Law Enforcement

LAPD's reforms since Rodney King beating offer hope amid police violence
In events that starkly contrast with those of the early 1990s, when the LAPD stood by its officers through thick and thin, Garcia has been subject to withering criticism from his own chief, Charlie Beck, who called the district attorney's office himself and urged prosecutors to file charges. Chief Beck told reporters last week he was shocked when he saw the video and said Garcia's actions “were not only beyond departmental policy but were in fact criminal”. Garcia and the other officers involved were put on administrative leave as soon as the video went up the chain of command.
The Guardian

Rules for LAPD body cameras to be reviewed next week
The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners will review proposed rules next week for the use of body cameras, which Los Angeles Police Department officials plan to provide officers over the coming months, with one critic of the policy saying Friday that the rules fail to address when video footage should be released to the public. The department is expected to assign 860 Taser Axon body cameras — donated to the city through Los Angeles police commission fundraising efforts — to officers in the Central, Mission and Newton police divisions.
mynewsLA.com , ABC 7

LAPD hit with $10-million wrongful death lawsuit for fatal shooting
A $10-million wrongful death claim has been filed against the city of Los Angeles by an attorney representing the family of a man shot and killed last month by a Los Angeles Police Department officer. Sergio Alexander Navas, 35, was shot and killed March 5 in Burbank by LAPD officer Brian Van Gordon after a brief pursuit, according to the complaint filed April 17 with the City Attorney's office by Woodland Hills attorney Dale K. Galipo.
Los Angeles Daily News

Human infant remains discovered in South Los Angeles
Authorities are asking residents of a South Los Angeles neighborhood to search their yards and trash cans for “suspicious items” after detectives discovered the remains of a human infant somewhere along a residential street. A homeowner in the 1500 block of West 104th Street reported the remains Saturday morning, investigators said in a statement. Deputies arrived, contacted the homeowner and confirmed the remains were human.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. Search-and-Rescue Officials Deploy to Nepal After Deadly Earthquake
Search-and-rescue officials planned to deploy from Los Angeles to Nepal Sunday night in order to aid in international relief efforts after a devastating earthquake killed more than 3,200 people. The 57-member team, called CA-TF2, is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and planned to arrive in the nation's capital of Kathmandu on Monday, according to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
KTLA5

NYPD's Bratton: Less tension between city officials, union
New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton says there's "much less tension" between the police union and city officials now than there was in the aftermath of the chokehold death of a Staten Island man last year. Bratton spoke Sunday on the CBS program "Face the Nation."
myFoxLA.com

Baltimore's ‘Broken Relationship' With Police
For nearly two years, ever since her brother Tyrone West died after a struggle with the police, a 35-year-old preschool teacher named Tawanda Jones has been in the streets here on Wednesday nights, protesting. Her message: “We need killer cops in cellblocks.” Though the officers involved in Mr. West's July 2013 death have been cleared of wrongdoing, his case and other police-involved killings here are woven into Baltimore's psyche, part of what Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake calls the “broken relationship” between residents of this majority black city and a police department with a history of aggressive, sometimes brutal behavior.
New York Times

Why Witnesses to Cop Crimes Need Compensation
The lawyers for Feidin Santana, who recorded video of a police officer fatally shooting Walter Scott, are hard at work. They have started requiring the media to pay Santana for each time they use the video, citing copyright law. Some observers may grimace at the idea of a person “cashing in” on one of the gruesome features of our nation: the killing of an unarmed black person by an agent of the state. But before we deplore Santana's actions and question his motives, let us step into his shoes.
Newsweek

City Government

Public, private sector wage gap heavily favors many L.A. city workers
For almost a year, the labor groups representing roughly 20,000 Los Angeles city workers have battled at the bargaining table for people like Marshall Turner. Turner supports his union. Yet when it comes to his job, he's not complaining. A 59-year-old garbage-truck driver, he made $95,696 last year including overtime. His three decades of city employment enabled him to buy a four-bedroom Rancho Cucamonga home and provide for five children. He recognizes his privileged place in an economy that has grown increasingly bleak for blue-collar workers.
Los Angeles Times

Unions

LA Unified teachers could finally ‘exceed standards' next year under tentative contract
After years of union resistance, a tentative agreement would allow Los Angeles Unified to identify which teachers “exceed standards.” The temporary, internal rating would be added to evaluations next year, while district officials try to negotiate a permanent solution with union leaders. “It's a bit of a punt, which I think is understandable, because they weren't able to get what they wanted in negotiations,” said Nancy Waymack, who monitors evaluation policies in 118 school district across the country for the National Council on Teacher Quality.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune