ border agents

DHS Sec. Napolitano says troops will provide "direct support" to law enforcement / border agents
by Dennis Wagner - USA TODAY - July 20, 2010

National Guard troops assigned to the Southwest border will begin to arrive Aug. 1, and the federal government is sending other reinforcements to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and narcotics entering the state, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday.

"These troops will provide direct support to federal law enforcement officers and agents working in high-risk areas to disrupt criminal organizations seeking to move people and goods illegally across the Southwest border," Napolitano said.

In addition, Napolitano said, hundreds more Border Patrol agents and Customs officers are being moved to the Southwest to prowl the deserts and operate inspection stations.

Cash-strapped Calif. eyes inmate release - VIDEO Reports

July

Thousands of CA prisoners released early and without supervision

Many feel saving money this way jeopardizes public safety
VIDEO REPORTS - by Miguel Almaguer - NBC News - July, 2010

In an effort to close its budget deficit, the Golden State is planning to release thousands of inmates before their time is served, leaving many wondering:

Will the plan sacrifice public safety?

NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.

ALSO INCLUDED: Interview of Paul Weber, President of the LA Police Protective League, union for the rank-andf-file LAPD officers.

Top Secret America | Snoops in our suburbs

July

--------------------------------

--------------------------------
Don't bother with a
GPS -- a company
lanyard attached
to a digital smart
card often is the
only clue to a
job location

Top-Secret America: National Security Inc.
by Dana Priest and William M. Arkin - The Washington Post (Last of three parts) - July 20, 2010

FORT MEADE, Md. -- The brick warehouse is not just a warehouse. Drive through the gate and around back, and there, hidden away, is someone's personal security detail: a fleet of black SUVs armored up to withstand explosions and gunfire.

Along the main street, signs in the median aren't advertising homes for sale; they're inviting employees with top-secret security clearances to a job fair at Cafe Joe, anything but a typical lunch spot.

The new gunmetal-colored office building is a kind of hotel where businesses can rent eavesdrop-proof rooms.

These places exist just outside Washington, D.C., in what amounts to the capital of an alternative geography of the United States, one defined by the concentration of top-secret government organizations and the companies that do work for them.

Wash. Post Investigates the Intelligence World Responsible for America's Safety

July

Oh really? Then
why do 850,000
Americans have
"Top Secret"
clearance?

Two-Year Long Review Explores Redundancy, Unwieldiness in Top Secret Government Agencies - WASHINGTON - July 19, 2010

The Washington Post today published the first story in a new series exploring the Top Secret world created in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The series titled "Top Secret America" (www.TopSecretAmerica.com), describes and analyzes a defense and intelligence structure that has become so large, so unwieldy, and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, or whether it is making the United States safer.

Among the highlights: 1) Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on Top Secret programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security, and intelligence at over 10,000 locations across the country. Over 850,000 Americans have Top Secret clearances, 2) Redundancy and overlap are major problems and a symptom of the ongoing lack of coordination between agencies. 3) In the Washington area alone, 33 building complexes for Top Secret work are under construction or have been built since September 2001.

A bigger House of Representatives?

July

Constitution does
not specify the
exact number of
members in
the House of
Representatives

Proponents of a bigger legislature argue that the 435-member House is both a violation of the Constitution and is undersized - EDITORIAL - Los Angeles Times - July 20, 2010

It seems counterintuitive. At a time of sagging approval ratings for Congress, the Supreme Court is being asked to rule that the House of Representatives is too small. It's for Congress, not the courts, to decide how many members the House should have, but there are some appealing arguments for the idea of a larger chamber.

A federal court in Mississippi recently rejected a claim by voters in five states that the current allotment of 435 representatives violates the Constitution's requirement that states be represented in the House "according to their respective numbers." That decision is being appealed to the high court.

The plaintiffs' argument is that some states have more representation than others because of variations in the populations of congressional districts. For example, Wyoming has a single district with a population of 495,304, while Montana's one district comprises 905,316. It isn't just single-district states that are over- or underrepresented. West Virginia's three districts average 604,359, while the average for Mississippi's four districts is 713,232.

Americans: Empower Women -- Taliban: Kill Women

July

29 Afghan women
are training as the
first females
soldiers in their
previoualy
all-male army

First 29 female Afghan volunteers undergo military training
by David Wood, Chief Military Correspondent - Politics Daily - July 19, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan -- In Afghanistan, where women have traditionally been treated as shut-ins and worse, 29 Afghan women are taking a daring step: They are the first volunteers to undergo training to serve in the all-male Afghan national army.

Two American women, Rebekah Martinez and Jennifer Marcos, are among a cadre of U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeants spending six months away from their families to train the Afghan women here.

Meanwhile, the Taliban's spiritual leader, Mullah Omar, reportedly has issued new orders for his Taliban fighters to begin again targeting women cooperating with Americans or helping their own government. Assassinations, suicide bombing and IED attacks may follow, on the women -- and on their families.

Cities Rent Police, Janitors to Save Cash

July

Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies remove evidence and files from Maywood police headquarters

Move saves cities budget-crushing costs of employee benefits
by Tamara Audi - Wall Street Journal - July 19, 2010

Faced with a $118 million budget deficit, the city of San Jose, Calif., recently decided it could no longer afford its own janitors. So the city's budget called for dropping its custodial staff and hiring outside contractors to clean its city hall and airport, saving about $4 million.

To keep all its swimming pools open and staffed, the city is replacing some city workers with contractors.

"These are cases where the question is being asked, 'Is this a core service at the city level?' " said Michelle McGurk, senior policy adviser to the San Jose mayor.

After years of whittling staff and cutting back on services, towns and cities are now outsourcing some of the most basic functions of local government, from policing to trash collection. Services that cities can no longer afford to provide are being contracted to private vendors, counties or even neighboring towns.

Creating Safer and Kinder Districts to Grow Old

July

To make it safer for
older people, NYC
added 4 seconds
to the time pedestrians are
given to cross
intersections.

Seniors given a few seconds more to cross streets
by Anemona Hartcollis - New York Times - July 19, 2010

New York City has given pedestrians more time to cross at more than 400 intersections in an effort to make streets safer for older residents. The city has sent yellow school buses, filled not with children but with elderly people, on dozens of grocery store runs over the past seven months.

The city has allowed artists to use space and supplies in 10 senior centers in exchange for giving art lessons. And it is about to create two aging-improvement districts, parts of the city that will become safer and more accessible for older residents.

People live in New York because it is like no place else — pulsating with life, energy and a wealth of choices — but there is some recognition among city planners that it could be a kinder and gentler place in which to grow old.

The city's efforts, gaining strength as the baby boomer generation starts reaching retirement age, are born of good intentions as well as an economic strategy.

Cop shot by son loses suit against gun maker

July

Gun and holster
manufarurers
not at fault

Gun and holster makers both found NOT at fault
by Jon Cassidy - The Orange County Register - July 16, 2010

A retired Los Angeles police officer who sued a gun maker after his 3-year-old son shot him had his lawsuit dismissed Friday by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.

Enrique Chavez, now 39, of Anaheim, was off-duty when he was shot on July 11, 2006, while driving his Ford Ranger near Harbor Boulevard and La Palma Avenue. His son, who was not in a car seat, got a hold of the father's .45-caliber Glock while sitting in the back seat and shot him in the back, according to police reports. Chavez was left paralyzed from the waist down.

In July 2008, he sued Glock, alleging that the gun's safety was "non-existent or ineffective."

In addition, the suit alleges negligence on the part of Uncle Mike's, the company that made the gun's holster; Turner Outdoorsman, the store where he bought the holster; and the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club, where the officer purchased the gun.

In dismissing the suit, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin C. Brazile cited an "exhaustive review" of the gun's safety conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department before a purchase.

LA Coliseum board votes to continue moratorium

July

Electric Daisy
Carnival at LA
Coliseum was a 2
day event drawing
185,000 people

Might never book another rave if restrictions don't put an end to problems
by John Rogers, Associated Press - San Jose Mercury News - July 16, 2010

LOS ANGELES—The commission that controls the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum essentially put rave event promoters on probation Friday, requiring them to limit dance parties to adults and have doctors on duty if they want to keep holding them at the publicly owned stadium.

In a voice vote that came at the end of a meeting that lasted nearly 3 1/2 hours, commissioners adopted the age, medical and other requirements for three raves already scheduled later this year. They also indicated they might never book another rave if those restrictions don't put an end to problems that occurred at last month's Electric Daisy Carnival.

The two-day event, which drew an estimated 185,000 people, resulted in the death of a 15-year-old girl, a huge spike in neighborhood crime, injuries to more than 200 people and more than 100 arrests. Among those hurt was a deputy police chief who suffered broken fingers helping his officers take a disorderly person into custody.

FBI - Into the War Theater - special 5 part series

July

FBI agents are
now deployed
in war zones

An Inside Look at Special Training
FBI Agents are now being deployed to the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan

from MJ Goyings - July 2010

Here is a five part series of special five articles, written by the FBI.

FBI.gov spent two weeks following a class of FBI personnel preparing to deploy to support the FBI's missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

This series of stories, photos and videos is a glimpse into their experience at pre-deployment training in Utah.

Officer Sues Over Arizona Immigrant Law

July

Police officer David Salgado arrives at the courthouse in Phoenix, AZ

Lawyer for Phoenix Policeman Says His Client Can Face Litigation for Enforcing Contentious Statute and Failing to Enforce It - by Miriam Jordan - Wall Street Journal - July 16, 2010

PHOENIX—A lawyer for a Phoenix police officer told a federal court Thursday his client could be sued for racial profiling if he enforces Arizona's new immigration law. It is the first hearing in a series of legal challenges filed over the controversial crackdown which has divided law enforcement in the state and across the country.

Officer David Salgado, a 19-year veteran of the Phoenix police department, could also lose his job if he fails to enforce the new law, his attorney said.

Arizona's statute requires an officer to verify the immigration status of a person stopped for other alleged crimes, if "reasonable suspicion" exists of illegal presence in the U.S.

But the law also empowers Arizona residents to sue an officer they believe isn't enforcing the law to the fullest extent.

A couple of dummies make it into the Smithsonian in Washington, DC

July

MAKING A
DIFFERENCE
--------------------
Vince and Larry, the crash-test dummies, promoters of auto safety for 25 years in public service ads, are headed to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Parolee suspect in shooting of LAPD officer not monitored

July

Parolee was alleged to have gang membership

Law enforcement officials ask, "Why not?" - Los Angeles Times - July 15, 2010

State corrections officials said Thursday that an inmate's street gang affiliation is not considered when determining how to classify and monitor parolees like the one who allegedly shot an LAPD officer during a traffic stop in the San Fernando Valley.

Javier Joseph Rueda, identified by police as a Vineland Boys gang member who was fatally shot after exchanging gunfire with police, was placed on "non-revocable parole" in May. The classification meant the 28-year-old did not have to report to a parole officer.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck asked the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on Wednesday to investigate how Rueda was granted early release and classified as a low-level offender and how to prevent such incidents in the future.

Gene Simmons and KISS honor the troops in Iraq

July

Gene Simmons
------------------
Honor our Troops
Honor our Veterans
------------------
A handshake and
a "Thank you for serving" makes a world of difference

Gene Simmons and KISS - filmed in Iraq at a USO tour of a US Marine Base

LA's mid-year crime stats show crime down

July

------------------------
see the VIDEO
with the Mayor,
Chief of Police,
other officials

See the VIDEO - from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - OPEN LETTER - July 14, 2010

Good afternoon,

I want to share some important news: for the 8th year in a row, crime in Los Angeles is down. Despite the economic downturn, our unwavering commitment to public safety has yielded tangible, positive results.

At the mid-year mark for 2010, crime overall is down 6%, violent crime is down 11%, and property crime is down 5%. While homicides have ticked up 4% from last year, there has been a nearly 40% decrease since 2005.

In addition, in the first six months of the year, we've seen a 9% drop in gang-related crimes, with gang-related robberies down 10%, aggravated assaults down 8%, and attacks on police officers down 21%.

LAPD complains - suspect in police shooting classified as 'low-level, nonviolent

July

California prisons
are filled beyond
capacity

Suspect was killed, two officers injured - Los Angeles Times - July 14, 2010

The Los Angeles Police Department has asked the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to investigate how a parolee who fired nearly a dozen gunshots at two LAPD officers over the weekend in the San Fernando Valley was able to gain early release and why he was classified as a low-level offender.

In the letter to Corrections Secretary Matthew Cate, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck expressed concern that Javier Joseph Rueda, 28, of Panorama City was placed on "non-revocable parole" in May after serving just two years of a 10-year prison sentence.

"If you determine that there were issues regarding Mr. Rueda's status, we would appreciate your feedback on how we can work with you to ensure that incidents of a similar nature do not occur," Beck wrote.

LA police teach Marines how to train Afghan police

July

70 Marines
recently patrolled
the streets with
the LAPD

Observing drugs busts, witnessing prostitution arrests and even following a murder case
by Julie Watson - MSNBC / Associated Press - July 11, 2010

LOS ANGELES — A tough-talking, muscular Los Angeles police sergeant steadily rattled off tips to a young Marine riding shotgun as they raced in a patrol car to a drug bust: Be aware of your surroundings. Watch people's body language. Build rapport.

Marine Lt. Andrew Abbott, 23, took it all in as he peered out at the graffiti-covered buildings, knowing that the lessons he learned recently in one of the city's toughest neighborhoods could help him soon in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"People are the center of gravity and if you do everything you can to protect them, then they'll protect you," he said."That's something true here and pretty much everywhere."

"Jack Dunphy," LAPD Officer, Decries Cuts To Police Agencies

July

Jack Dunphy is an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department

Uses An Odd Venue: National Review - by J. Patrick Coolican - LA Weekly - July 13, 2010

"Jack Dunphy" is the pseudonym for an LAPD officer who blogs.

Today, he laments what's bound to happen when Oakland fires 80 cops. His choice for the lament, National Review's blog The Corner, is an odd one. The conservative magazine was founded by the godfather of the movement, William F. Buckley. (see National Review article inside)

It's a publication ardently opposed to the federal government giving aid to states and cities so they don't have to lay off cops. Then again, maybe National Review is the perfect place for him to be explaining what will happen to Oakland -- and, L.A. as well, the LAPD union would argue -- in these lean budget times.

From Combat to Community – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & the Returning Vet

July

hundreds of LAPD
officers have
served tours of
duty in Iraq &
Afghanistan

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Returning Veteran - from LAPDonline.org - July 12, 2010

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department has partnered with the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to sponsor training focused on first responders who answer the growing number of emergency calls related to former military men and women affected by PTSD or Traumatic Head Injuries.

The conference entitled, From Combat to Community, hosted more than 300 public safety responders during the free event that took place on Friday, July 9, 2010, at the California Endowment Center for Healthy Living.

“We've seen a rise in the number of incidents involving former military personnel who were involved in critical crisis situations, like hostage taking, barricades, suicides, and armed stand offs,” said Detective Teresa Irvin, who is a supervisor in LAPD's Mental Evaluation Unit. “Sometimes knowing the right things to say and do can defuse these situations quickly and peacefully.”

Boy accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old brother

July

- a lethal mix -
------------------
many kids are
fascinated by
guns, but need
to be taught
they're NOT toys

Police say he thought he was firing a play gun - by Catherine Saillant - LA Times - July 12, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a sad and tragic story about what can too easily happen when firearms are not stored properly and when people living in close proximity to guns are not taught safety issues. Unfortunately "inadvertent" accidental discharges of weapons are in the news almost daily, but most could be avoided with a little common sense and a little training.

Los Angeles police are investigating a North Hills couple for negligence after their 2-year-old son was accidentally shot to death by his 7-year-old brother with a handgun left unlocked in a closet.

Detectives questioned Darren Eugene Ellis, 36, and Ebony Aiesha Ellis, 24, after the Friday shooting at their apartment in the 16000 block of Parthenia Street.

Initial investigation showed that the 7-year-old boy found the .40-caliber handgun in a closet and took it to a bedroom where his siblings were playing, said Det. Floyd Walton of the LAPD Devonshire Division. The children's parents were home but in another part of the residence, Walton said.

New Traffic Law in 2010 - Ticket cost $754.00

July

move over,
slow down for
stopped
emergency
vehicles

Move over, slow down for emergency vehicles - from MJ Goyings, LACP - July 13, 2010
" I always did this anyway....just common sense to me..... "

GOOD THING TO KNOW: New Law: If a patrol car is pulled over to the side of the road, you have to change to the next lane (away from the stopped vehicle) or slow down by 20 mph.

Every state except Hawaii , Maryland and D.C. has this law.

In California, the "Move-over" law became operative on January 1, 2010.

A friend's son got a ticket for this recently. A police car (turned out it was 2 police cars) was on the side of the road giving a ticket to someone else. He slowed down to pass but did not move into the other lane. The second police car immediately pulled him over and gave him a ticket. He had never heard of the law.

Polanski free, Swiss reject US extradition request

July

Roman Polanski
- a free man -

U.S. authorities blamed for failing to provide confidential testimony
by Bradley S. Klapper and Frank Jordans - Associated Press - July 12, 2010

BERN, Switzerland — The Swiss government declared renowned film director Roman Polanski a free man on Monday after rejecting a U.S. request to extradite him on a charge of having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

The Swiss mostly blamed U.S. authorities for failing to provide confidential testimony about Polanski's sentencing procedure in 1977-1978.

The stunning decision could end the United States' three-decade pursuit of Polanski, unless he travels to another country that would be willing to apprehend him and weigh sending him to Los Angeles. France, where he has spent much of his time, does not extradite its own citizens, and the public scrutiny over Switzerland's deliberations may dissuade other nations from making such a spectacular arrest.

Openly bearing arms, beachgoers cite their rights

July

Should guns be
allowed on the
beach?
.. on the streets?
.. in public at all?

Group hoping to win public acceptance of the public display of firearms
by Jack Leonard - Los Angeles Times - July 11, 2010

It was clear this was no ordinary community cleanup.

Trash bags? Check.

Gloves? Check.

Glock .45-caliber handgun? Check.

More than a dozen people packing pistols on their hips strolled down the Hermosa Beach strand Saturday, picking up garbage and distributing fliers about the rights of gun owners.

The event was part of a burgeoning and controversial "open carry" movement nationwide promoting the right to carry guns in public. Although carrying a concealed weapon is illegal without a permit, California allows people to openly carry guns in many areas as long as they are unloaded, though they can keep ammunition with them.

The virtue of old-fashioned police work in a new era of policing

July

- LAPPL -
LA Police
Protective
League

Also: The Los Angeles Times tells the story - by LAPPL Board of Directors - July 10, 2010

"This will change the way policing is done in the United States.”

That's how Chief Beck characterized the arrest of Grim Sleeper suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr., on 10 counts of murder and other charges in killings in Los Angeles between 1985 and 2007. It marked the first time in the nation that familial DNA had been used to break such a high-profile case and that fact made it an even bigger news story around the world.

We agree with the Chief's assessment of the significance of this long-awaited arrest. And we're sure he will agree with us that this case is very much about old-fashioned undercover police work and the determination of LAPD officers and detectives to never close a case until an arrest is made and a criminal is brought to justice – even if it takes 25 years.

LAPD's Monthly Message From The Chief - July

July

LAPD Chief
Charlie Beck

BUDGET - The Department's budget team has worked tirelessly with the Mayor's staff and City Council to get our budget approved. Some of the budget highlights include the ability to maintain our sworn workforce at 9,963. We will only hire to attrition and new academy classes will range between 20 and 50 recruits to be cost effective. The City has allowed us to restore 17 regular civilian positions vacated as a result of the Early Retirement Incentive Program. These 17 positions will fill critical vacancies throughout the Department.

As I previously mentioned, our Department will not be purchasing any new vehicles or motorcycles but we were able to secure funding for Motor Transport Division to purchase vehicle parts and supplies. Additionally, funding from the Forfeited Assets Trust Fund and the City's General Fund will help pay for maintenance of Force Option Simulators, replacement of technology as it becomes outdated and the disposal of live ammunition, keeping our personnel working in a safe and productive work environment.

We took a large hit with our overtime budget so I would like to remind all personnel of the revised Compensatory Time Off bank limits. I am counting on all of you to remain vigilant in our efforts to conserve overtime usage and adhere to the mandates of Administrative Order No. 7, December 2009, while complying with the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. << more inside >>

CSI - Crime Subjects Investigate - from Uniontown, PA

July

There's something for everyone to do

In almost every community there are people who participate in public safety
from MJ Goyings, LACP - July 11, 2010 - Herald Standard

Uniontown, PA

MJ Goyings, LACP's "Community Matters" co-host, found a series of 4 short videos in the Herald Standard, Uniontown PA's local newspaperr. Uniontown is in SW Pennsylvania, and that's where MJ grew up.

They were taken at a meeting of concerned residents and law enforcement representatives from various communities and they show organized community policing concerns are filtering down to the smaller communities.

These were on the front page, listed under the banner "CSI - Crime Subjects Investigated"

Masked and angry, rioters cause chaos in Oakland

July

".. people who went in there and came out with shoes, that's not about Oscar Grant anymore .."

Response to verdict went far beyond reasonable - by Cecily Burt - Oakland Tribune - July 8, 2010

As the verdict reached the streets, hundreds converged in downtown Oakland for mostly peaceful protests before swelling to a crowd of more than a thousand, with a hard-core splinter group of rioters clashing with police and wreaking havoc in downtown.

By late evening, hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the Bay Area had descended downtown to help local police quell the protesters. Wearing black masks, many looted stores, smashed windows and rolled trash bins into the streets while setting them on fire. At one point, protesters began throwing M-1000 fireworks at law enforcement officers and other demonstrators.

Officers began arresting rioters soon after 8 p.m., and police quickly moved in with tear gas during a tense standoff following the involuntary manslaughter conviction of former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle for the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant on Jan. 1, 2009.

Stars, Cameras and Theatrics Strain Courts

July

Lindsay Lohan was
at Beverly Hills
Municipal Court
on Tuesday

Everyone suffers .. cops, courts, city, public - by Michael Cieply - July 7, 2010

LOS ANGELES — What price (celebrity) justice?

The question was front and center here this week as an army of government employees shooed Lindsay Lohan through a Beverly Hills courtroom to face jail for her latest probation violation.

Meanwhile, a downtown jury gave Don Johnson $23.2 million for arrears on “Nash Bridges,” a judge let stand charges against Anna Nicole Smith 's doctor, Jesse James fought a breach of contract claim and Leif Garrett faced a heroin rap. Also, Ms. Lohan, in another Beverly Hills court, dealt with a suit over the emotional distress of someone she is accused of chasing with her sport utility vehicle.

And Monday was a legal holiday.

Alleged Al Qaeda operatives indicted in New York plot

July

Al Qaeda's
leadership is
still wanted,
dead or alive

Indictment names new suspects in the case, including two planning attacks in Britain
by Julia Love, Tribune Washington Bureau - Los Angeles Times - July 8, 2010

Reporting from Washington - An unsuccessful plan to detonate homemade bombs in the New York subway system last year was orchestrated by senior Al Qaeda leaders who were also plotting a comparable attack in Britain, according to a terrorism indictment unsealed Wednesday.

"The charges announced today illustrated the coordinated and persistent attempts by our adversaries to harm American citizens," said George Venizelos, acting assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York office.

Adnan Shukrijumah, a U.S. citizen who was regarded as one of Al Qaeda's best hopes to execute a plot in post- 9/11 America, is among several new alleged Al Qaeda figures charged in the botched Manhattan attempt.

Two others indicted Wednesday, Abid Naseer and Tariq Ur Rehman, are also allegedly connected to the attack that was planned for English soil.

Pre-emption, Not Profiling, in Challenge to Arizona

July

Should states be allowed at do what
the Federal govenment can't?

Also included inside: OPINIONS from LA Times and NY Times
by Randal C. Archibold - Los Angeles Times - July 8, 2010

PHOENIX — In the public outcry that followed passage of Arizona's new immigration law, President Obama and other critics worried that it would lead to racial profiling. But while that concern has dominated the public debate and inspired a round of boycotts of the state, it played little role in the actual legal challenge the administration filed Tuesday against the law.

The word profiling appears only once, in passing, in the Justice Department's lawsuit against the law, which allows the police to demand legal papers from those its officers think might be illegal immigrants.

And while the lawsuit does argue against a patchwork of state immigration laws Mr. Obama has fretted over, the idea that legal residents and citizens might find themselves swept up in Arizona's enforcement, which is intended to discourage illegal immigrants from coming and prompt those here to leave, is not a central argument.

Brotherhood and Politics, Consorting!

July

Brotherhood in
Teaneck NJ
- is it really
progress?

Muslim selected as Mayor of Teaneck New Jersey
by Peter Applebome - New York Times - July 8, 2010

TEANECK, N.J. - You'd like to think there's just a feel-good story in the unlikely selection of Mohammed Hameeduddin as mayor of this diverse Bergen County town that is increasingly a stronghold of Orthodox Jews.

And, on balance, that's probably the bottom line: a Muslim, who first got involved in local politics when his mosque was planning to expand, was picked by his fellow town council members, 5-to-2, as the town's new mayor on July 1.

“Teaneck is not perfect,” said Adam Gussen, an Orthodox Jew and a friend of Mr. Hameeduddin's since middle school and the new deputy mayor. “We're not a shining Camelot beacon to all, but we've done a lot of great and noteworthy things we can be proud of, and this shows we still have the ability to get it right.”

Prop. 19 approval could decrease marijuana costs, increase consumption

July

Less expensive
pot = more use?

Report says cheaper pot would undoubtedly lead to much greater use
Los Angeles Times - July 7, 2010

The cost of marijuana would drop as much as 80% and consumption would rise if Californians vote for Proposition 19, the legalization measure on the November ballot, researchers at Rand's Drug Policy Research Center have concluded in a detailed analysis of the issue.

The Santa Monica-based, nonprofit research institute predicted the cost of marijuana, which runs between $300 and $450 per ounce, could plunge to about $38 by eliminating the expense of compensating suppliers for the challenges of operating in the black market.

Making sense of crime statistics

July

Despite the
country's financial
worries, crime
was down in 2009

EDITORIAL - San Francisco Chronicle - July 4, 2010

The statistics defy common sense.

From San Francisco to Charlotte, N.C., Los Angeles to New York, the financial crisis of 2008 and the ensuing great recession led to .... less crime.

A lot less crime, in most instances. Cities all over the country are reporting double-digit declines in homicides and other serious crimes.

The streets are safer all over California, too. Despite a skyrocketing unemployment rate, drastic cuts to state services and the worst housing bust in recent memory, state Attorney General Jerry Brown just released a report showing that virtually every manner of crime declined statewide in 2009. Even property crimes, which one might expect to increase during times of economic distress, have fallen by an astounding 17 percent since 2005.

4Troops: Band of brothers-in-arms

July

4Troops -
crooning quartet
of former
Army soldiers

A crooning quartet of former Army soldiers
by Marco R. della Cava - USA TODAY

Somewhere, Irving Berlin is turning red, white and blue.

The spirit of the man who wrote God Bless America infuses a pair of patriotic albums due in 2010. 4Troops, a crooning quartet of former Army soldiers that includes a top-20 finisher on America's Got Talent, made its debut today on Good Morning America. The single For Freedom landed in March, and a Sony Masterworks album arrived May 25.

Also this year, expect Coming Home, an album from a trio of active-duty military calling themselves The Soldiers. Atlantic Records put the group together after a similar project featuring British soldiers found success in the U.K. last fall.

Police Salute Honorary Kid Officer Hero

July

8-year-old
William Bunn

Eight year old died of cancer, buried as police hero - July 3, 2010 - WFMY News 2/WRAL

Raleigh, NC -- The Raleigh Police Department saluted a fellow officer as they remembered 8-year-old, William Bunn on Saturday. Bunn died of a a cancer called Neuroblastoma on Thursday. The Raleigh Police Department made him the city's first honorary officer on June 11.

Bunn was buried with full police honors. Officers say the boy wanted to be a police officer and thought the job description was pretty cool. Officer Graham Witherspoon met Bunn last April. That's when the pair became friends. Bunn held onto his police badge for the last three weeks of his life.

He was even buried in the police uniform.

Whiterspoon said, "He set the standard for what a hero is."

A citizen's required reading for July 4th: The Declaration of Independence

July

The Declaration of
Independence
was passed in
Philadelphia on
July 4th, 1776

OPINION - Los Angeles Times - July 4, 2010

The United States' Declaration of Independence may well be the most cited yet least read or understood document in American history. Some have suggested over the years that each responsible U.S. citizen should take the occasion of the Nation's birthday to read that precious document every year, something like pausing at Thanksgiving to give thanks or at New Year's to ponder what's past and ahead.

Obviously, we can't require that. But The Ticket can facilitate that. So here it is, in its historic entirety.

For those who are curious to see how the historic document evolved, the wording refined and trimmed, through several writings, including those funny s's that look like f's, they can view side-by-side versions right here.

The final version of the Declaration is right here with paragraphs edited for length for typographical purposes on this modern webpage.

Fourth of July 1776, 1964, 2010

July

Slavery was left unaddressed in the Declaration of Independence

OPINION - New York Times - by Frank Rich - July 4, 2010

ALL men may be created equal, but slavery, America's original sin of inequality, was left unaddressed in the Declaration of Independence signed 234 years ago today. Of all the countless attempts to dispel that shadow over the nation's birth, few were more ambitious than the hard-fought bill Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law just in time for another Fourth of July, 46 summers ago.

With the holiday weekend approaching, Johnson summoned the television networks for the signing ceremony on Thursday evening, July 2. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, first proposed more than a year earlier by John F. Kennedy, banished the Jim Crow laws that denied black Americans access to voting booths, public schools and public accommodations. Johnson told the nation we could “eliminate the last vestiges of injustice in our beloved country” with the help of a newly formed “Community Relations Service” and its “advisory committee of distinguished Americans.” Talk about an age of innocence!

Still, there were some heartening reports of America's first full day under the new law. A front-page photo in The Times on July 4 showed 13-year-old Gene Young of Kansas City being shorn by a white barber at the Muehlebach Hotel shop “formerly closed to Negroes.”

US Independence Day - 4th of July

July

Fireworks !!

US Independence Day - 4th of July

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the 4th of July, is a holiday that commemorats the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks , parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.

Displays of fireworks, such as these over the Washington Monument (left), take place nationwide. So do many other traditional celebrations such as family reunions, concerts, barbecues, picnics, parades, and baseball games.

Observe Independence Day Weekend Responsibly, with your Family and Friends

July

Enjoy the 4th
but be safe !

Enjoy the 4th of July holiday but be safe !

Independence Day commemorates this Nation's adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Unfortunately, Independence Day weekend has become an excuse for many to party and drink irresponsibly. As a result, the driving under the influence (DUI) driver is a tremendous public safety concern over the July 4th weekend.

To ensure a safe 234th Independence Day, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) recommends the following tips: 1) plan a safe way home before the festivities begin; 2) designate a sober driver; 3) leave your car keys at home; 4) call a taxi, call a friend or family member, or use public transportation to ensure you get home safely; 5) call 911 if you see a possible drunk driver on the road; and, 6) take the car keys away from someone who is about to drive impaired and assist them in getting home safely.

Arizona cops expect scrutiny of immigration enforcement

July

Arizona's cops warned to be careful

Warned opponents may secretly videotape officers making traffic stops
by Jonathan J. Cooper - Associated Press - July 2, 2010

PHOENIX — Arizona police officials warned officers not to use race or ethnicity when enforcing the state's new immigration law, saying that the country is watching their every move.

