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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

June 17, 2016

Law Enforcement

LAPD Officers Surprise Fallen Partner's Youngest Daughter At High School Graduation
Sierra Cuesta doesn't remember her  dad . But a group of officers do. “We lost a  brother  out there and it hurts,” said LAPD Sgt. Don Poirier. “Every day I look back and wish that something like this would have never happened.” Officer Fil Cuesta was shot in the back of the head as he waited for back up in his patrol car in the Crenshaw District. That was 18 years ago. His youngest daughter Sierra was just a month old. Her  sister , a year old. His fellow officers made a pledge they would be a constant presence in the  girls ' lives.  “We are kind of a  father  figure for them since Fil can't be here,” said Poirier.
KCAL 9

Simi Valley Police Officer Seriously Injured In Traffic Collision

A Simi Valley police officer remained hospitalized Thursday for treatment of serious injuries sustained in a traffic collision. According to police, a motor officer was riding his motorcycle on Tapo Canyon Road, at Los Angeles Avenue, when a small pickup truck collided into the path of the motorcycle. The officer was thrown from his motorcycle, subsequently causing him to sustain injuries to his head, multiple fractures and internal injuries. Paramedics transported the officer to a hospital where he underwent several hours of surgery. At this time, he remains listed in serious condition.  The driver of the truck did not sustain injuries in the crash, police said.
CBS 2

'Tough to Take:' Good Samaritan Gives CPR to Fallen San Jose Police Officer
A good Samaritan can barely sleep, after he rushed to help a San Jose police officer who was knocked off his motorcycle by a minivan on Tuesday and pronounced dead shortly afterward.  In an  exclusive interview Wednesday night , Dan Sullivan described to NBC Bay Area how he and another man helped give CPR to Officer Michael Katherman, 34, an 11-year veteran of the force, after the deadly accident at 10th and Horning Streets. He said he used Katherman's radio to call dispatchers for help. "Man hurt, ambulance right away!" his voice is heard shouting.  Sullivan, who drives a big rig hauling construction materials, is the brother of San Jose Police Lt. Mike Sullivan.
NBC Bay Area

North Hills man pleads no contest to killing roommate after eviction attempt
A 59-year-old North Hills man has pleaded no contest to killing a woman who had recently become his roommate, then stuffing her in a closet, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday. Mario Rene Villalobos pleaded no contest Tuesday to one count of voluntary manslaughter, Deputy District Attorney Ani Bailey said. He will be sentenced June 30 at the San Fernando Courthouse. He faces 11 years behind bars. Villalobos killed Cassandra Silagyi, 48, on May 1, 2015, in the in the 8700 block of Sepulveda Boulevard. Police found the woman's body in an apartment closet three days later after getting a phone tip from a woman who Villalobos had asked for help with disposing of the corpse, Bailey said.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD targets 5 dangerous San Fernando Valley intersections
The Los Angeles Police Department will conduct an education and enforcement operation tomorrow at five intersections in the Valley Bureau regarded as dangerous because of the number of serious accidents, authorities said today. The Directed Enforcement Task Force, which will include personnel from the LAPD and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, will begin about 11 a.m. and continue through the afternoon. DETF operations are “data-driven” and bring “a laser focus to locations and causes of crashes, preventable through education, enforcement, and engineering,” according to an LAPD statement. “The goal ... is to reduce the number of traffic collisions at specific intersections that have the highest incident of fatalities (and) severe or visible injuries, through education and enforcement.”
CIty News Service

Woman Placed Child Into Burning SUV Before Both Died at South L.A. Area Park, Witnesses Say
A woman and child died at a park in the Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles Thursday night after witnesses say the woman placed the child inside a burning SUV and then also got inside. Deputies responded to a report of a car fire at Athens Park in the 300 block of West 124th Street at about 9:43 p.m. and found an SUV type vehicle fully engulfed in flames, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stated in a news release. Fire department crews put the fire out and discovered there were two bodies inside the vehicle, according to the news release.
KTLA 5

Feds Bust Smash-and-Grab Rolex Robbers
Four men were arrested Thursday and charged with helping to plan and execute a series of smash-and-grab robberies targeting millions of dollars worth of Rolex and other high-end Swiss watches at retail stores across Southern California. 
A superceding indictment filed in Santa Ana federal court last week charges a total of nine defendants, six of whom allegedly planned and organized the robberies. The other three allegedly participated in one or more of the heists. Prosecutors say the organizers recruited financially desperate young men to perform the smash-and-grab robberies, often by promising large sums of money if they were successful.
NBC 4

Police Chase Car Through Simi Valley, Suspects Bail In Palms Area
Police chased two suspects in a Kia at speeds approaching 100 mph from Simi Valley, until they bailed on foot in the Palms area Thursday evening  One suspect was taken into custody shortly after the two men exited the Kia. Officers began establishing a perimeter in the neighborhood to search for the second suspect. Police chased two suspects in a Kia at speeds approaching 100 mph from Simi Valley, until they bailed on foot in the Palms area Thursday evening.  It switched over to the 405 Freeway southbound, then moved on to the 10 for a few minutes. It appeared to lose a piece of tire and then run into traffic shortly before it pulled over in the right lane of the freeway and two men exited into the brush.
ABC 7

