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Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
LA Police Protective League

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Los Angeles
Police Protective League
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the union that represents the
rank and file LAPD officers

  Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch

Daily News Digest
from LA Police Protective League

March 7, 2016

Law Enforcement

Memorial Service To Be Held In Glendale For Fallen LAPD Officer Nicholas Lee
A memorial service will be held Monday for a Los Angeles Police officer who was killed when a dump truck collided with his patrol vehicle in Beverly Hills. At 11 a.m., family and friends of Officer Nicholas Lee will gather at Forest Lawn Cemetery, located at 1712 South Glendale Avenue, for a half-hour memorial service. Lee was killed two years ago in the intersection of Loma Vista Drive and Robert Lane in the Beverly Hills area. At the time, Lee and his training partner were responding to a call when their vehicle collided with a truck carrying a roll-off dumpster.
CBS 2

Major crime in 2015 up overall in South Bay, Harbor Area
The South Bay and neighboring Harbor Area experienced a nearly 14 percent increase in major crime in 2015, ending a primarily downward trend that lasted two decades. Crime statistics supplied to the Daily Breeze by individual police agencies showed increases in 10 South Bay cities as well as the Harbor Area, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City and Harbor Gateway. The increases mirror similar rises across California, where Los Angeles police posted a 10 percent jump in crime in its jurisdictions, San Diego police reported about an 8 percent rise in 2015, and San Francisco showed an 11 percent increase through late October. Nationwide, the FBI's preliminary reports comparing the first six months of 2015 to 2014 showed property crime was down 4.2 percent and violent crime up just 1.7 percent.
The Daily Breeze

Suspect Charged With Murder of Missing Man Found in Storage Container
A man was charged Friday with fatally stabbing an acquaintance whose body was found in a plastic storage container after neighbors complained of a foul smell, prosecutors said. Kenneth Mullen Watkins was ordered to remain jailed in lieu of $2 million bail while awaiting arraignment March 23 at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse on a murder charge and a knife use allegation stemming from Terry Nigale Benjamin's death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Authorities said Benjamin had last been seen alive Jan. 4. He was reported missing.
NBC 4

Man, Woman Arrested in Possible Road-Rage Related Fatal Stabbing in Silver Lake
A man and a woman were arrested in Carlsbad in connection with a stabbing last month in Silver Lake that left one person dead and another wounded, authorities said on Saturday. LAPD homicide detectives on Friday alerted the Carlsbad Police Department that the two suspects in the case were living in the San Diego County city. The Los Angeles Police Department identified them as Michael Lee Stotler and Maya Sharene Mcinnis, both 22 years old, Carlsbad police officials said in a news release. Officers and detectives located a vehicle being driven by Stotler on Friday evening and initiated a traffic stop in the 4600 block of Carlsbad Boulevard, the release stated.
KTLA 5

Pursuit Of Armed Suspects Leads To Crash On 60 Freeway
A dangerous foot pursuit of shooting suspects resulted in a massive backup on the 60 Freeway in the East Los Angeles area Friday evening. The incident started around 9:43 p.m., when police received a call about a shooting at Third and Chicago streets. Officers with the LAPD's Hollenbeck division chased several suspects in a car, ending in a violent crash on the 60. Two suspects were arrested and a gun was recovered at the scene, while at least one suspect got away. Left lanes were blocked on the freeway as authorities worked to investigate the incident and clear the crash.
ABC 7

LAPD Investigating Possible Hate Crime At USC
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a possible hate crime at USC, according to the school's Daily Trojan. An official with the school's public safety department told the paper that the alleged incident occurred earlier Sunday outside of Cardinal Gardens, part of campus housing. Sophomore business administration major Ivan Tsang, a native of Hong Kong, told authorities someone or some group threw three eggs at him from a balcony and hurled anti-Asian slurs at him while he was sitting and minding his own business around 2 a.m. Tsang used his Facebook wall to describe the incident in more detail.
CBS 2

Witness Finds Tire Shop Employee on Ground After Assault at Van Nuys Store
A tire shop employee was assaulted at a Van Nuys store Saturday, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Officers initially responded to what witnesses thought was a shooting victim, because the employee told witnesses he was, in the 6700 block of Van Nuys Boulevard at 4 p.m. "He was really confused, laying on the ground, sitting near a bunch of tires," Nick Dertouzos, witness, said. "He had blood all down the left side of his body." Upon arrival, officers discovered that the man had been struck over the head, possibly with a tire iron. "He really didn't know where he was or what was going on," Dertouzos said. "He thought he had been shot."
NBC 4

Smith & Wesson Sales Surge 61.5% in Same Quarter as San Bernardino Attack
Smith & Wesson sales surged during the same quarter as the San Bernardino mass shooting. Sales of handguns used in self defense were a particular standout. The gunmaker reported an increase of 61.5% in the three months that ended January 31, compared to the same period the year before. Profits also increased dramatically. Smith & Wesson's financial performance bears out a pattern: Gun sales time and again jump following mass shootings and other high-profile incidents of violent crime — and the specter of gun control that often follows. On December 2, 14 people were gunned down in San Bernardino, California. A month later, President Obama announced a series of new executive actions intended to address gun violence.
CNN


City Government

Beverly Center to undergo $500-million renovation that will add upscale food and sunlight
The Beverly Center, a grand dame in Los Angeles retailing, is placing a $500-million bet on food and sunshine. A sweeping renovation of the eight-story mall begins late this month and will feature skylights and a new, window-dotted exterior to open and freshen the 1980s shopping fortress. But the biggest addition to the luxury-brand center will be a fancy food hall and upscale restaurants as developer Taubman Centers, like mall owners across the country, tries to lure increasingly fickle consumers.
Los Angeles Times

Council seeks rules on preservation of records
The City Council has approved the formation of a working group that will look into creating rules for council transitions, in response to complaints that important records are being destroyed by outgoing council members. Councilman David Ryu, who took office last summer, said the previous 4th District councilman, Tom LaBonge, left him with no records to follow up on various important issues and constituent cases. Ryu's office was able to recover about 35 boxes of records that had initially been sent to be destroyed only because the City Attorney's Office had tracked those files down for a case it was working on.
LA Independent


Public Safety

At Least Four Rescued From LA River During Overnight Downpours
At least four people were rescued Sunday morning from the Los Angeles River in the San Fernando Valley during overnight downpours. At least one dog also was rescued from the swollen river in the 6100 block fo Balboa Boulevard. No injuries were reported. The rescued individuals were living in a homeless encampment near the river bed. One witness said the firefighters visited the area earlier last week to warn them of the weekend storm and possible flooding. At least one man was clinging to a tree branch when fire-rescue personnel arrived. Swiftwater rescue team members entered the rushing water and brought the man back to the river bank.
NBC 4
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About the LAPPL Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at:

www.LAPD.com


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