In a new training video released Thursday, the officials said opponents of the law may secretly videotape officers making traffic stops, trying to ensnare them and prove that they're racially profiling Hispanics.

"Without a doubt, we're going to be accused of racial profiling no matter what we do on this," Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor tells officers on the video from Arizona's police licensing board. The video is designed to teach officers how to determine when they can ask a person for proof they're in the country legally.

Analysis: California police face ax in cash crunch

July

Many CA cities
will have to deal
with crime with
far fewer cops

Many CA cities will have far fewer cops
by Jim Christie - Reuters - July 1, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Even as police in Oakland, California, brace for potential unrest if a jury does not convict a police officer in a murder trial, city officials are scrambling to cut costs and may do so by sacking about 10 percent of the city's police force.

Across San Francisco Bay in the small city of San Carlos, city officials are going an extra step to balance their budget -- considering a plan to shut down the city's police force and contract with their county sheriff for law enforcement duties.

Oakland and San Carlos are not alone in California in suffering financial strain, and many more local governments in the state will over the near term consider scaling back police departments to help bring budgets into balance, according to analysts.

LA losing millions of dollars on uncollected parking tickets, other fines and fees

July

LA City Controller
Wendy Greuel

Six departments audited - police, fire, housing, transportation, sanitation, building & safety
by Patrick J. McDonnell - Los Angeles Times - July 1, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: Please see full Wendy Greuel report and audit inside.

On a day when Los Angeles laid off more than 200 employees, a new audit released Thursday revealed that the city is losing tens of millions of dollars in revenue because of collection practices that barely capture half of parking ticket fines and other fees.

"I don't know of any business that would stand for such a low collection rate," said City Controller Wendy Greuel, who released the audit of six departments -- police, fire, housing, transportation, sanitation and building and safety. "It's simply not sustainable, and the city cannot and should not allow this to continue."

The Future of Los Angeles' Police Stations

July

LAPD's Hollenbeck Community Police Station

Is the LAPD misplacing something important in the process of building the next generation of police stations? - by John Buntin - Governing Magazine - July 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: If it weren't for the word 'police,' the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollenbeck Station (my hometown police station) could be mistaken for a modern museum. See a slideshow of more LAPD stations inside.

When Central Division station first opened in 1977, Los Angeles police officers dubbed it "Fort Davis" with heavy irony. Under former Chief of Police Ed Davis, officers were supposed to be building relationships with their neighborhoods. But instead, the department built a bunker--a massive, block-long structure in the heart of Skid Row. With no exterior windows and an inaccessible rooftop parking deck, Central Division was designed not so much to protect the surrounding community as it was to protect the police.

"It's an occupying block," says Thom Brennan, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Facilities Management Division's commanding officer. "You look at the architecture of that building and it means, 'stay away."

President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

July

President Obama
on Immigration

American University School of International Service, Washington, D.C. - July 1, 2010

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Everyone please have a seat. Thank you very much. Let me thank Pastor Hybels from near my hometown in Chicago, who took time off his vacation to be here today. We are blessed to have him.

I want to thank President Neil Kerwin and our hosts here at American University; acknowledge my outstanding Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, and members of my administration; all the members of Congress -- Hilda deserves applause. (Applause.) To all the members of Congress, the elected officials, faith and law enforcement, labor, business leaders and immigration advocates who are here today -- thank you for your presence.

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office bypassed picking up cop killer suspect

July

Dontae Morris -
suspected of
fatally shooting
2 Tampa police
officers

Police chose not to pick him up out of prison on worthless check charges
by Jeff Brumley - Jacksonville.com - June 30, 2010

State and local authorities are scrambling to explain why the man now wanted in the killing of two Tampa police officers was released from a Florida prison in April despite having outstanding warrants for his arrest from Jacksonville.

Dontae Rashawn Morris is suspected of fatally shooting Tampa police officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab during a traffic stop early Tuesday. A manhunt is under way to find the suspect.

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor on Wednesday criticized the state prison system for releasing Morris even though he had outstanding worthless check warrants in Jacksonville. The warrants “should have been detected while he was in prison.”

U.S. Court Strikes Down Death Sentence for Killer of Two New York Officers

July

Ronell Wilson -
death sentence
was thrown out
by Appeals
Court in NY

Was convicted of shooting two undercover detectives in the back of the head
by Manny Fennandez and A. G. Sulzberger - New York Times - June 30, 2010

An appeals court struck down the first successful federal capital-punishment prosecution in New York State in more than 50 years on Wednesday, overturning the death sentence given to a Staten Island man who was convicted of killing two undercover New York City police detectives in 2003.

The man, Ronell Wilson, now 28, was sentenced by a federal jury in January 2007 to die by lethal injection for shooting each of the detectives in the back of the head in a car on a dead-end street on Staten Island. The detectives, James V. Nemorin and Rodney J. Andrews, had been posing as gun buyers.

A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned the death sentence, asserting in a 2-to-1 ruling that federal prosecutors had violated Mr. Wilson's constitutional rights.

Labor's New Critics: Old Allies in Elected Office

July

Stephen Sweeney -
president of the
NJ State Senate

Payback Time - by Steven Greenhouse - New York Times - June 27, 2010

TRENTON — Stephen M. Sweeney, the president of the State Senate here, glowered with disgust as he described how one New Jersey town paid out nearly $1 million to four retiring police officers for their unused sick days and vacation time.

Mr. Sweeney, a Democrat, also scowled about the estimated $46 billion New Jersey owes in pension contributions and its $58 billion in liabilities to finance retiree health coverage for government employees.

For years, Republican lawmakers have railed against public employees' pay and benefits, but now another breed of elected official is demanding labor concessions, too: current and former labor leaders and allies themselves.

After 12 years erecting steel beams for office buildings, Mr. Sweeney became a top official in New Jersey's ironworkers union, now holding that post along with his legislative one. He says the state can no longer afford the benefits won over the years by public sector unions.

Prices of individual health plans increase

July

20% more for
individual health
care plans

Study shows hikes for coverage averaged 20 percent
by Tom Murphy - Associated Press - Ventura County Star - June 21, 2010

INDIANAPOLIS — People who buy their own health insurance have been hit lately with premium hikes that far exceed increases in premiums for employer-sponsored coverage, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The nonprofit foundation, which is separate from health insurer Kaiser Permanente, said recent premium hikes requested by insurers for individual coverage averaged 20 percent. Some customers were able to switch plans and pay less, so people paying on their own actually wound up paying 13 percent more on average.

"Community Matters" returns to radio - weekly 2 hour shows on Sunday nights - LIVE - 8pm EST, 5pm PAC

July

NAACC / LACP's
"Community Matters"
is back and
on the air !!!
.

BlogTalk
Radio

call-in:
646-595-2118

We're BACK on the radio !!! -- Sunday nights -- 8:00 p.m. EST / 5:00 p.m. PAC

NAACC and LA Community Policing is proud to announce the return of our "Community Matters" talk radio show, carried coast-to-coast over the Internet thru BlogTalkRadio.com. Our second season premiere was July 11th.

Our founder, Bill Murray, is joined by co-host MJ Goyings, of rural Ohio, a long-time LACP volunteer, as they discuss topics that will include many of the current affairs issues of the previous week as well as a look ahead to the coming week's events. We'll also offer ideas for how the community can become engaged in improving public safety and the quality of American life.

It is our desire to engage community members in the transparent and inclusive dialogue we think is needed, healthy and enlightening, as we seek solutions to the many issues that face the American public in these trying times. Homeland security will always be near the top of the list, along with many other public safety issues, but we'll also offer ideas for active community participation that will improve the quality of American life.

LACP and NAACC are grassroots. We're unaffiliated with any other group, organization or cause, and have no particular political point of view. Yet we do co-operate with many government offices, law enforcement groups and other non-profit efforts, and frequently offer up our expressed opinions of the issues of the day. We also allow and insist on opinions from different perspectives and walks of life.

Frequent appearances from invited Special Guests, and call-in (and chat room) participation by you, our followers, are always a part of what we do at the National Association for Alert and Concerned Citizens and LA Community Policing .. because "Community Matters."

Child's death illustrates LA's growing problem resolving backlog of abuse cases

Jun

Abused young
children need
our help

Though child welfare officials had been told abuse was occurring in the victim's home nearly two months ago, investigators had yet to determine if he was at risk when he died Saturday. The county continues to struggle meeting investigative deadlines for many cases.
by Garrett Therolf - Los Angeles Times - June 30, 2010

The tip that abuse was taking place in the Long Beach home where 2-year-old Joseph Byrd lived came to Los Angeles County child welfare officials nearly two months ago.

But 57 days after opening an investigation into the allegations, social workers had yet to determine if Joseph was at risk when the toddler was pronounced dead Saturday. Coroner's officials have listed the case as a homicide .

At the time of Joseph's death, social workers were still looking into allegations of abuse and neglect in a family that already had been investigated five times, according to sources familiar with their history. Three of those cases were substantiated, sources told The Times.

Joseph's case is a grim illustration of the growing number of abuse and neglect investigations still open past the state's 30-day deadline.

Being a cop in border town more perilous as drug cartels issue threats

Jun

Cartel has issued
death threats
against police in
Nogales, Arizona
------------------
see the VIDEO

Nogales region is a major drug corridor where authorities have been cracking down
by Thelma Gutierrez and Wayne Drash - CNN - June 25, 2010

Nogales, Arizona (CNN) -- Mario Morales keeps his Commando assault rifle propped up on the seat of his patrol vehicle. The car snakes along a dirt road about a half-mile from the Mexican border.

He's always kept the rifle within arm's reach. But in recent weeks, staying armed at all times has taken on a new urgency: Mexican cartels have issued death threats against the police on the Nogales force.

His car rolls to a stop. Morales steps out and points to a nearby hillside where a rusty fence cuts through the desert landscape, separating the United States from Mexico.

"I would not doubt it right now -- we're being watched," Morales says.

At 51, Morales is a member of the Nogales Police Department's SWAT team. He's patrolled the community since he was 20. Over the past three decades, he's seen this region in southeastern Arizona become a drug corridor for Mexican cartels.

Why white collar crime just got harder to battle

Jun

Jeff Skilling
- ENRON CEO -

Supreme Court decisions - but things could have been a lot worse
by Roger Parloff, senior editor - Fortune Magazine - June 25, 2010

FORTUNE -- The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the criminal case against Enron CEO Jeff Skilling yesterday addressed two crucial and frequently recurring controversies that come up in white-collar criminal cases:

What is the precise meaning of the federal statute that criminalizes schemes to defraud someone out of "the intangible right to honest services."

And, two, when is a jury likely to have been so personally impacted by a crime, or so emotionally inflamed by pretrial publicity and adverse local sentiment, that the only way for a defendant to get a fair trial is to have his case moved to another location?

Skilling raised both issues in challenging his convictions, which were handed down by a federal jury in Houston in 2006 and for which he is serving a sentence of 24 years imprisonment.

Cities Discovering an Arizona Boycott May Do More Harm Than Good

Jun

Protestor holds
a sign in protest
of the Arizona
immigration law

Boycotting Arizona is harder than it sounds - from FOXNews.com - June 28, 2010

Boycotting Arizona is harder than it sounds.

Though the passage of the state's immigration law was met in late April with immediate threats to cut ties with Arizona in protest, a number of cities have either scaled back or created exemptions to their own boycotts.

The resolutions also have demanded a mountain of work by officials at the city level tasked with reviewing hundreds of internal contracts for any trace of Arizona to see whether it's prudent to cut ties. As the review process gets underway, the result may be a patchwork of targeted boycotts rather a blanket ban on all things Arizona.

The Los Angeles City Council was the latest to amend its boycott last Wednesday, when lawmakers voted to make an exemption so that an Arizona-based company that operates enforcement cameras at Los Angeles intersections can continue to do business there.

Supreme Court extends rights of gun owners

Jun

Supreme Court
extended the
reach of the 2nd
Amendment and
asserted the "right
to keep and bear
arms."

Decision paves the way for challenges to laws restricting gun ownership
by David G. Savage, Tribune Washington Bureau - Los Angeles Times - June 29, 2010

Washington- The Supreme Court ruled Monday that cities and states must abide by the 2nd Amendment, strengthening the rights of gun owners and opening courthouse doors nationwide for gun rights advocates to argue that restrictions on firearms are unconstitutional.

In a 5-4 decision, the justices said the right to have a handgun for self-defense is "fundamental from an American perspective [and] applies equally to the federal government and the states."

The high court overturned 19th century rulings that said the 2nd Amendment restricted only federal gun laws, not local or state measures. The decision will almost certainly void ordinances in Chicago and Oak Park, Ill., that forbid residents to have handguns at home.

California State gun owner restrictions to be challenged

Jun

OC Sheriff
Sandra Hutchens believes the ruling
will have little
immediate impact

Supreme Court decision removes Chicago's three-decade old ban on handguns
by Tony Saavedra - The Orange Counter Register - June 28, 2010

California could end up facing a slew of challenges to gun control laws following Monday's Supreme Court ruling recognizing the second amendment as a fundamental right in state and local jurisdictions, experts say.

The Supreme Court decision, which effectively removes Chicago's three-decade old ban on handguns, also bolsters a California case – Nordyke vs Alameda County.

In that case, 9th Circuit Court justices applied the right to bear arms to the state constitution.

With those victories in hand, gun enthusiasts now say they are preparing to attack about a dozen laws in California that they believe unreasonably restrict gun ownership.

OPINION - 2nd Amendment: Gun rights and Chicago's ban

Jun

Every individual
has the right to
keep and bear arms

Though gun control advocates are understandably disappointed by the Supreme Court's dooming a ban by the city of Chicago, the legal reasoning was correct: The right to own firearms can't be overturned by a state or city.
OPINION - Los Angeles Times - June 29, 2010

Supporters of gun control are understandably disappointed by Monday's Supreme Court decision dooming a ban on handguns adopted by the city of Chicago. But the legal rationale for the 5-4 ruling is correct. If every individual has the right to keep and bear arms — as the court unwisely held two years ago in invalidating a similar ban in the federal enclave of Washington, D.C. — then it can't be taken away by states and cities.

We criticized the Washington, D.C., decision, arguing that the more natural reading of the 2nd Amendment was to limit the right to bear arms to the formation of a "well regulated militia." But once the court determined that every individual had the right, it seemed to us inevitable that, like the 1st Amendment's ban on an establishment of religion or the 4th Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches, that right would have to be honored by the states.

OPINION - The Court: Ignoring the Reality of Guns

Jun

Taking aim on
gun ownership

Court's conservative majority imposed its selective reading of American history, citing the country's violent separation from Britain and the battles over slavery as proof that the authors of the Constitution and its later amendments considered gun ownership a fundamental right
OPINION - New York Times - June 29, 2010

About 10,000 Americans died by handgun violence, according to federal statistics, in the four months that the Supreme Court debated which clause of the Constitution it would use to subvert Chicago's entirely sensible ban on handgun ownership. The arguments that led to Monday's decision undermining Chicago's law were infuriatingly abstract, but the results will be all too real and bloody.

This began two years ago, when the Supreme Court disregarded the plain words of the Second Amendment and overturned the District of Columbia's handgun ban, deciding that the amendment gave individuals in the district, not just militias, the right to bear arms. Proceeding from that flawed logic, the court has now said the amendment applies to all states and cities, rendering Chicago's ban on handgun ownership unenforceable.

Police push to continue warrantless cell tracking

Jun

Cell phones
monitored

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says its needed
by Declan McCullagh - CNET News - June 26, 2010

A law requiring police to obtain a search warrant before tracking Americans' cell phones may imperil criminal investigations and endanger children's lives, a law enforcement representative told Congress this week.

