Law Enforcement

Korean American community thanks 14-year LAPD veteran
The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles awarded a certificate of gratitude to Los Angeles Police Department Olympic Division Detective Sergio Martinez Wednesday for his 14-year service to the Koreatown area. Sergio, who began work in the neighborhood in 2001, will transfer to the Northeast Division next month.
The Korea Times

LAPD Rescues Newborn Who Was Buried Alive
In recent months there appears to be an escalation of abandoned newborns. Just this past week workers at a Queens Church found a newly born infant abandoned in the manger of their Nativity scene. The newest case, however, took that trend to another level, when a new mom buried her baby under debris by a riverbed in Compton.
Growing Your Baby

'Suspicious item' near Hollywood Christmas Parade route was a purse, police say
A suspicious item found Sunday afternoon near the starting point of the Hollywood Christmas Parade turned out to be a purse stuffed into a mailbox, authorities said. A bystander reported the "suspicious item" about 1:30 p.m. near Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Drive, said Officer Rosario Herrera of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles Times

Hit-and-Run Driver Sought After Fatally Striking Pedestrian in Van Nuys
A hit-and-run driver was being sought Saturday after fatally striking a pedestrian in Van Nuys and failing to stop and render aid, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The vehicle was traveling westbound on Vanowen Street near Firmament Avenue around 11:45 p.m. Friday when it struck the pedestrian, an approximately 33-year-old man, according to LAPD Detective Bill Bustos.
KTLA 5

Man shot to death in Echo Park
A man in his 20s was shot to death Sunday night in Echo Park, authorities said. It happened at about 10:20 p.m. in the 1300 block of Allesandro Street, Sgt. Teresa Anderson of the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Station said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head, Anderson said. There was no suspect information and it was unknown whether the shooting was gang-related, she said.
Los Angeles Daily News

How LAPD vice is cleaning up K-town's less savory side
Since moving to Los Angeles eight years ago, I've been bringing Korean and non-Korean friends to share the joys of drinking soju and belting out Britney Spears tunes in individual rooms equipped with tambourines, disco balls and surround-sound that creates the intoxicating illusion that we've got better pipes than we do.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

County at odds with city of L.A. over funding pulled from emergency system
An ambitious plan to connect all of Los Angeles County's fire and police agencies on a single communications system has hit another potential setback with the loss of $11 million in federal grant funding administered by the city of Los Angeles. County officials and the head of the regional agency overseeing the project say the funding loss will further delay the creation of a multi-jurisdictional radio system for emergency responders, which they had hoped to have up and running by 2017. The plan to build a countywide mobile radio and broadband system has run into repeated setbacks, including problems with contracts and pushback by residents concerned about radio towers.
Los Angeles Times

Homelessness

City Needs a Homelessness Czar. Now
DTLA - Elected officials in Los Angeles are working hard to address the homelessness crisis. The situation has spread to so many neighborhoods and impacts so many people — more than 26,000 individuals in the city are homeless, and the county count has surpassed 44,000, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority — that almost every week one hears a high-powered representative discuss the importance of a swift and strong response.
LA Downtown News