Law Enforcement

Shifting the blue line: Why a black woman is joining LAPD
Asia Hardy grips the training gun, her arms raised, edging slowly toward the suspect. Slowly come down to your knees. Don't move!” she orders. Hardy's voice is steady but still tinged with the hesitation expected from a young police recruit. Hardy walks forward, her Los Angeles Police Department training officer behind her, ticking off verbal assessments as she approaches the suspect in this training drill. The “suspect” in this drill is a much larger man.
Fox 2 Now, CNN

Black LAPD officer sues for allegedly being mistaken as gang member impersonating officer
A black Los Angeles policeman sued the city Monday, alleging he was retaliated against after complaining that a white colleague pulled him over and detained him twice despite being shown identification, saying he needed to verify the plaintiff's employment because gang members are known to impersonate LAPD officers. Lamark Ferguson's Los Angeles Superior Court complaint seeks unspecified damages. An LAPD spokeswoman declined to comment on the complaint.
mynewsLA.com

Video shows LAPD shooting bank robbery suspect
A man was taken into custody by police in downtown Los Angeles on Monday morning after he allegedly tried to use the threat of a bomb to rob a bank, authorities said. The FBI responded to a reported robbery at Chase Bank off 9th and Hill streets about 9:40 a.m., said bureau spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. The man was carrying a bag and told people inside the bank that he had explosives on him, LAPD Officer Drake Madison told KTLA-TV.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD Officer Investigated After Bullet Fired Into Culver City Apartment
An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is under investigation after a bullet was fired into a Culver City apartment in the middle of the night. Too terrified to be identified, a couple recounted the frightening violence that erupted at 4 a.m. Friday after a bullet was fired into the wall of their apartment as they and their 16-month-old daughter were sound asleep. Culver City police said the LAPD officer is now under investigation for "negligent discharge of a firearm." That gun was found left in the hallway.
ABC 7

2 Injured After Suspected Gunmen Crash During Pursuit
Two people were injured after a vehicle involved in a shooting crashed Monday night, police said. The collision occurred around 11:25 p.m. as the vehicle was traveling northbound on La Brea Avenue. The driver ran a red light and crashed into two vehicles going westbound on Adams Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
NBC Los Angeles

Arson is suspected in series of North Hollywood fires
The blazes started about 3 a.m. and included dumpster fires, a mattress fire that ignited a parked vehicle and “outside fires burning next to a commercial building”, Scott said. After dumpsters, mattresses and other structures were set on fire in eight separate incidents, fire officials launched an arson investigation on Sunday, October 25 2015. Six LAFD arson investigators responded to the scene, Scott continued. “Due to the firefighters' quick efforts, all fires were swiftly extinguished, [which] minimized damage”, Scott said. The Los Angeles Police Department says a woman was arrested for attempted arson in the foothill area, but she is not considered a suspect in Sunday's fires.
Rapid News Network

NYPD police union calls for boycott of Quentin Tarantino films
Director Quentin Tarantino has drawn the condemnation of the NYPD's police union after participating in an anti-police brutality protest this weekend in New York City. The “Django Unchained” filmmaker was one of the prominent faces among the thousands who attended rallies on Saturday organized by RiseUpOctober, which sought to bring attention to incidents of alleged police violence against men and women of color.
MSNBC

City Government

A call to help fight domestic violence in Los Angeles: Guest commentary
This October, at City Hall and around the nation, communities are coming together to take a hard look at one of our most persistent — and preventable — scourges, as we observe Domestic Violence Awareness month. For me, this work is personal. Shortly after I was elected to the Los Angeles City Council, I received a call from a friend who told me that his sister, my constituent, had been murdered by her husband — the worst outcome of domestic violence. I never wanted to get a call like that again, or for anyone to have to endure the loss of a loved one from domestic violence. That's why one of the first motions I introduced as a council member pushed the city to examine its approach to domestic violence response.
Los Angeles Daily News

LA City Council To Vote On Motion To Safely Store Handguns Within Homes
The Los Angeles City Council will vote Tuesday on an ordinance that would require firearms to be stored safely. Under the motion, handguns would need to be disabled, locked in a container and kept on the owner's person or placed within that person's reach.
CBS Los Angeles

Pensions

Pension Funds Considering Fossil Fuel Divestment, Socially Responsible Investments Get Boost From Labor Department
The U.S. Department of Labor has withdrawn an arcane George W. Bush-era measure that critics say discouraged pension trustees from making socially responsible investment decisions -- like divesting from energy companies that contribute to climate change. The move could intensify environmental groups' efforts to try to starve fossil-fuel corporations of billions of dollars worth of capital from institutional investors. Last week, Labor Department officials unveiled a new interpretive guidance that Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said would ensure that “investing in the best interest of a retirement plan and in the growth of a community can go hand in hand.”
International Business Times