Obtaining a search warrant when monitoring the whereabouts of someone "who may be attempting to victimize a child over the Internet will have a significant slowing effect on the processing of child exploitation leads," said Richard Littlehale of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. "If that is acceptable, so be it, but it is a downstream effect that must be considered."

Littlehale's remarks to a House of Representatives subcommittee come as an industry group called the Digital Due Process coalition is prodding politicians to update a mid-1980s federal law by inserting more privacy protections. The group includes Google, Microsoft, eBay, AT&T, the ACLU, and Americans for Tax Reform.

Obama administration poised to challenge Arizona immigration law

Jun

In AZ illegal
boarder cossers
are caught

Arizona has raised more than $120,000 in private donations to defend the legislation
by Peter Nicholas - Los Angeles Times - Tribune Washington Bureau - June 26, 2010

Reporting from Washington — A White House showdown with the state of Arizona over its tough new immigration law is likely to unfold next week, when the Obama administration is expected to file a lawsuit aimed at blocking the state's bid to curb illegal immigration on its own, according to people familiar with the administration's plans.
Arizona officials are girding for the legal challenge. The state has raised $123,000 in private donations to defend the law, according to Gov. Jan Brewer's office. Money has come in from all 50 states, in donations as little as $1.

Obama administration officials declined to reveal the basis for the suit. But legal experts say the challenge is likely to include the argument that in passing the law, Arizona violated the Constitution by intruding on the federal government's authority to regulate immigration.

To date, the state has been hit with five lawsuits. The law, SB 1070, was signed in April and is scheduled to go into effect July 29.

Border Patrol - terrorists are crossing the US - Mexcan border

Jun

US - Mexico border
is over 2000 miles
long and not secure

Border Security is really a matter of Homeland Security and National Defense

According to the Border Patrol, and Congressional Reports, the public is being mislead as to WHO is coming into the US from Mexico. This is the two part story as reported by WSB-TV in Atlanta, GA:

Part 1:	http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438021/index.html
Part 2:	http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438712/index.html

Also see the 4 page list of OTM (Other Than Mexican) people caught in the last 3 years:
(pdf files)	Page 1	Page 2	Page 3	Page 4

Arizona immigration law motivating youths to embrace community activism

Jun

US citizens, these
kids can speak
openly on behalf of
those who are here
illegally and afraid
being deported

Because they are US citizens, these young people are free to speak out
by Anne Ryman - The Arizona Republic - June 26, 2010

Daniel Rodríguez was up at 5 a.m. one day in May, preparing to speak at a news conference on Arizona's new immigration law.

The event would draw national media coverage because it featured undocumented youths arrested earlier that week while protesting at Sen. John McCain's Tucson office.

After the conference, Rodríguez, who wasn't one of those arrested, spent much of the day at the Arizona Capitol. He participated in an immigration rally, directed a poster-making session and arranged for live band entertainment. That evening, he met with volunteers to discuss future protest strategies. His day ended around 11 p.m.

The Disaster Squad - FBI

Jun

The Disaster Squad helps ID victims through fingerprints, palm prints, and even footprints.

Serving in the Worst of Times - from the FBI - June 24, 2010

When planes crash or natural disasters strike or terrorists attack, it’s often incredibly difficult to identify the remains of the victims. It requires special forensic expertise—as well as the ability to endure tough conditions and gut-wrenching scenes.

But it’s work that needs to be done—not only to help solve cases and address issues like insurance payments and settlement of estates, but just as importantly, to satisfy the very human need that families have to know the fate of their loved ones, to lay them to rest, and to gain some sense of closure.

It’s for all these reasons that we have a “Disaster Squad”—a team of highly-trained forensic examiners who are deployed worldwide at a moment’s notice to identify victims of mass fatality incidents. In some cases, their efforts support FBI investigations, but many times these professionals are simply providing a humanitarian service when asked for identification help by colleagues around the world.

Starved for Reform - OPINION

Jun

CA needs to
feed its poor

To get more funds from the US to feed more poor, CA's food stamp program must change
OPINION - June 25, 2010

California is poor these days, but not so poor that it can't take on the basic humanitarian responsibility of feeding the hungry. The federal government pays for food stamps plus half the administrative costs of the program. So it is inexcusable that Californians who were eligible for food stamps in 2007 — the most recent year for which figures are available — were less likely to receive them than residents of any state except Wyoming.

With so many people in want these days, we would expect the governor and Legislature to bring food stamp policies in line with those of other states — and the wishes of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program and has criticized states with low participation rates. Instead, California is the only state that requires food stamp recipients to be recertified every quarter instead of every six months, a rule considered to be a major obstacle in keeping qualified people enrolled. Switching to the six-month schedule would cost $20 million for computer work — a relative pittance.

San Francisco officers accept cost-cutting package to help city

Jun

San Francisco
steet cop
------------------
officers helping
the City

64% of union members ratify package that includes consessions
by Rachel Gordon - San Francisco Chronicle - June 24, 2010

The San Francisco Police Officers Association has ratified a package of cost-cutting labor concessions, with members voting 64 percent in favor, union president Gary Delagnes said today.

That leaves Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, which represents Muni operators, as the only city employees' union to reject proposed givebacks.

In all, the labor concessions agreed to by city employees will amount to $230 million in savings over the next two years. They came as the city faced a projected $522 million deficit earlier this year that had to be erased to help balance the $6.5 billion budget for the new fiscal year that starts July 1.

San Francisco police are still set to receive a 4 percent raise July 1, but they're taking six unpaid furlough days this year, which effectively will reduce their pay increase to 1.3 percent, Delagnes said.

On a Path to Ending Homelessness in America

Jun

We must end
homelessness
of all kinds

from the White House - by Melody Barnes - June 24, 2010
EDITOR'S NOTE: In case you missed it, check out Secretary Donovan's post on HUD's blog following yesterday's release of the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

Someone once told me -- in your head it's a dream, but on paper it's a plan. As a nation, we've talked about addressing the issue of homelessness, and now we have a plan. Over the last year, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), consisting of 19 federal agencies and chaired by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, drafted the nation's first comprehensive strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

The impetus for such a plan was simple. In the United States, no one should spend a single night without a place to call home. Yet, 634,000 people, including 107,000 veterans, experience homelessness on any given night. The families and individuals that experience homelessness and the advocates that work so hard on this issue know that we need to act with a renewed sense of urgency.

Obama administration announces new border security measures

Jun

1,200 troops will
be deployed to
the border to
boost security

1,200 National Guard troops will be deployed to the US-Mexico border
by Ceci Connolly - Washington Post - June 24, 2010

The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will station an aerial drone in Texas as part of its stepped-up surveillance of criminal trafficking along the Mexican border.

Federal authorities also have signed an agreement to allow local police from non-border communities to temporarily "deploy" to the border region to assist with security, said Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

"Our Southwest border states have endured more than their share of challenges," said Napolitano, a former Arizona governor. "I share the frustration border communities feel."

DHS: New steps to bolster security along the Southwest border

Jun

DHS Secretary
Janet Napolitano

from the Department of Homeland Security - by Secretary Janet Napolitano - June 24, 2010

Washington, D.C.—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today delivered remarks about the Department's ongoing efforts—and announced new steps—to bolster security along the Southwest border.

"Over the past 18 months, this administration has devoted more resources—including manpower, technology and infrastructure—to the Southwest border than at any point in America's history," said Secretary Napolitano. "We are committed to further bolstering our cooperation with our state, local and tribal law enforcement partners as we continue to implement strong, smart and effective enforcement strategies along our borders and throughout the nation."

In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano reiterated the administration's continued commitment to building on these successes and addressing current challenges with our federal, state, local, tribal and Mexican partners in order to keep our communities safe from threats of border-related violence and crime.

Mexican drug cartel threatens to harm U.S. police officers

Jun

US Border Patrol
agent drives
along the wall
between the US
and Mexico

A new twist in the drug war - by Sean Alfano - New York Daily News - June 22, 2010

Mexican cartels added a new twist to the drug war this week by threatening to kill U.S. cops who seize their goods.

Nogales, AZ., Police Chief Jeffrey Kirkham said his officers received threats a couple weeks ago after off-duty police busted a pot smuggling ring.

"America is based on freedom. We're not going to be intimidated by the threats, but we are taking them seriously," Kirkham told CNN."I've told my officers if they venture into that area off-duty to be armed," he said.

Just which cartel made the threat remains unclear. Violent warnings toward American police are not new, but the Nogales incident marked the first time U.S. officials confirmed a threat.

Miranda rights may complicate Arizona's SB 1070 enforcement

Jun

Rigid legal
requirements
could create a
complicated
quagmire

Rigid legal requirements could create a complicated quagmire
by Gary Nelson and Michael Ferraresi - The Arizona Republic - June 23, 2010

As the effective date of Arizona's new immigration law nears, new concerns are being raised by municipal officials about how to effectively enforce it without creating a legal and financial quagmire.

At a public forum Tuesday, two southeast Valley mayors said the law could boomerang on its authors by actually reducing immigration enforcement because of its rigid legal requirements.

Meanwhile, Phoenix's Police Chief Jack Harris estimated enforcement could cost Phoenix as much as $10 million annually in jail bookings forced by the law.

Senate Bill 1070, signed into law this spring by Gov. Jan Brewer, makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally. It says an officer engaged in a lawful stop, detention or arrest shall, when practicable, ask about a person's legal status when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally.

NJ city leading way in crime-fighting technology

Jun

High tech gear is
being used by cops
acrtoss the county

High tech gear is being used by cops across the county
by David Porter - Associated Press - June 19, 2010

EAST ORANGE, N.J. — This city of 65,000 has fought one of the nation's highest crime rates in recent years with an arsenal of high-tech gadgets, from gunshot detection systems to software that can sift and analyze crime data almost instantaneously.

The results have been startling: Violent crime in East Orange has fallen by more than two-thirds since 2003, according to state police statistics.

Yet even with its crime rate plummeting, the city is going a step further by becoming the first in the country to combine those systems with sensors, sometimes called "smart cameras," that can be programmed to identify crimes as they unfold. East Orange police say the overall system can trim response time to mere seconds.

Bill would seal some autopsy reports

Jun

Autopsy room

Measure would shield slain children's families
by Michael Gardner - Sign On San Diego - SACRAMENTO BUREAU - June 22, 2010

SACRAMENTO — Grieving parents would have the right to seal the autopsy reports of their murdered children under legislation stemming from the slayings of north San Diego County teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

“We saw with this case just how important it is for the families of child victims to protect their privacy as well as to preserve the memory of that child for the families,” said San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. Dumanis is pushing the measure carried by Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, a Republican who represents much of northern San Diego County.

John Albert Gardner III pleaded guilty and is serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole for raping and killing the girls, 17-year-old Chelsea and 14-year-old Amber.

Math meets social behavior to predict crime

Jun

Does math really
help fight crime?

They determine areas of crime by folding social patterns together with other conditions
by Dana Treen - The Florida Times-Union - Jacksonville.com - June 19, 2010

For years Jacksonville and other cities have tried to predict where criminals will strike by studying neighborhood crime trends, using what has happened in the past to determine what might happen in the future.

Now, researchers believe they have developed a math model to help police identify and eliminate emerging crime hot spots. "We can actually define where you get hot spots and where you won't," said Jeffrey Brantingham, a UCLA associate professor of anthropology who has been working to define crime patterns.

Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford said that kind of assessment is an essential part of fighting crime.

GPS units fail to protect public from sex offenders

Jun

James Edward
Norkin

Officials who track offenders still can not stop them from criminal activity
by Brian Joseph, Sacramento Correspondent - The Orange County Register - June 18, 2010

This wasn't supposed to happen anymore. After voters approved Jessica's Law, California children were supposed to be safe from sex offenders like James Edward Norkin (left).

You remember Jessica's Law, don't you?

Named for a 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender who had failed to report where he lived, Jessica's Law was a tough-on-crime initiative on the November 2006 ballot. Dubbed Proposition 83 by the Secretary of State, Jessica's Law promised, in the words of its sponsors, to “protect our children by keeping child molesters in prison longer; keeping them away from schools and parks; and monitoring their movements” with GPS, or global position satellite, tracking after they're released. Officials would be able to track every step a convicted sex offender took.

In California, license plates might go electronic

Jun

California
license plate

Are we really ready for this? - by Robin Hindery - Associated Press - San Luis Obispo.com - June 21, 2010

As electronic highway billboards flashing neon advertisements become more prevalent, the next frontier in distracted driving is already approaching - ad-blaring license plates.

The California Legislature is considering a bill that would allow the state to begin researching the use of electronic license plates for vehicles. The move is intended as a moneymaker for a state facing a $19 billion deficit.

The device would mimic a standard license plate when the vehicle is in motion but would switch to digital ads or other messages when it is stopped for more than four seconds, whether in traffic or at a red light. The license plate number would remain visible at all times in some section of the screen.

In emergencies, the plates could be used to broadcast Amber Alerts or traffic information.

LAPD's new $74-million jail sits empty

Jun

Old jail is
dilapidated and
overcrowded

The department is still using its dilapidated, overcrowded downtown jail that the new one is meant to replace because it doesn't have the money to hire enough jailers for the labor-intensive facility. - by Joel Rubin - Los Angeles Times - June 20, 2010

As far as jails go, the Los Angeles Police Department's gleaming, new Metropolitan Detention Center is about as good as it gets. Armed with more than $70 million in public funds, the department spared little expense four years ago when it started construction on the 172,000-square-foot, five-floor structure that is one of the largest of its kind.

It's wired with video cameras and has automated security doors and electronic fingerprinting stations. To better monitor inmates and cut down on overcrowding, the jail is divided into secure wings that are flooded with sunlight from skylights and kept cool by a centralized air conditioner. Sound-dampening panels even hang from the ceiling because studies show a quiet jail is a peaceful jail.

All that's missing are the criminals.

Fathers' Day History

Jun

World's Greatest Dad

Honoring Dads and their roles - Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.

Most Americans back new Arizona law

Jun

US / Mexican
border
----------------
CA, AZ, NM, TX
most effected

Most also back a path to legal documentation / eventual citizenship
by Jon Cohen and Tara Bahrampour - Washington Post - June 17, 2010

Most Americans support the new, controversial Arizona law that gives police there the power to check the residency status of suspected illegal immigrants. But most also still back a program giving those here illegally the right to earn legal documentation, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Immigration has been rising in prominence as an issue and has the potential to roil party unity on both sides as Democrats and Republicans push for the upper hand in the midterm elections. Liberal Democrats are broadly against the Arizona law; moderate and conservative Democrats are more evenly split on the issue.

Most staunch Republicans oppose a "path to citizenship," while a majority of other Republicans favor such a plan. At the Texas Republican convention last week, the party splintered over the issue, with moderates proposing a legalization plan through military service, and the party ultimately adding an Arizona-like measure to its plank.

Oakland will prepare to issue pink slips to 200 police

Jun

Controversial in
a city with a
notoriously high
crime rate

Controversial in a city with a notoriously high crime rate
by Kelly Rayburn - The Oakland Tribune - June 16, 2010

OAKLAND — City officials will make preparations to issue pink slips to 200 police officers who could be out of a job by mid-July.

No final decision on cutting police has been made, but the City Council voted Tuesday to direct administrators to prepare to issue the notices should the board vote for layoffs at a June 24 meeting. The city must fill a $31.5 million budget hole by the end of the month.

In the past two years, Oakland has made several unpopular budget cuts and fee increases, but cutting police could prove the most controversial in a city with a notoriously high crime rate.

The White House Asks: How do you make a difference?

Jun

The White House
asks: How do you
make a difference?

The White House wants to hear from you - by Kori Schulman - June 15, 2010

Despite difficult economic times, the number of Americans volunteering in communities across the country has increased at the fastest rate in six years, according the Corporation for National and Community Service's annual Volunteering in America report released today. The research, produced by the Corporation as part of its efforts to expand the reach and impact of America's volunteers, is the most comprehensive data on volunteering ever assembled.