Posters Saying #ShootBack Appearing In Parts Of West Hollywood
In the wake of the Orlando nightclub tragedy, posters have appeared all over West Hollywood with a pro-gay pro-gun message.  The posters were sprinkled near the Pacific Design Center, on Melrose Avenue and in front of The Abbey.  The posters look like a take on the "Don't Tread On Me" symbol, featuring a coiled rattlesnake set against a rainbow with #shootback.  It's a message that's not being well-received in the community. Gallery owner Ron Valdez took several down Wednesday.  "I feel the message itself, shoot back, is not what we want to do and I feel that it immediately conveys a negative emotion," he said. "West Hollywood isn't about that. It isn't about shooting back. It's about trying to uplift people and making sure that they see the right thing and to do the right thing..."
ABC 7

Caught On Video: Thief Uses Fake Documents To Steal $180K From Bank Accounts
Police released surveillance camera photos of a suspect they say has stolen at least $180,000 from bank accounts belonging to victims throughout Southern California. The thief uses forged driver's licenses and Social Security cards to illegally withdraw money, according to Fullerton police Sgt. Kathryn Hamel. A Fullerton resident called police in February, reporting the suspect had taken money from his bank account, she said.   When Fullerton detectives began investigating, Hamel said they found links to the same suspect for a similar theft in Carlsbad and two in Los Angeles.
CBS2

California state corrections department to get budget bump
California's newly-passed $122 billion budget includes more than $10 billion for the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The department, which runs the state's 35 prisons, is also getting a funding bump over the prior year – an estimated $593 million. The 5.8 percent increase would bring the department's total budget to more than $10.7 billion. That will make it the fourth highest budget in the state after K-12 education, health and human services and higher education.  Representatives from both the state's finance department and the CDCR were unable to confirm the final budget numbers. Scott Graves with the California Budget and Policy Center said state lawmakers must still approve bonds that supplement a small portion of the CDCR's budget. He said the state's general fund would likely supply the bulk – about $10.5 billion.
89.3 KPCC

California lawmakers create a University of California research center on gun violence
Legislators on Thursday approved $5 million for the creation of a new research center on firearm violence, with supporters saying it will provide statistically sound data on the effectiveness of existing gun laws. "It is a big step for us, frankly, and for the country to step in where Congress has failed," said state Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis) during floor debate. The proposal was contained in one of the "trailer" bills that implements the new state budget approved on Wednesday . Lawmakers aren't expected to wrap up their work on the implementation bills until next week.
Los Angeles Times

Smugglers hid marijuana inside landscaping stones at Mexico border, authorities say
Federal officers discovered more than 1,600 pounds of marijuana hidden in landscaping stones loaded on a flatbed big rig at the Otay Mesa cargo facility Saturday, authorities said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers used an X-ray imaging device to examine the truck about noon, and they noticed something odd about the trailer. During a second inspection at a dock, a drug-sniffing dog reacted to the trailer. A customs officer then drilled a hole in one of the stones and discovered “a leafy-green substance,” officials said. Officers extracted 577 bundles of marijuana from the stones. The drugs have an estimated street value of about $810,000, officials said.
Los Angeles Times

Supreme Court to act on gun ownership cases
Days after the worst mass shooting in the United States, the Supreme Court is poised to act on two cases highlighting the raging debate over what types of guns and ammunition may be banned and who should have the right to possess firearms. Justices will meet behind closed doors this week to determine whether or not to take up a constitutional challenge to a Connecticut ban of certain semi-automatic assault weapons and large capacity magazines.  The court is also poised to rule by the end of the month on the case of a Maine man who says that his prior misdemeanor under state law for domestic violence should not have caused him to lose his right to possess a firearm under federal law.
CNN

Public Safety News

Newly Found Blood Vials Allow For Funeral Of 9/11 Fire Chief 
Nearly 15 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a funeral is being held for a New York City fire chief who died in the World Trade Center collapse. The remains of Safety Battalion Chief Lawrence Stack were never found. But his family recently discovered two vials of blood that he had donated during a bone marrow drive for a child with cancer. On Friday, the blood vials will be buried at Long Island's Calverton National Cemetery following a funeral Mass. Stack's service in the Fire Department of New York was part of a family tradition.
Associated Press

City Government News

Canadian developer in deal to purchase L.A. Times building
Canadian developer Onni Group has entered into a preliminary agreement to buy  the landmark Los Angeles Times building near City Hall with an eye toward redeveloping the property into modern offices and retail, according to a person familiar with the deal. The acquisition of Times Mirror Square would be a significant gain for the Vancouver company, which has been on an acquisition spree in downtown Los Angeles, where it owns at least eight properties – including offices, apartments and an extended-stay hotel.
Los Angeles Times

Commuting in downtown Los Angeles? Meet the city's first bike traffic signals In downtown Los Angeles, the sign of the times is bicycle-shaped. City leaders on Thursday officially unveiled L.A.'s first bike-specific traffic signals as well as a stretch of protected bike lanes along Los Angeles Street between Alameda and First Street. Similar to an automobile signal and positioned right alongside, these new signals will flash the familiar green, yellow and red lights to alert riders to go, slow or stop. The key difference is that the lights will be shaped like bicycles.  The project carries a $775,000 price tag.
89.3 KPCC 

State Government News

There soon could be a new 'unknown' voter category in California
As part of the budget deal expected to be passed by the end of this week, California will create a new category to describe voters, in addition to the eight existing options that exist, including Libertarian, the state's American Independent Party and No Party Preference. The new category will label voters as having an "Unknown" party preference and would apply mostly to voters registering at the Department of Motor Vehicles, where a new voter registration process recently was implemented.  As many as one-third of voters registering at the DMV since the program began April 1 have walked out without completing important questions about their party preference, language preference or vote-by-mail status. 
Los Angeles Times
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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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