Law Enforcement

LAPD Chief Beck on 2015's homicide spike, 'suicide-by-cop' incidents, and more
Barely two months into a new year, 29 people have been murdered in the city of Los Angeles in 2015, up from 23 at this time last year. A string of shootings in South L.A. last week even spurred a modified tactical alert on February 10. What could be contributing to the sudden uptick and how is LAPD responding? Another disturbing phenomenon is being tracked by LAPD's Inspector General: "suicide-by-cop" where a person deliberately provokes police officers to shoot. IG Alex Bustamante reviewed 35 cases in the past 30 months where people appeared to purposely provoke LAPD officers to shoot, and he is calling for more training.
89.3 KPCC

LAPD, Local Family-Owned Business Help Woman In Need During ‘Our Season Of Giving'
The Los Angeles Police Department and a local family-owned business gave back Wednesday to a woman in need.LAPD Officer John Biondo and his partner first met Bette Epps during a routine visit at her home in the 2300 block of 30th Street.
CBS Los Angeles

Readers React: Brandish a fake gun near a cop, and expect to get shot
To the editor: The answer to the toy gun vs. real gun problem will not be found in well-intended legislation. It will be found in parenting, education and a little common sense. In my capacity as a police use-of-force expert, I've seen cases of shootings involving toy guns and replica firearms. In one case, a woman who was stopped for speeding pulled out and pointed at the officer a "handgun" that was a replica of the semi-automatic gun that I carried as a law enforcement officer. Weeks before her death, she told her boyfriend that she painted over the required orange tip because she wanted to make it look like a real gun.
Los Angeles Times

Ferguson Attracts Large Pool of Applicants to Police Jobs
The city of Ferguson is attracting a large pool of applicants to police jobs, including minority candidates seeking the position left vacant by the resignation of Darren Wilson, the officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, the mayor said. Mayor James Knowles III believes city leaders have made it clear they are seeking minority officers to build a more diverse police force in the St. Louis suburb that endured months of unrest after Brown's death last summer.
CBS Los Angeles

Watchdog: Lengthy police shooting case delayed
One of Orange County's longest police shooting investigations just got a little longer, according to online court records. The Superior Court trial of Vincent Leon was scheduled to begin this week but has been delayed again until April -- nearly three years after Leon was shot by Costa Mesa police and charged with assaulting a police officer.
OC Register

Trio of thieves targeting Food 4 Less stores across Los Angeles
A search is underway for a team of thieves caught on surveillance video stealing money from cash registers at local Food 4 Less grocery stores in the Los Angeles area. Police have released the footage in hopes of catching the three suspects who hit four stores in a single day, including stores in Panorama City, Devonshire, North Hollywood and Norwalk.
ABC 7

‘Road Rage' Victim and Son Armed With Gun Went Looking for Suspect Before Deadly Encounter: Police
The woman killed in an apparent road rage incident last week returned home to pick up her son and then went back out to find the man now suspected of shooting her, a Las Vegas homicide detective said Tuesday. Tammy Meyers, a 44-year-old mother of four, had been giving her 15-year-old daughter a driving lesson Thursday when she had an encounter with another driver that left her scared and upset, Lt. Ray Steiber told reporters.
KTLA 5

1 in Custody After Report of Shooting Near Redlands High School
A person has been taken into custody in connection with a report of a shooting a block away from Citrus Valley High School on Wednesday, police said. Gunfire was reported near Texas Street and Baldwin Avenue, according to a tweet that appeared about 3:20 p.m. on the Redlands Police Department Twitter account.
NBC Los Angeles

Body Found South of Thousands Steps Beach in Laguna Beach
A body has been found south of Thousand Steps Beach in Laguna Beach, where a Nevada swimmer went missing last week. The identity of the body has not been confirmed. The male body was found at Three Arch Bay Wednesday afternoon and was taken to Dana Point Harbor for the coroner to pick up.
ABC 7

Labor Dispute

U.S. Labor Secretary, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti continue talks to break port impasse
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was in San Francisco Wednesday to take part in talks to resolve the ongoing labor dispute between port employers and dockworkers that's affecting 29 West Coast ports, including the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach. A spokesman for Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said Wednesday he is not in San Francisco, but spoke with U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez on Tuesday night.
Press-Telegram