The report found that 63.4 million Americans volunteered last year, giving more than 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth an estimated $169 billion. We're interested in how you are making an impact in your communities.

The White House and GOOD ask: How do you make a difference?

Here's a little something to make you smile .. pass it (and them) on ..

Jun

There's nothing
wrong with
FREE
HUGS
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pass them on !

Department of Justice Observes June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Jun

The elderly
population is
vulnerable to
abuse and
violence

The elderly population is vulnerable to abuse and violence - June 15, 2010

For the first time in its history, the Department of Justice today observed June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to raise awareness about the vulnerability of the elder population to abuse and violence. World Elder Abuse Day, first celebrated in 2005, is organized by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Tony West and Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Director Susan B. Carbon participated today in events in Anaheim, Calif., and Washington, D.C. The events are part of the Justice Department's year-long commemoration of the 15 th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The U.S. Bureau of the Census predicts that by 2030, the population over age 65 will double to more than 70 million people and older people will make up almost 20 percent of the population. According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have experienced abuse; and for each reported case about five more cases go unreported. Unfortunately, as the number of older individuals increases, so does the number of potential victims of elder abuse.

Resilient Homes: Last Room Standing

Jun

Demonstrates how
a single room can
withstand the
wrath of a tornado

Changing hearts and minds about safe rooms - June 15, 2010

For 18 horrific hours on April 3, 1974, the largest and most cataclysmic tornado on record for a single 24-hour period took North America by storm. Actually, it was 148 tornadoes, which spun through and sacked 13 states and one Canadian province, ravaging some 900 square miles and killing 148 people.

An iconic photo snapped in the tragedy's aftermath speaks the proverbial thousand words: amid trees knocked down like matchsticks and houses crushed like eggshells, one thing remained intact, standing erect and defying nature's wrath: an interior bathroom, whose walls had not been connected to the rest of the house. This image demonstrates how a single room can withstand the wrath of a tornado and serve as a safe haven.

LAPD's Monthly Message From The Chief - June

Jun

Monthly message from Charlie Beck

from Charlie Beck - Chief of Police, LAPD - June, 2010

As I and members of the Los Angeles Police Department's Metropolitan Division lay to rest Police Officer III+1 Robert J. Cottle at a ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery on April 16th, I was notified of the passing of Chief Daryl F. Gates. The 49th Chief of this great organization, Gates devoted his life to this Department. During his tenure as Chief, Daryl Gates was the LAPD, and the LAPD was Daryl Gates.

On September 16, 1949, Gates was sworn in as a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. On March 28, 1978, he was sworn in as the 49th Chief of Police and would lead the LAPD for 14 years.

Gates was a Chief for his time, and it was a difficult time in American policing. In LA, it was a thin blue line that policed the city. The Chief shaped and formed many of the existing practices and policies of the LAPD and community based programs which have been adapted and implemented around the world.

The History Of Flag Day

Jun

Flag Day
Celebrations

Celebrating the Stars and Stripes

The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.

Ed Dept probing Bronx school over toilet duty corporal punishment

Jun

Cleaning up the
NYC schools

Parents have mixed feelings - by Edgar Sandoval and Rachel Monahan - NY Daily News - June 14, 2010

This punishment really stinks.

City education officials are investigating charges that a Bronx middle school disciplined students by making them clean toilets, a military-style punishment flush with problems.

"It was gross. I did not want to do it," said Randy Estevez, 14, an eighth-grader at In-Tech Academy in the South Bronx.

Instead of detention, Estevez and another student were assigned janitorial duties, including cleaning up feces, for a couple of hours on two days last fall, he told the Daily News.

Obama pleads for $50 billion in state, local aid

Jun

President Barak Obama

Wants to protect teachers, police, firefighters' jops
by Lori Montgomery - Washington Post - June 13, 2010

President Obama urged reluctant lawmakers Saturday to quickly approve nearly $50 billion in emergency aid to state and local governments, saying the money is needed to avoid "massive layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters" and to support the still-fragile economic recovery.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Obama defended last year's huge economic stimulus package, saying it helped break the economy's free fall, but argued that more spending is urgent and unavoidable. "We must take these emergency measures," he wrote in an appeal aimed primarily at members of his own party.

The letter comes as rising concern about the national debt is undermining congressional support for additional spending to bolster the economy. Many economists say more spending could help bring down persistently high unemployment, but with Republicans making an issue of the record deficits run up during the recession, many Democratic lawmakers are eager to turn off the stimulus tap.

U.S. attorney to create unit to prosecute public corruption, civil rights cases

Jun

US Attorney
Andre Birotte Jr.

Bringing to justice those who violate the public's trust
by Scott Glover - Los Angeles Times - June 12, 2010

U.S. Atty. Andre Birotte Jr. announced Friday that he was creating a specialized unit to prosecute public corruption and civil rights cases, such as those involving politicians or police officers accused of crimes.

The move effectively restores a similar unit that was disbanded by Birotte's predecessor, Thomas P. O'Brien, two years ago.

"My experience has taught me that oversight breeds public confidence in government, and public confidence breeds better government," Birotte wrote in a memo circulated to his staff, a copy of which was obtained by The Times. "The public needs to be able to rely on federal law enforcement to act as a watchdog for public institutions and the individuals who hold positions of trust in those organizations."

Chief Beck Doesn’t Speak for Most L.A. Cops on AZ Law

Jun

LAPD Police Chief
Charlie Beck

OPINION - In criticizing Arizona's new immigration law, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck speaks on behalf of the man who appointed him, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
by Jack Dunphy - Pajamas Media - June 12, 2010

In my last column, I reflected on the disappointing but not altogether unsurprising news that Charlie Beck, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, had spoken out against Arizona's new law on illegal immigrants, SB 1070. In that column I described Beck as an honorable man, as indeed I've known him to be for more than twenty years. But a number of those who posted comments on the column, and some who e-mailed me directly, suggested I was being too charitable to the man. In speaking falsely about the law, they said, either through willful ignorance or in the service of a political agenda, Chief Beck has in fact acted dishonorably. It's a fair point, and one that raises a broader issue regarding police work and politics.

One must be wary in listening to police chiefs who claim to speak on behalf of their rank-and-file officers, especially when it comes to issues as politically sensitive as this one. Chances are that the chief's publicly espoused views are diametrically opposed to those held by most of the cops serving under him. Chief Beck's pronouncement on SB 1070 is but the most recent example of this.

Unedited Video of Israeli Raid Posted Online

Jun

Ships were headed for the Gaza Strip
-----------------------
See the entire
unedited video
inside

Worth watching .. - by Robert Mackey - New York Times - June 11, 2010

Iara Lee, a Brazilian-American filmmaker and activist who was shooting a documentary on the flotilla of ships that was intercepted last week on its way to Gaza, has posted one hour of unedited video online that shows the early stages of the Israeli commando raid.

Ms. Lee's raw video, posted on YouTube on Friday, gives viewers a chance to see the atmosphere on the main ship in the flotilla, the Mavi Marmara, just before and during the raid. The footage was shot over the course of more than one hour, as the camera was turned on and off a few times, but it shows long, uninterrupted stretches of the event. (Please be aware that the video contains graphic images of people who have been badly wounded and may have died.)

Since the camera was on a lower deck of the ship, it also shows but does not give a clear view of the violent confrontation and shootings that took place on the top deck of the ship, after Israeli commandos boarded from a helicopter and met with resistance from passengers on board. But the video, and accompanying audio, will help give a better sense of the timeline of the raid. It also shows clearly the area of the ship where wounded and dying passengers — and soldiers — were brought for medical treatment.

Retailers see easing of organized theft

Jun

nearly 90% of
retailers reported
being victims of
organized crime

Still, nearly 90% reported they'd been organized crime victims in 2009
Reuters - June 10, 2010

Fewer retailers have had merchandise stolen by organized crime rings in the past 12 months, as they invest more money in prevention, a leading trade group said on Thursday.

A survey by the National Retail Federation found that 89.5 percent of retailers surveyed were victims of organized theft, down from 92.2 percent last year. About 59 percent said they had seen an increase in theft activity in the last year, while 73 percent had reported a rise a year ago in the midst of the U.S. economic downturn.

Nearly half of the retailers surveyed said they were spending more money on awareness and prevention efforts, up from 41.8 percent a year ago.

Former LAPD Deputy Chief Diaz named new chief of Riverside police

Jun

Chief Sergio Diaz

Had retired from LAPD in April - The Associated Press - June 10, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: We congratulate Chief Diaz, a good friend to LA Community Policing, on his being selected as the next Chief of Police in Riverside, CA. Segio is devoted to community partnerships with law enforcement and is a big fan of our work at LACP. We wish him all the best.

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—A retired Los Angeles Police Department commander has been named the new chief of police in Riverside.

Sergio Diaz is scheduled to begin his new job on July 1. Diaz replaces former chief Russ Leach who was granted a medical retirement after pleading guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence.

Bicyclists Clash with LAPD

Jun

bicycle enthusiasts
riding in an urban
environment

Bad blood continues despite attempts at detente
by Dennis Romero - June 10, 2010 - LA Weekly

Tensions between the LAPD and a group of hard-core bicyclists boiled over this spring, despite efforts by both sides to smooth over their history of bad relations.

Relations between the police and pedal-power activists, many of whom are ardent environmentalists, seemed to reach the bottom of a Gulf oil well in January, when cyclist Ed Magos , who works for the city's Information Technology Agency, was hit downtown by a woman who left the scene only to report the collision at the neighboring Rampart Division station.

The woman was not cited for suspicion of hit-and-run. Magos ended up in the hospital.

Westmoreland, PA, prosecutor will seek death penalty for Daugherty's death

Jun

Greensburg PA
--------------------
a tragedy in
middle America

Three of six in kidnapping, torture, killing case will face execution
by Jennifer Reeger - Tribune-Review Newspaper- June 7, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a follow-up to a story we had on the site in February. This is an unusual and disturbing case, one where a half dozen young prople (ages 17 to 36) are charged with having kidnapped, tortured and killed a mentally challenged young lady in rural Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Now the Westmorland County prosecutor has decided to seek the death peanalty for three of the accused.

A prosecutor will seek the death penalty against three of the six men and women charged in the torture slaying of a mentally challenged woman in Greensburg.

Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck announced today that he would seek a death sentence in the cases against Ricky Smyrnes, 23, and Melvin Knight, 20, both of 428 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Greensburg, and Amber Meidinger, 20, of 103 Indiana Drive, Greensburg.

LAPD, airport police discuss 911 call situation at LAX

Jun

LAX airport
---------------
security is a constant worry

Security at LAX airport is a constant concern and worry
by Art Marroquin - Daily Breeze Newspaper - June 7, 2010

Los Angeles International Airport's police department lacks the necessary equipment and recognition from state and local authorities to properly handle 911 calls placed from terminals, airport Police Chief George Centeno acknowledged Monday.

Responding to a complaint from the union representing airport police officers, Centeno told the City Council's Public Safety Committee that emergency calls at LAX are therefore routed to the Los Angeles Police Department's dispatch center.

"If I had my own department, and it was as important as one of your facilities as LAX is, just that facility alone warrants you being as efficient and effective and being able to coordinate with whatever jurisdictions are showing up," Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas told Centeno.

Denver's surveillance system draws praise, concerns

Jun

Big Brother is
watching - all
across the country

System worries civil-liberties groups
by Christopher N. Osher - The Denver Post - June 6, 2010

High-tech video cameras installed throughout the city captured images from about 300 crimes in the past 18 months and helped Denver police make about 80 arrests, authorities say.

And the already robust video system has become so popular along some of Denver's retail corridors that it's getting a financial boost from the private sector. The Colfax Business Improvement District will give police $250,000 to buy and install 12 more cameras along East Colfax Avenue.

California has high hopes of reinstating death penalty

Jun

No executions
in CA since 2006

Over 700 prisoners in CA are on death row
by Sam Stanton and Denny Walsh - The Sacramento Bee - June 5, 2010

When Caryl Chessman died in California's gas chamber 50 years ago – probably the state's most notorious execution – 18 inmates were left on death row. Today, there are 702.

The last execution at San Quentin State Prison was that of Clarence Ray Allen on Jan. 17, 2006, the 13th in California since 1978.

Since that day, at least 205 convicts have been executed in other states, 24 death row inmates at San Quentin have died from natural causes or suicide, and 83 people have been sentenced to death in California courts.

iWATCH Launches at LAX Airport

Jun

Community can help
prevent terrorism
at airports

Program Encourages Airport Visitors and Communities to Help Fight Terrorism

Los Angeles: This morning at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Congresswoman Jane Harman, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Police Division Chief George R. Centeno, and numerous other city and community leaders launched iWATCH LAX, a community engagement effort to fight terrorism.

iWATCH, referred to as the “21st century version of Neighborhood Watch,” is designed to enable members of the public to help protect their communities by identifying and reporting suspicious behaviors and activities known to be used by terrorists. It's the latest tool in use at LAX to help guard against terrorism.

“Our City is faced with a new kind of threat in the 21st Century that requires us to be vigilant of our communities,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “iWATCH not only provides an avenue to report suspicious activity, but more importantly it involves and educates the public about suspicious activities and behaviors, not personal characteristics, that may be associated with terrorist activities.”

CAIR Offers Mixed Review of President's Cairo Address Results

Jun

President Obama
gets "mixed" reviews
from Muslim group

Analyzing the Obama administration's actions in the past year - from CAIR LA - June 4, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today offered what it called a "mixed" review of President Obama's outreach to the Muslim world one year after his historic speech in Cairo .

At a news conference this morning in Washington, D.C., CAIR issued a statement analyzing the Obama administration's actions in the past year and how those actions matched statements made in the Cairo address.

In summarizing that analysis, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:

"The president has done a solid job in setting a new tone in relations with the Muslim world, standing by Muslim appointees who were subjected to political smears and undertaking positive initiatives such as the Muslim entrepreneurship summit.

"However, we remain concerned about issues such as the ability of American Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation of zakat, or charitable giving. We are also concerned that national security issues are being used as a cover for the erosion of American Muslim civil liberties.

Safe Summer Crime Prevention Tips

Jun

Drive down crime
~~~~~~~~~~~~
take special
precautions
this summer

LAPD recommends people take special summer precautions

Los Angeles: As the summer season approaches, LAPD property crimes detectives want to remind community members that taking precautions with your property, both in your house and your car, may prevent you from being the victim of a crime.You can help us to reduce crimes and protect your valuable property by employing the following tips regularly.

Lock doors and windows every time you go out

Lock your windows at night

Don't leave cash and jewelry in plain sight. Lock up your valuables and only tell their location to people who need to know. Consider purchasing a safe that can't be moved easily.

Make use of a safe deposit box if you don't have a safe.

Close pet doors whenever possible.

Trim bushes and trees so that your house and front door are visible from the street

(many more ideas for summer safety inside)

Groups vow to scrutinize enforcement of Arizona law

Jun

Take the
MSNBC
poll
~~~~~~~
Do you
support
Arizona's
tough new
law on llegal
immigration?

What do you think? - Take the poll .. by Alan Gomez - USA TODAY - June 5, 2010

When Arizona's new immigration law goes into effect next month, every immigration check performed by the state's 16,000 officers will be under a microscope.

The law requires an officer to determine a person's immigration status if they are stopped, detained or arrested and there is "reasonable suspicion" they are in the country illegally.

Organizations, such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, say they will be ready to sue immediately if they feel citizens were questioned improperly.

To head off such issues, a group of a dozen people are poring through court opinions and researching identity documents to establish training for each of the state's police officers.

'Jason Bourne' suspect arrested in downtown L.A. hotel after LAPD standoff

Jun

'Jason Bourne' suspect caught

Mystery man finally captured .. but .. "who" is he? - LA Times - June 3, 2010

LAPD officers surrounded a downtown L.A. hotel and took into custody an elusive suspect that police have likened to Jason Bourne, the fictional secret agent known for his daring getaways and high-tech gadgetry in a series of films played by Matt Damon.

Police have been looking for Brian Alexik for nearly two months, ever since they allegedly found weapons and counterfeit cash inside his loft, which is located right outside the Federal Reserve building in downtown L.A.

LAPD sources told The Times that police surrounded a hotel off Hewitt Street near Little Tokyo and eventually detained Alexik as well as a girlfriend. He is now being questioned.

Streets in the area had been blocked off by police. LAPD Capt. Steve Sambar said police officers earlier Thursday noticed a woman who matched the description of Alexik's girlfriend near the hotel.

Supreme Court backs off strict enforcement of Miranda rights

Jun

5-4 decision shifts
the balance in
favor of the police

Once a suspect has been informed of his rights, he has the duty to invoke them, the justices say. The decision reinstates a murder conviction based largely on a suspect's one-word answer to police.

by David G. Savage, Tribune Washington Bureau - June 2, 2010

Reporting from Washington - The Supreme Court backed off Tuesday from strict enforcement of its historic Miranda decision, ruling that a crime suspect's words can be used against him if he fails to clearly tell police that he does not want to talk.

In the past, the court said the "burden rests on the government" to show that a crime suspect had "knowingly and intelligently waived" his rights. Some police departments tell officers not to begin questioning until a suspect has waived his rights, usually by signing a waiver form.

US Marshals Capture Paul Clouston, 15th Most Wanted Fugative

Jun

Paul Clouston
arrested
- break in case
came from TV
viewer

Viewer tip came from the "America's Most Wanted" television program
US Marshal Service - PRESS RELEASE - June 2, 2010

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Marshals Service announced today the capture Tuesday of convicted cop killer and child molester Paul Clouston in Merced, Calif., following a viewer tip to the America's Most Wanted television program. A native of Pennsylvania, Clouston, 73, was added to the U.S. Marshals list of 15 most wanted fugitives Nov. 30, 2006.

Information on Clouston's potential whereabouts was passed from the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force – Richmond Division, to the U.S. Marshals Central Valley Joint Fugitive Task Force in Fresno, Calif. This information indicated Clouston had been working as a maintenance man in a group home in Merced the past four years.

California may bar city bankruptcies

Jun

and .. if CA legalizes
pot .. then what?

and .. if CA legalizes pot .. then what? - by Aaron Smith - CNNMoney.com - June 2, 2010

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - A bill that clamps down on municipal bankruptcy filings is headed for Gov. Schwarzenegger's desk, which is bad news for Los Angeles and other cash-strapped California cities.

If the governor signs Assembly Bill 155, it would place a hurdle in the path of filing for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy. The bill stipulates that a city may only file for bankruptcy with the approval of the California Debt Investment Advisory Commission, which provides information on debt to public agencies.

"California's taxpayers who rely on public safety, senior, park and library services, as well as those who own and operate businesses in our communities, deserve every effort that state and local government can make to avoid the long-term devastation of bankruptcy," the bill says.

Will the AZ Immigration Law Make the Job of Police Harder?

Jun

If the new Arizona
law takes effect
will things be
better or worse
for public safety?

A group of police chiefs — including L.A.'s Charlie Beck — say that illegal aliens will be more reluctant to help fight crime out of fear of law enforcement.
OPINION - by Jack Dunphy - Pajamas Media - May 28, 2010

Charlie Beck, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, has spoken out against Arizona's new law on illegal aliens. The only surprise in this is that it took so long. Chief Beck is an honorable man and is — so far, at least — respected within the ranks of the LAPD, but he is also a man who knows where his bread is buttered. He is an appointee of the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, who enthusiastically advocates amnesty for illegal immigrants, and it is inconceivable that Beck would have been named to the job if he could not be reliably counted on to parrot the mayor's opinions on a range of matters, most especially illegal immigration.

Beck was one of several police chiefs in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday who met with Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the Arizona law. “This is not a law that increases public safety,” said Beck, as quoted in the Washington Post. “This is a bill that makes it much harder for us to do our jobs. Crime will go up if this becomes law in Arizona or in any other state.” Rubbish.

Memorial Day History

May

Memorial Day
- a day of
remembrance

Memorial Day - a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service

There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day.

There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead."

While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868.

Americans Forced to Quiet Down

May

The country is
getting noisier,
and Americans
are feeling
the effects

Some cities are issuing tough new laws to get residents to turn down the volume
Parade Magazine - 05/30/10

The increasing volume of American life -- from construction sites, car alarms, and barking dogs to booming stereos -- is leading lawmakers across the country to issue tough new restrictions on how much noise residents can make.

The federal Noise Control Act set some broad guidelines against noise pollution in 1972 and was followed by many local laws.

Yet the country is getting noisier, and Americans are feeling the effects.

According to the National Institute on Deafness, 30 million people in the U.S. are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day and 10 million have suffered gradual hearing loss as a result.

FOX News Reporting: The American Terrorist

May

American born
cleric & terrorist
Anwar al-Awlaki
------------------
watch for the
FOX News Special
Sunday - 3PM

A look at American born cleric and terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki - May 28, 2010 - FOX News

Sunday - May 30, 2010 - 3 PM
Hosted by Bill Hemmer

This FOX News investigative special goes deep inside the mysterious and deadly world of American born terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki.

FOX News correspondents Catherine Herridge and Greg Palkot follow Awlaki's twisted and destructive trail from suburban communities in the U.S. to his hideout in Yemen.

New evidence emerging in the details about the Times Square bomber, the failed attempt to blow up a plane on Christmas Day and the massacre at Fort Hood has put for the first time a U.S. citizen on the CIA's "capture or kill" list.

Evidence includes documents that relate to the investigation of Anwar Al-Awlaki, the Muslim cleric who has been associated with 9/11 hijackers, Major Nidal Hasan, the alleged-Fort Hood shooter, and Umar Abdulmutallab, the so-called Christmas Day bomber.

Document says number of attempted attacks on U.S. is at all-time high

May

NYPD officers
on patrol

DHS - expects attacks inside the United States with "increased frequency"
by Carol Cratty - CNN - May 27, 2010

Washington (CNN) -- Just weeks after the failed car bombing of New York's Times Square, the Department of Homeland Security says "the number and pace of attempted attacks against the United States over the past nine months have surpassed the number of attempts during any other previous one-year period."

That grim assessment is contained in an unclassified DHS intelligence memo prepared for various law enforcement groups, which says terror groups are expected to try attacks inside the United States with "increased frequency."

Report Graffiti - its illegal

May

tagging is illegal
------------------
be a good wtiness
REPORT GRAFFITI

EDITOR'S NOTE: Nearly every community in Los Angeles struggles with dealing with the blight of graffiti, some more than others. Tagging is illegal, and the City has various programs designed to deal with preventing and eradicating graffiti. But it mostly falls to the residents to report tagging. Here are the LAPD's most recent recommendations for what to do (check with your local police departments in other locales for the programs they may have to eliminate this problem).

from LAPD - May 27, 2010 - Everyday our city is plagued with graffiti from taggers. It becomes unsightly and drives potential business away from the community. Get involved, help clean up your community.

NEVER CONFRONT A TAGGER. BE A GOOD WTNESS AND REPORT THEM USING THE FOLLOWING METHODS: (see info inside)

Student of Homicide Is Charged in Three Murders

May

Stephen Griffiths in
an undated photo
------------------
graduate student in criminology

British Ph.D. candidate in criminology accused - by John F. Burns - The New York Times

May 28, 2010 - LONDON — In a grisly case that British newspapers have compared to the Yorkshire Ripper murders of the 1970s, the police on Thursday charged a 40-year-old man pursuing a Ph.D. in 19th-century homicides with the murders of three women identified by the police as prostitutes.

One victim was caught on closed-circuit television last week being killed with a crossbow shot to the head before her dismembered body was dumped in a nearby river.

The man charged with the killings, Stephen Griffiths, is a former van driver with a psychology degree who was enrolled in a postgraduate course in criminology. The Times of London reported that he had told a neighbor in Bradford, the rundown industrial city in West Yorkshire where he lived until his arrest on Monday, that he was studying for “a Ph.D. in murder and Jack the Ripper,” the pseudonym given to the unidentified serial killer of prostitutes in London's Whitechapel slum district in the 1880s.

Terror Comes Home

May

25 Americans
charged with terrorism

SEE PHOTOS

At least 25 American citizens have faced serious terrorism offenses in the past 18 months, a pattern that has counterintelligence officials concerned.
by Mark Hosenball - Newsweek Web Exclusive - May 20, 2010

In the years following the September 11 attacks, counterterrorism officials were focused primarily on tracking down terrorists abroad. But in recent years their targets have been increasingly closer to home. At least 25 American citizens—both born and naturalized—have been charged with serious federal terrorism violations since the beginning of 2009, according to information compiled by federal authorities.

The list of 25 U.S. citizens who have been charged with such offenses in the last 18 months was compiled and provided to NEWSWEEK by a U.S. law-enforcement official, who requested not to be identified because it is not an official government publication and is not meant to be exhaustive. "These cases clearly suggest that an increasing number of U.S. citizens, both native-born Americans and naturalized citizens, appear to be getting involved in the terrorist cause. It's not an encouraging trend," said a Justice Department official who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information.

In Trenton, Issuing IDs for Illegal Immigrants

May

Trentron's
solution: a
community
identification
card

Trentron's solution: a community identification card
by Kirk Semple - The New York Times - May 17, 2010

TRENTON, N.J. — Since moving to this city from her native Guatemala a decade ago, Herlinda, an illegal immigrant, has supported her family with restaurant work, but has had no way of proving that she lives here.

Without government-issued photo identification, like a driver's license or a passport, she said, she could not get treatment at most medical clinics, borrow a book from the library, pick up a package from a mail center or cash a check.

But this month she discovered a solution: a community identification card issued by a coalition of civic groups and endorsed by Trenton and Mercer County officials.

Focus by police on 'bad guys with guns' means big drop in Baltimore's violent crime

May

Ridding "bad guys
with guns" in
Baltimore

Out to win the war on violence - by Ben Nuckols - The Associated Press - May 15, 2010

BALTIMORE -- In a blighted west Baltimore neighborhood, Lt. Ian Dombroski turns his unmarked police car around a corner and sees several men standing outside a liquor store. They scatter immediately.

Dombroski knows they're probably selling drugs, but he keeps driving. Five years ago, he said, officers who saw a similar scene wouldn't take such a selective approach.

"We'd all jump out, grab all the junkies, find out who had the drugs on 'em, lock 'em up, and that might be three or four drug arrests right there," Dombroski said. "And we'd go, 'Good, those are numbers.' "

But under Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, officers in one of the nation's most violent cities are no longer being told to beef up arrest statistics.

Could the SWAT-Related Death of a 7-Year-Old Have Been Avoided in Detroit?

May

Aiyana
Stanley-Jones
------------------
accidentally shot during a police raid

Aiyana Stanley-Jones was accidentally shot during a police raid of an alleged murder suspect. Could her death have been avoided?
OPINION - by Jack Dunphy - Pajamas Media - May 21, 2010

In police work, mistakes can be deadly. And heartbreaking.

Early Sunday morning, officers from the Detroit Police Department went to a duplex on the city's east side looking for Chauncey Louis Owens, who they believed had shot and killed a 17-year-old boy on Friday. The officers had a search warrant that covered both the upstairs and downstairs units in the duplex.

Because of the violent nature of the crime, service of the warrant was assigned to the Special Response Team, Detroit's version of a SWAT unit. Seeking to surprise the suspect as he slept, officers threw a “flash-bang” grenade through a front window of the lower unit, then made a rapid entry through the front door. What happened next is the subject of debate, but the tragic results are these: An officer fired his weapon, and the bullet struck 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, who had been sleeping on a couch in the living room.

New police chief Ronal Serpas is determined to restore confidence in NOPD

May

New Orleans Chief Ronal Sepas

from Nashville to New Orleans - by: Brendan McCarthy - ‘The Times-Picayune' - May 16, 2010

New Orleans, LA - Ronal Serpas believes in a Bible-thick booklet of charts and graphs and in the importance of a dot on a map.

In Serpas' world of policing, the dot dictates nearly everything. It tells you when and where to deploy your officers and how many to send. It tells you what happened yesterday and what will likely happen tomorrow. It measures success; it outlines failure.

When the dot moves to another street corner on the map, you sidestep with it. And when the dots bunch up in a cluster, you attack full-bore.

Wanted: Technology to curb mobile phone use in prison

May

The U.S. govt says
cell phone use in
prison is threat to
public safety

Government says cell phone use in prison is threat to public safety
by Matthew Lasar - CNN Tech - May 13, 2010

The campaign to rid our nation's prisons of cell phones went to the next level on Wednesday, with a call from the Department of Commerce for intel on devices that can get the situation under control. The government is "seeking comment on technical approaches" to the problem, Commerce says.

"The illicit use of cell phones by prisoners is a danger to public safety and must be addressed," declared the department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration boss Lawrence Strickling upon release of a Notice of Inquiry. "At the same time, we need to make sure that any technical solutions do not interfere with 911 calls, government or other legitimate cell phone use."

Prison agency projects costs of 'Chelsea's Law'

May

$54 million
in added expense

Eventually, provisions could mean $54 million in added expenses
by Michael Gardner - San Diego Union Tribune - May 18, 2010

SACRAMENTO — Longer sentences and tougher parole conditions proposed in “Chelsea's Law” targeting sex offenders would cost taxpayers little initially, but the price tag could climb into the tens of millions annually, according to a pair of just-released fiscal reports.

Nevertheless, supporters of the legislation inspired by murdered San Diego County teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois vow to press ahead for its passage.

It's a small price to pay for better protection of our children,” said Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, who is carrying the measure, AB 1844.

Boss Kelly - The long-serving NYPD commissioner

May

NYPD
Commissioner
Ray Kelly

Autocratic, dismissive of civil-liberties concerns—and effective. Is that a reasonable trade-off to keep the city safe? by Geoffrey Gray - New York Magazine - May 16, 2010

“Where to, boss?” the detective says.

“The office.”

“Boss, that 10th Precinct job, suspicious package, that Ryder truck that was parked at that parking location, that was scanned by the bomb squad and deemed to be safe. Four-five and Tenth Avenue.”

The police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, nods to his detective and buckles his seat belt as his black Suburban heads back to headquarters. But first, a pit stop.

US drug war has met none of its goals

May

drug use is rampant
in America

Drug use is rampant - violence brutal and widespread
by Martha Mendoza - The Associated Press - May 14th, 2010

MEXICO CITY — After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread.

Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked. "In the grand scheme, it has not been successful," Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. "Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified."

Whodunnit? (Criminal Profiling - It Works)

May

Whodunnit ??
----------------
criminal profilers
- the heroes of
police work ?

Criminal profilers were once the heroes of police work, nailing offenders with their astonishing psychological insights. So why did it all fall apart?
by Jon Ronson - May 15th, 2010 - ‘The Guardian' / Manchester, England

One day, 70 years ago, a package was left on a windowsill at the Consolidated Edison power plant in New York. It was a bomb, with a note attached: "CON EDISON CROOKS – THIS IS FOR YOU." It didn't explode. However, 33 more successful devices did and, at a loss, the NYPD did something no one had ever attempted outside the pages of a Conan Doyle novel. They handed the case file to a psychiatrist, a West Village man called James Brussel . He closed his eyes, went into a kind of trance and – as he later reported in his bestselling memoir, Casebook Of A Crime Psychiatrist – it came to him.

There was, for a start, something overly formal about the wording of his notes. They spoke of "The Con Edison's dastardly deeds". He seemed foreign-born. And suffering from an Oedipal complex . He was unmarried, a loner, maybe living with his mother. Then Brussel delivered his now legendary coup de grace: " 'One more thing,' I said, my eyes closed tight. I saw the Bomber: impeccably neat, absolutely proper. 'When you catch him he'll be wearing a double-breasted suit.'

