Law Enforcement

LAPD officers to ride in pairs after Baltimore police warn of gang threat
The Los Angeles Police Department ordered officers Monday to ride in pairs while in cars after Baltimore police received what they considered a "credible threat" against all law enforcement officers. The so-called Blue Alert went out to officers nationwide and was passed on to LAPD officers after Baltimore police warned law enforcement agencies across the country that they had gathered intelligence about a "credible threat" by the Black Guerilla family, Crips and Bloods to "take out" law enforcement officers.
Los Angeles Times , NBC News , ABC 7

6 Arrested In Police Brutality Protest In South Los Angeles
Three women and three men were arrested following a protest on police brutality in South Los Angeles Monday night. Of the arrests, four were for refusal to disperse and two were for attempting to set the four in custody free, Los Angeles police said. The group, estimated to be around 25 to 50 people, gathered after 11 p.m. to demonstrate against police brutality, Los Angeles police said. They marched near 65th Street and Broadway, where 25-year-old Ezell Ford was shot by LAPD officers on Aug. 11.
ABC 7

LAPD officer says he was demoted for not writing enough tickets
A Los Angeles police officer is suing the city, alleging he was assigned to desk duty and demoted because he complained about having to meet a traffic citation-writing quota. Earl Williams filed the lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging he was retaliated against for being a whistleblower against a practice that the suit states violates a provision of the state Vehicle Code. He seeks unspecified damages as well as attorneys' fees and an injunction banning ticket quotas within the LAPD.
Daily Breeze , NBC Los Angeles

Court orders LAPD to turn over video said to show man's police beating
A federal magistrate ordered the Los Angeles Police Department on Monday to give an attorney video footage that she says shows her client being assaulted by an LAPD officer in South L.A. Clinton Alford, the man being struck in the video, is suing the department, its chief and officers for violating his civil rights. He says he was riding his bicycle on the sidewalk along Avalon Boulevard near 55th Street last October when officers attacked him.
Los Angeles Times

Historic landmark status proposed for LAPD's former headquarters
Parker Center, the Los Angeles Police Department's former headquarters, would be designated a historic and cultural landmark under a proposal going before a City Council committee Tuesday. In January, the city's Cultural Heritage Commission recommended that the eight-story tower and surrounding landscaping be given historic-cultural status, which could delay plans to demolish the building.
mynewsLA.com

Baby sea lion kidnappers still on the run; reward doubled
The widow of actor Peter Falk contributed $5,000 to double a reward being offered by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for information leading to the conviction of the people who stole a baby sea lion from its mother at Dockweiler State Beach, the animal-rights group announced Monday. The donation by Shera Danese brings the total reward being offered to $10,000.
mynewsLA.com

70 Pounds Of Methamphetamine, Worth An Estimated $1.5M, Found During Chino Traffic Stop
A routine traffic stop in Chino led officers to nearly 70 pounds of methamphetamine valued at an estimated $1.5 million, police officials said Monday. Police officers patrolling the east side of Chino stopped a gold Toyota minivan Friday in the 6300 block of Riverside Drive for an equipment violation, Chino police spokeswoman Monica Gutierrez said.
CBS Los Angeles

Our Children Are Not For Sale: Fighting Human Trafficking with Awareness
Children are being bought and sold right in our backyards. People assume sex and labor trafficking is only happening in other countries, but it has become a major criminal act and form of modern- day slavery in the United States. Los Angeles is in the top three of the ten worst child sex trafficking areas in California. Yet, most communities still fail to identify traffickers and exploited children.
Long Beach Post

Baltimore

Baltimore Enlists National Guard and a Curfew to Fight Riots and Looting
Maryland's governor activated the National Guard on Monday and the city of Baltimore announced a curfew for all residents as a turbulent day that began with the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, the nation's latest symbol of police brutality, ended with rioting by rock-throwing youths, arson, looting and at least 15 police officers injured. The violence that shook the city broke out in the late afternoon in the Mondawmin neighborhood of northwest Baltimore, where Mr. Gray's funeral had taken place.
New York Times

Video: Rioters attack police car
Rioters kicked and smashed a Baltimore police car during violent protests stemming from the death of Freddie Gray.
CNN

Labor

Truck Drivers At Ports Of Los Angeles, Long Beach Strike
Truck drivers at the nation's largest port complex were striking Monday against the major firms serving the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The drivers voted in favor of a strike on Saturday, officials said.
CBS Los Angeles

Nurses union plans short strikes in California and Illinois
A union representing nurses in California and Illinois said on Monday 6,400 members planned to walk off their jobs later this week for a series of one- and two-day strikes amid contract negotiations. The planned strikes in Chicago, Los Angeles, Sacramento and other cities come amid tense labor negotiations between the California Nurses Association and its corollary, National Nurses United.
Reuters