Sex offenders may be confined past sentences

May

sexually dangerous may stay in prison

Applies to those who are deemed "sexually dangerous" - by Joan Biskupic - USA TODAY - 05/18/10

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a law that lets the U.S. government keep inmates behind bars who have served their time but are deemed "sexually dangerous."

By a 7-2 vote, the justices rejected a claim that Congress had exceeded its authority in passing the 2006 federal law.

Writing for the majority, Justice Stephen Breyer said Congress' ability to control the release of dangerous prisoners stems from its expansive power under the Constitution to enact laws governing prisons. He added that Congress has long been involved in mental health care for federal prisoners, including their civil commitment.

From Police Chief to Prison: Kerik Starts Sentence

May

Bernard B. Kerik
-------------------------
former Chief
now inmate

NYC's former Top Cop jailed - by Sam Dolnick - New York Times - May 18, 2010

In the coming days, Bernard B. Kerik will begin work as a groundskeeper, or maybe a housing orderly, at a starting salary of 12 cents an hour. His blog, where he defended his blemished record and discussed finding strength in Rocky movies, will go dark. His exercise regimen, which helped shape his fireplug physique, will be limited to the hours between dinner and bedtime.

Mr. Kerik, 54, the former police commissioner of New York, surrendered at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Md., at 1:45 p.m. on Monday, said Felicia Ponce, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Prisons.

Now registered as Inmate 84888-054, Mr. Kerik will serve his four-year prison term in the facility's minimum-security wing, which houses more than 450 other inmates, Ms. Ponce said. He pleaded guilty last year to eight felony charges, including tax fraud and lying to White House officials.

Those Schoolcraft Tapes - NYPD - One Police Plaza

May

An insider's
look at NYPD

OPINION / EDITORIAL - by Leonard Levitt - May 17th, 2010 - ‘NYPD Confidential.Com'

Whether whiner or whistleblower, police officer Adrian Schoolcraft continues to damage the credibility of the New York City Police Department.

An eight-year veteran assigned to Brooklyn's 81st precinct, Schoolcraft appeared last February in a Daily News exposé, accusing precinct commander Steven Mauriello of fudging statistics so that crime numbers would appear to be lower than they actually were.

Specifically, Schoolcraft accused precinct officials of downgrading felonies to misdemeanors, refusing to take victims' complaints, and trying to talk others out of even reporting certain crimes. Last week the Village Voice did the News one better. It published a three-part series by reporter Graham Rayman, based on 15 months of tapes that Schoolcraft had secretly made of the precinct's roll calls.

Are police officers the unspoken concern when it comes to Arizona's new law?

May

LA Police
Protective
League

OPINION of the LA Police Protective League Board - EDITOR'S NOTE: The LA Police Protective League (LAPPL) is the union that represents the rank and file officers in the LAPD. - May 14, 2020

Much of the debate currently raging over Arizona's new law, which directs law enforcement officers to investigate the immigration status of people who have been legally stopped, misses the point. Opponents fear the law will become an excuse to terrorize Hispanics, who will be constantly challenged to prove they are here legally. They believe police officers will use the law as an opportunity to make life miserable for illegal residents in hopes they will pick up and go back home.

But where is the evidence for that? Police officers are subject to closer review and scrutiny than any other public safety professional. Integrity and professionalism are their core values. Those who say we can't trust our police to follow the law are basically saying we can't trust our police – and we take issue with that.

Immigration violation tips flood ICE line

May

ICE agent
deals wi9th a
suspected illegal

Migration calls soar - San Bernadino County Sun - by Stephen Wall - May 15, 2010

It's been a banner year for a toll-free tip line that citizens can call to report immigration violations. Fueled in part by citizens fed up with illegal immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials received nearly 100,000 calls to the tip line from Oct. 1 through the end of April.

At this point in the previous fiscal year, the number was less than 64,000, said David Palmatier, chief of ICE's law enforcement support center in Williston, Vt. "This current fiscal year is likely to be a record for us," he said.

Palmatier attributed the increase to an effective outreach campaign on the ICE website and extensive public service announcements in media outlets.

Four cities report more murders in 2010

May

Homicide up
in big cities

New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia
by Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY - May 13, 2010

Crime is dropping throughout much of the country, but statistics show that one category of violence is bucking the trend: murder.

Some of the nation's largest cities — New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia — are reporting slight increases in murders so far this year, according department records. That's due in part to shootings involving multiple victims and unexpected spikes in domestic killings, criminal justice analysts say.

Illegal Immigrants and the Arizona Law - OPINION

May

Arizona's new
immigration law
may never go
into effect

Anyone who knows how the police actually work would not be afraid of the Arizona law
OPINION - by Jack Dunphy - The National Review - May 12, 2010

If Arizona 's new immigration law survives the many court challenges now facing it — a dubious prospect, given the Ninth Circuit's eventual role in the process — it will take effect on July 29. And on that day, as police officers settle into their Crown Victorias, crank up the air conditioning, and drive out onto the streets of their cities and towns, they will be asking themselves, “What am I supposed to do now?”

The law signed by Gov. Jan Brewer is straightforward in its obligations on police officers: They are to make a reasonable effort to investigate the immigration status of persons who have been lawfully stopped and about whom there is reasonable suspicion to believe they are “unlawfully present in the United States.”

An Eye for Counterterrorism - at LAPD

May

LAPD Deputy Chief
Michael Downing
leads the LAPD's
Counter-Terrorism
Bureau

LAPD Pushes Community to Watch for Dubious Activity, Not Suspicious People
by Ryan Vaillancourt - Downtown LA News - May 7, 2010

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - When LAPD Public Information Director Mary Grady discusses the department's community-based counterterrorism initiative known as iWatch, she repeatedly refers to “suspicious activities and behaviors.” That's a specific and intentional phrase, with “activities and behaviors” employed rather than “suspicious-looking people.”

The department announced iWatch, which asks the public to report activities that may be tied to terrorism, last October. Now, as officials continue to quietly roll out the program, the focus is on schooling people to recognize what kinds of behaviors are really dubious, and what kinds of suspicions amount to racial profiling.

It's an issue that commands special attention in Downtown Los Angeles, where the cluster of government offices, sports and entertainment centers and high-rises, including the tallest building west of the Mississippi, make potential high-profile targets. The matter takes on even more urgency in the wake of the failed bombing last week in Times Square.

Get the Kleenex ready... Thanks to our troops!!!!

May

Join Us in Securing Safe Neighborhoods for Every Angeleno

May

LA City and LAPD
needs help from
all Angelenos to
keep streets safe

Opinion / Editorial by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa and LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck
from LA Mayor / LAPD- May 7, 2010

Over the last several years improving public safety has been the focus of the City's leadership. All of our collective efforts have paid off -- we have not seen crime this low in Los Angeles since the Eisenhower Administration.

In fact, crime is down in every division of our City. We have also been able to stem the tide of gang violence which has historically plagued our City. Neighborhoods are safer for our residents and streets are safer for our visitors. All who live and work in Los Angeles are reaping the benefits of our efforts as we all agree that public safety is the foundation for economic development and the creation of jobs.

Message from the LAPD Chief, Charlie Beck - May, 2010

May

LAPD Chief
Charlie Beck

Police Memorial Month - by Charlie Beck - May, 2010

In November 2009, the Los Angeles Police Department opened to the public, our new Police Administration Building (PAB). At the time, it's “L” shape was described as arms wrapping around all who visit and comforting those who come to remember the men and women of the LAPD that we have lost. Without a doubt PAB is a new landmark for Downtown and the City of Los Angeles. It communicates to us a symbolic gateway to the future. It is not possible however, to look to the future without remembering our past.

We have lasting gratitude for the men and women of the LAPD who took an oath to protect and to serve, and fulfilled this oath with their lives. We have a beautiful, permanent memorial sculpture and garden area. Located next to the main entrance, in glass cases, are replica badges for each of these fallen officers. These are the badges that the LAPD officers proudly wore when they made the ultimate sacrifice. These men and women were all bound by a common spirit – to protect and serve without any hesitation for their well being. These fallen officers represent the best of the LAPD and we will never forget their service and sacrifice.

Los Angeles on the Brink of Bankruptcy - UPDATED

May

LA City Hall has
been pretending
all is well for
many years now

OPINION - by Richard Riordan and Alexander Rubalcava - The Wall Street Journal - May 5, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: As one of LA's "activists" over the last decade and more, I've joined many fellow community members, some far more financially astute then me, in warning City Hall and the public that Los Angeles has been on what a former Mayor and a once well placed and now retired LAPD official are describing as "a terminal fiscal crisis." We community members have presented the case over and over, testifying in different venues and before different committees .. and its all fallen on deaf ears. I hope Richard Rieordon and Al Rubalcava (and The Wall Street Journal) can make us all wake up. But I kind of doubt it ..

Los Angeles is facing a terminal fiscal crisis: Between now and 2014 the city will likely declare bankruptcy. Yet Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council have been either unable or unwilling to face this fact.

According to the city's own forecasts, in the next four years annual pension and post-retirement health-care costs will increase by about $2.5 billion if no action is taken by the city government. Even if Mr. Villaraigosa were to enact drastic pension reform today, which he shows no signs of doing, the city would only save a few hundred million per year.

Border States Deal With More Illegal Immigrant Crime Than Most, Data Suggest

May

A Guatemalan
illegal immigrant
prepares to board
a plane in Phoenix

California, Arizona, New Mexico & Texas bear the biggest burden - FOXNews.com - May 2, 2010

Arizona lawmakers say their new immigration enforcement law will help them fight an illegal immigrant crime wave that is sweeping the state, a claim that is backed by studies and statistics that suggest border states have a disproportionately high number of criminals who are illegal immigrants.

"We've been inundated with criminal activity. It's just -- it's been outrageous," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer told Fox News.

"Crime is off the chart in this state," added Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, president of the Arizona Association of Sheriffs.

California Loses Fight to End Prison Oversight

May

Feds say CA must
improve inmate
medical care

CA must improve inmate medical care - Associated Press - May 5, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO—The Schwarzenegger administration lost a legal fight Friday to end oversight of California's prison health-care system.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a federal judge can continue with a court-appointed receiver to improve inmate medical care.

The appeals court also dismissed the administration's request to stop the receiver's construction plans to add medical beds.

California has been trying to end federal oversight of the state's prison system, largely because of the growing costs. The state is facing a projected $20 billion deficit through June 2011.

Police Commission Elects Alan Skobin as Vice President

May

Commissioner
Alan Skobin
-------------------
good friend
of LACP

A good friend of LA Community Policing - LAPD Police Commission - May 4, 2010

Los Angeles – On May 4, 2010, the members of the Police Commission unanimously elected Police Commissioner Alan J. Skobin as Vice President of the five member panel. The Vice President serves with the Police Commission President as the leadership team, and also fills all of the responsibilities of the Commission President in his or her absence. The Vice President position was recently vacated by outgoing Commissioner Andrea Sheridan Ordin, who was appointed Los Angeles County Counsel.

Vice President Skobin has served as a Police Commissioner since 2003. He is the Vice President and General Counsel of Galpin Motors, Inc., in the San Fernando Valley. A Reserve Chief for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Vice President Skobin is widely recognized for his expertise in many areas of law enforcement, including efficient use of resources, officer use of force incidents, technology, and employee relations. He is also a strong advocate for community based policing.

LAPD relies on community through iWatchLA

May

key to LAPD's prep
against terrorism
is community involvement
----------------
See Something
Say Something
----------------
iWatchLA.org
1-877-A-THREAT

Community is first line of defense against terrorism
by Leanne Suter - KABC - Channel 7 - May 2, 2010

(KABC) -- The Los Angeles Police Department says a key part of their preparedness against terrorism is community involvement through the iWatchLA program.

The LAPD knows that community involvement is key to keeping the city safe. That's why the department is launching its iWatchLA program to encourage and educate the public to be alert.

They're the eyes and ears of the LAPD and likely the first line of defense against a terrorist attack. That's why the department is reaching out to the public with its iWatchLA program, encouraging the community to report anything suspicious.

New York bomb plot suspect says acted alone

May

Faisal Shahzad - Times Square bomber

Man arrested at New York airport trying to fly to Dubai
Suspect Faisal Shahzad, 30, due in court on Tuesday
Obama says probe will look for possible foreign ties
Tells investigators he acted alone
by Daniel Trotta - Reuters - May 4, 2010

NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) - The Pakistani-American arrested on suspicion of driving a bomb-laden car into New York's Times Square told U.S. authorities he acted alone but skeptical investigators are looking into his recent trip to Pakistan, a law enforcement source said on Tuesday.

Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was arrested late on Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after being removed from a plane as it was about to take off for Dubai.

Church Counsels Women Addicted to Pornography

May

"Dirty Girls
Ministries" seeks
to council girls
away from online
and offline porn

A group for women who say they are addicted to pornography is new territory
by John Leland - The New York Times - May 1, 2010

LENEXA, Kan. — It was the final session for the women at Westside Family Church's Victory Over Porn Addiction group, and the youngest member, a 17-year-old named Kelsie, had not had a good week.

“I slipped two nights this week,” she said, to nods of support from the other women in the group. "I decided that every time I'm tempted I'll just let everything out to God,” she said, “then pray specifically for someone else, do selfless acts, to get away from being selfish.”

The group's leader, Crystal Renaud, offered gentle counsel. “Pray for yourself, too,” she said. To the wide array of programs offered by evangelical megachurches like Westside, the group adds what Ms. Renaud says is something long overdue.

Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative Eighth Annual Community Forum

Apr

Don't miss this
FREE event!

FREE event will be held Thur, May 13th - 8 am to 2:30 pm - at USC

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since LANI's inception, LA Community Policing has participated in and / or promoted these Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative annual forums. We urge our followers to make an attempt to attend the event. This informative and educational forum is FREE OF CHARGE!

LANI FORUM OVERVIEW
LANI’s Eighth Annual Community Forum promises to be an exciting and educational event! During these challenging times, neighborhood participation and empowerment are critical. The Forum gathers and informs neighborhood leaders and community stakeholders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors working to build a better Los Angeles. Come and celebrate the inspiring work taking place in our communities and learn how to revitalize your own neighborhood from industry experts at this unique event.

Learn how to register for the LANI Eight Annual Community Forum inside ..

Teen gets 40 years for killing Border Patrol agent

Apr

US Border
Patrol Agent
Robert Rosas
was killed in
San Diego County

Agent was lured from his vehicle and shot repeatedly in the head
by Elliot Spagat - Associated Press - April 30, 2010

SAN DIEGO — A 17-year-old Mexican was sentenced to 40 years in prison Thursday for murdering a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was lured from his vehicle during an attempted robbery and shot repeatedly in the head.

Defendant Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez, described as a one-time smuggler of illegal immigrants, sat with his head down throughout the hearing, as the wife and sisters of 30-year-old Robert Rosas emotionally described how his execution shattered their lives.

Castro wrote a letter, read in court by the judge, saying he was "extremely sorry" and wished he could turn back the clock.

Skid Row: We have faith in you. It's time to have faith in us

Apr

LAPD officer helps
a person on
LA's skid row

A skid row cop's OPINION - by Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph, LAPD - April 26, 2010

Hello again Central City East (Skid Row). As you know I am Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph. It has been my pleasure to serve you for the past five years as your Senior Lead Officer.

I have walked with you, and am grateful for your openness to me and your support over the years. I hope in those times I along with my fellow officers have proven our desire to make your community a safe haven for many to rehabilitate and thrive.

Over the years, many of you have expressed a strong desire for us to focus our efforts on individuals who selfishly come to your community to sell narcotics near facilities designed for rehabilitation such as the area shelters and low income supportive housing services. We have been doing so through arrests and foot patrols in the area, but even with these two successful measures, more tools are needed to build on our current success.

California Papers Pick Prop 15 -- so does LA Community Policing

Apr

---------------
The editorial
endorsements
are rolling in!

Making elections fair by leveling the field - newspapers all agree Prop 15 should be passed
Los Angeles Times, Bakersfield Californian, San Francisco Chronicle, Daily Breeze, Daily News and more ..

EDITOR'S NOTE: LA Community Policing believes in give people a choice .. in this case a more equitable way to gage political candidates on a more level playing field. We support the idea that at every level, local, state and national, special interest money should be eliminated. The funding of campaign messages campaigns should be available in like amounts to all eligible political candidates.

Prop 15 changes the way California would finance election campaigns so politicians so politicians stay focused on the job they are elected to accomplish.

It includes a pilot project to publicly finance Secretary of State candidates in 2014 and 2018. Prop 15 removes the ban on public financing of campaigns in California so all cities, counties, and offices can explore it.

Deadly violence returns to LAPD Northeast Division

Apr

Community policing programs of all sorts are being
scaled back
across the country

First homicide all year in Northeast LA area - The EastsiderLA - April 27, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: The two LAPD Divisions that border the community where I live, Hollenbeck and Northeast Divisions, have experienced less and less crime in the decade since community based policing has become a part of the philosophy of the Department. Both are gang infested areas. Now one of them, Northeast Division, has had its first homicide all year, a remarkable statistic. Community policing programs of all sorts are being scaled back across the country, as law enforcement budgets are being drastically reduced, and police departments are being asked to do more, for less. We hope this is not a sign of things to come.

A shooting in Cypress Park early Sunday morning left one man dead, ending a nearly four-month long period when no homicides were reported in the LAPD Northeast Division. The shooting in the 600 block of Romulo Street on Sunday at about 1 AM also left two other males injured, said Capt. William Murphy.

Rural Sheriff suing commissioners for additional funds

Apr

Paulding County,
Ohio - Courthouse
---------------------------
The Sheriff
vs.
the County

Asked to absorb over 50% of the total County deficit
by Nancy Whitaker - Paulding Progress Newspaper - April 26, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: Law enforcement jurisdictions across the country are experiencing painful realities based on the sad financial situation they are being presented. And it's not just limited to our urban environments. Here's an example of a sheriff in a small rural county in NW Ohio who's been asked to provide public safety with a budget that's significantly less than last year. I'm told this may mean he'll have the ability to deploy as few as one car county-wide per shift. His response? He's suing the county for more financial support.

PAULDING COUNTY, OHIO – County Sheriff David Harrow has filed a lawsuit against Paulding County Commissioners Tony Burkley, Tony Zartman and Ed Straley, seeking “appropriate funding” for the sheriff's office.

The suit, filed Thursday, April 22, in Paulding Common Pleas Court, asks for a declaratory judgment for the amount of $51,504. This amount is what is referred to in court documents as a “shortfall” due to a decrease in the sheriff's original budget request.

Supreme Court to review California's violent video game ban

Apr

Is this an
issue of free
speech or
public safety?

2005 law, never in effect, seeks to ban "excessively violent" video games to children
by Teri Sforza - Orange County Register - April 26th, 2010

The U.S. Supreme Court will review California's law that sought to ban the sale and rental of “excessively violent” video games to children.

The law was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005 – but never took effect. The entertainment industry sued, saying it was unconstitutional; a U.S. District Court judge struck it down in 2006; and the state has appealed that decision all the way to the top of the judicial food chain.

The issue: What's more important? An industry's free speech rights? Or a parent's effort to keep violence at bay?

No One Helps Dying Man - should they be held responsible? - see the VIDEO

Apr

People avoid
helping a dying
man in this
incredible video
(see inside)

Should people be held accountable for ignoring man dying on sidewalk? - FOX News

April 26, 2010 - EDITOR'S NOTE: We present this video from FOX News, hoping it'll provide you some food for thought. Americans like to think of themselves as compassionate and caring, and as willing to take actions to help others in need. Yet here is an instance where some 20 folks purposely avoided involvement when they came upon a person in obvious need early one morning in an urban environment. The action was plainly captured by a surveillance camera.

Do you feel we have a responsibility to assist someone in such dire need? Should those who avoid involvement be held somehow accountable? What do you think .. ?

Deaths lead police to question high-speed chase policies

Apr

Pastor Anthony
Taylor, killed when
his vehicle was
hit during a
police chase
in Richmond

"Pursuits are successfully concluded all the time, but you never hear about those."
by Larry Copeland - USA TODAY - April 22, 2010

Innocent bystanders account for one-third of those who are killed in high-speed police chases, a USA TODAY review has found. The deaths have several communities around the USA wrestling with whether to restrict pursuits only to suspects in violent crimes.

About 360 people are killed each year in police chases, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Proponents of more restrictive chase policies say the fatality numbers are lower than the real toll because there is no mandatory reporting system for deaths in pursuits.

Geoffrey Alpert, a professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina who has studied police pursuits since the 1980s, says the actual number of fatalities is "three or four times higher." Another complicating factor: bystanders killed after police stop chasing suspects — even seconds afterward — are not counted.

In Lean Times, Police Cuts Spark Debate Over Safety

Apr

Tulsa officer on
a weekend
traffic stop.

Cost-cutting has reduced community policing - by Stephanie Simon - The Wall Street Journal

April 26, 2010 - TULSA, Okla.—It has become a recession mantra: Do more with less. Now, this heartland city is testing whether that's possible when it comes to public safety.

Since January, Tulsa has laid off 89 police officers, 11% of its force. That has pushed the city to the forefront of a national movement, spurred by hard times, to revamp long-held policing strategies.

In the crosshairs: community-policing initiatives created over the past two decades, such as having officers work in troubled schools, attend neighborhood-watch meetings and help small-business owners address nuisance crimes like graffiti. Such efforts are popular, and some experts credit them with contributing to the steady drop in the national crime rate since 1991.

Advocates seek ways to protect homeless from crime

Apr

the homeless face special needs / circumstances

Training police officers to be more sensitive to transients
by Christina Hoag - The Associated Press - Washington Post - April 25, 2010

LOS ANGELES -- Sobs overcome Susanne McGraham-Paisley when she thinks about her mentally ill brother who lived for years on a city sidewalk - John McGraham died when a man doused him with gasoline and set him ablaze.

She believes the murder was spurred by a warped hatred of homeless people, yet she has managed to find forgiveness for Ben Martin, a former barber who has pleaded guilty to the October 2008 killing.

"It's awful, when I think of my brother burning to death...," she said amid tears, "... just awful. Ben Martin was sick, mentally sick. He had a thing against homeless people and he took it out on my brother."

California's execution delays slammed

Apr

Over 700 inmates are on California's death row, the most in the country.
Florida is second with 394, and Texas is third with 333.

Over 700 inmates are on California's death row
by Paul Elias - The Associated Press - April 25, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO - Chelsea King's parents reluctantly agreed to a sentence of life in prison for their daughter's rapist and killer, calling the death penalty in California "a hollow promise."

The Kings join a growing list of victims' families, law enforcement officials and other capital punishment proponents who have grown disillusioned with California's death penalty. The decision to forgo capital punishment for registered sex offender John Gardner, who this month admitted killing Chelsea King and another teen girl, has once again thrust the gridlocked system into the spotlight.

Five more inmates joined California's death row this year, pushing the population past a record 700 inmates, by far the nation's largest.

What's happening to America's youth?

Apr

Josie Lou Ratley
was doused with
alcohol and lit on
fire by other kids

Teach your children well .. ( a series of stories highlighting the challenge )

EDITOR'S NOTE: Something has happened to America's youth. In the following group of articles, some from the Broward County, Florida (Ft Lauderdale) area, and some from the Long Beach, California (Los Angeles) area, we present a series of stories regarding the way our middle school and high school kids are willing to treat each other. Unfortunately, there are many more such stories we could post.

Because the fact is there seems to be something happening to our youth in America today. The problem ranges from taunting, to bullying to out right violence, and sometimes can escalate to the level of homicide.

It's as if there's a total irreverence for rights of the individual .. substituted instead for the approval from the teen-group for actions we'd not have found occurring just a couple decades ago

Joint Investigation Results in Littleton Man's Federal Arrest

Apr

strong law
enforcement
partnerships bring
dangerous
individuals
to justice

for Possession of Stolen Machine Guns, Explosives, Destructive Devices
from ATF - April 23, 2010

DENVER, Colo. — U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado David Gaouette, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( ATF ) Special Agent in Charge Marvin G. Richardson, and Denver Police Chief Gerald Whitman announced the indictment of Andrew Thomas Gunzner, age 21, of Littleton, Colo., for possession of stolen machine guns and destructive devices.

Gunzner, who is in state custody, will be transferred to federal custody on a future date.

Crime from behind Bars

Apr

his accomplices
included a former
prison guard

The Case of the Con Turned Con Artist
from the FBI - 04/22/10

He was already in jail for fraud and other crimes, yet he managed to lead a massive, two-year identity theft and bribery scheme that earned him a separate 309-year prison sentence—more than twice that of crooked financier Bernie Madoff, and reportedly the fourth-longest in the history of U.S. white-collar crime.

His name is Robert Thompson, and his story is an eye-opening one for consumers and businesses who take the risk of sharing personal information over the telephone. It began in a Louisiana state prison , where Thompson began stealing a raft of personal information—dates of birth, social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit cards numbers, etc.—from more than 61 individuals, churches, financial institutions, and businesses.

Court denies dismissal appeal by Polanski victim

Apr

Roman Polanski

Ruling is unlikely to have any immediate bearing on Polanski's status
by Anthony McCartney - Associated Press - April 23, 2010

LOS ANGELES — An appeals court on Thursday denied a petition by Roman Polanski's victim to dismiss the three-decade-old sex case against the director.

The California Second District Court of Appeal denied the petition by Samantha Geimer without comment.

Geimer's attorney petitioned the court on March 23 to dismiss the case against Polanski, arguing recent changes to California's constitution gave her more rights as a victim to influence the case.

CAIR Action: Ask Arizona Governor to Veto Anti-Immigrant Bill

Apr

CAIR-CA supports
the opinion of
CAIR-AZ

OPINION - While some groups say a new law would threaten public safety, others see it as necessary to combat illegal immigration. - CAIR-AZ - PHOENIX, AZ - April 22, 2010

The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) today called on American Muslims and other people of conscience to ask Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto Senate Bill 1070 because it criminalizes immigrants and institutionalizes racial profiling.

In a statement issued today, CAIR-AZ Chairman Anas Hlayhel said:

"Senate Bill 1070 allows the use of racial profiling. American Muslims have faced the detrimental effects of racial profiling and we stand against the broad and generalized application of this practice. Racial profiling is ineffective policing which will build distrust and fear of law enforcement in the community."

LAPD opens state-of-the-art incident training system

Apr

the first HYDRA
test simulated a
bomb threat from
a homegrown
terrorist unit

HYDRA simulation finally makes its way stateside
by Scott M. Bruner - PoliceOne, Product Editor - April 20. 2010

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has officially put their new HYDRA training system online. Although there are 53 HYDRA training centers in the world, this is the first one operating in the U.S.

What does HYDRA do? It's almost easier to ask, what can't it do? According the LAPD, HYDRA is an immersion-based, experience-building training center that can literally simulate nearly every conceivable disaster scenario. Scenarios pre-programmed into HYDRA include complex crime scene investigations, terrorist attacks, public disorders, and natural disasters.

"This is basically a flight simulator for police," Sergeant Timothy Kalkus, Officer in Charge of LAPD's HYDRA Operations said. "Anything you can dream of we can build into the system."

LAPD teen conference battles intolerance, gang influence

Apr

300 teens met
to learn about
hate crimes,
gangs and more

Harbor Area C-PAB event draws 300 teens focussed on hate crime, gangs
by Jennifer Hagihara - The Daily Breeze - 04/16/2010

Jake Tedesco was a little hesitant when his principal volunteered him to attend a police-sponsored youth leadership conference in San Pedro on Thursday.

"I didn't have a positive outlook on it," said the 16-year-old. "But I'm having fun and I'm really enjoying it. I think more kids and schools should attend."

This year, the fourth annual LAPD Harbor-Teen Community Police Advisory Board Leadership Conference hosted 300 middle- and high-school students from the Los Angeles School District and focused on hate crime, gang prevention/intervention and conflict resolution.

Arizona to allow concealed weapons without permit

Apr

non-permitted
concealed
weapons will be
allowed in public

Alaska and Vermont also do not require permits to carry concealed weapons
by Paul Davenport and Jonathan J. Cooper - Associated Press - April 16, 2010

PHOENIX – Favoring the constitutional right to bear arms over others' concerns about gun safety , Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a bill making Arizona the third state allowing people to carry a concealed weapon without requiring a permit.

The measure takes effect 90 days after the current legislative session ends, which likely puts the effective date in July or August.

LA Cops Hindered by Ridiculous Overtime Rules - OPINION

Apr

cops need to be
on the streets

Violent crime is rising while the city's budget crunch prevents the police from devoting the hours necessary to solving cases.
by Jack Dunphy - an officer with the LAPD - PajamasMedia.com - April 16, 2010

There is a remarkable documentary series on the A&E television network called The First 48. Each episode follows a team of homicide detectives from the moment they are summoned to a murder scene and for the ensuing 48 hours. As each installment in the series opens, the viewer is reminded of this truism of murder investigations: if no solid leads are developed within those first two days following the killing, the chances of ever solving the crime are cut in half.

As you watch the series you soon realize that homicide detectives very often go without sleep, sometimes even for days. They process crime scenes, examine evidence, and track down and interview witnesses and suspects, most of whom are revealed to be, at least initially, less than forthright in their responses to questioning.

LAPD set to install video cameras in patrol cars

Apr

today's hight tech patrol cars
in the US are
filled with
electonic gear
of all kinds

Long awaited installations will be tested .. FINALLY - April 20, 2010

EDITOR'S NOTE: LA Community Policing has advocated for video in LAPD patrol cars since our inception, and our founder testified as to their usefulness at Police Commission meetings as far back as the early 90's. The first test vehicles are due to be use in Southeast and eventually 77th Divisions .. FINALLY. Across the country, in-car video systems serve a number of useful functions, not the least of which are recording irrefutable criminal evidence as well as the actions of the officers. We'll be following this story for you and track its success.

After many missteps and technical glitches, the Los Angeles Police Department will soon launch a long-awaited plan to install video cameras in patrol cars, a department official said Tuesday.

Officers in the LAPD's Southeast Division are scheduled to use the windshield-mounted cameras for the first time Sunday, Chief Technology Officer Maggie Goodrich said in a presentation to the Los Angeles Police Commission.

Message from the LAPD Chief, Charlie Beck - April

Apr

LAPD Chief
Charlie Beck

Budget - Vertical Meetings - Prayers - by Charlie Beck - April 21, 2010

Across the United States, public safety agencies are being forced into tough financial decisions, making sacrifices as their cities struggle through difficult economic times. Severe reduction in revenue which translates to shared sacrifice for all city departments has become the reality. The Police Department is doing its part to reduce costs, sharing the pain that is being felt by fellow city employees. The Los Angeles Police Department is not immune to the fiscal realities of today. By the time you read this message the budget information will have changed and steps will have been taken toward economic recovery.

As recent as today, the City announced discretion in spending has been limited and aggressive steps to guard against the City's cash flow shortfalls are being implemented with extraordinary spending controls in place. This will inevitably affect the Police Department. These are tough economic times and we need to make a clear distinction between our critical needs and those things that are nice to have.

Police chiefs review challenges in Pennsylvania

Apr

PA Chiefs value
community policing

Chiefs emphasize the importance of community policing
by: Jennifer Harr - The Herald Standard - April 20, 2010

Four chiefs of police from municipal departments in Fayette County spoke Monday on the importance of community policing, the problems they deal with