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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 22, 2016

Law Enforcement

LAPD Gives Glimpse Into Use of Force Training
LAPD officers give an inside look at training simulations on the use of force to NBC News. The NBC team participated in active, real-life simulations used to train LAPD officers on the split-second decision making needed to know when and how to use force to protect the public and themselves.
NBC 4

SUV Driver Sentenced to 7 Years Prison in Case of Officer Dragged
A driver accused of using his SUV as a weapon to drag a Los Angeles Police Department officer who was holding on to the steering wheel was sentenced to seven years in state prison Monday, prosecutors said. Grant Anthony Muldrow, 22, was handed down the sentence immediately after pleading no contest to a felony count of assaulting a police officer causing great bodily injury, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.
NBC 4

Man In Critical Condition After Being Shot In Hollywood
A man is in critical condition after being shot in Hollywood Monday night.  Authorities received reports of a shooting at Western Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard around 9:40 p.m. When they arrived, a man was found suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.  The suspect was described as a man between the age of 25 and 30. He was last seen wearing a light-colored tank top and cargo shorts. He also got into a gray Lexus, authorities said.  It was unclear if the shooting was gang related, police said. No further information was available.
ABC 7

Man Found Fatally Shot In LA; Gunman Remains At Large
Homicide detectives Wednesday investigated the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of an adult man in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, deputies were sent around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday to the 1400 block of West 102nd Street for report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, authorities learned that the victim, an African American man, was walking westbound on 102nd Street when the shooting took place. The suspect exited a white SUV parked along the curb, produced a handgun and opened fire on the victim before fleeing from the scene.
CBS 2

Deal to spend $57.6 million on LAPD body cameras clears key hurdle
Los Angeles city lawmakers broke through a lengthy political logjam over police body cameras on Tuesday, clearing the way for a City Council vote on the costly initiative. After six months of delays, the council's Public Safety Committee unanimously backed the plan for purchasing thousands of devices from Scottsdale, Ariz.,-based Taser International, a move that would make the LAPD the largest law enforcement agency in the nation to use the devices on such a widespread scale. A full council vote is scheduled for Wednesday. Councilman Joe Buscaino, who previously warned that the program would divert funds from other public safety needs, said he now is “comfortable” with the initiative and ready to move forward.
Los Angeles Times

Gadfly Dubbed 'Batman' Brings Box Cutter to City Hall, Dances Down Aisles
A frequent City Hall gadfly brought a box cutter to a Public Safety Committee hearing at City Hall Tuesday, a councilman confirmed. Councilman Mitch Englander, who chairs the committee, said he ordered the gadfly — who goes by the name "Herman," and sometimes "Batman" in reference to the mask he sometimes wears — to be removed from the meeting after he refused to stop dancing in the aisles while holding a doll adorned in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Council aides said the gadfly's full name is Armando Herman.Los Angeles Police Department officers who were escorting Herman from the meeting noticed "a sharp object protruding from his pants" that turned out to be a box cutter, Englander said.
CIty News Service

Man arrested in theft of trailer containing $250,000 in artwork by Matisse and Chagall
Canoga Park man was arrested in connection with the theft of a trailer containing $250,000 in artwork by Matisse and Chagall, police said Tuesday.  Robert Michael Slayton was taken into custody Thursday on suspicion of grand theft, according to the Los Angeles Police Department . He was released hours later on $70,000 bail.  Detectives found the stolen trailer in Slayton's backyard in the 7700 block of Farralone Avenue in Canoga Park, police said. The trailer was stripped.  Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Art Theft Detail recovered more than $120,000 in stolen art.
Los Angeles Times

Bicyclist Dies After Hit-and-Run Collision in Beverly Grove
A bicyclist died early Wednesday morning after a hit-and-run crash in Beverly Grove, police said. The collision was reported in the 100 block of N. Crescent Heights Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police said the vehicle struck the bicyclist and fled, striking another vehicle not far from the scene. The bicyclist died of his or her injuries.
NBC 4

LAPD orders officers to show 'compassion and empathy' to homeless people
Encounters with the city's homeless population have long been among the most sensitive and legally fraught parts of being a Los Angeles police officer. Police have taken a leading role over the last decade helping clean up the streets of a rapidly gentrifying downtown L.A., resulting in historic legal battles over the rights of homeless people and the limits of law enforcement. Last year, two of the most controversial L.A. Police Department use-of-force cases involved homeless men fatally shot by officers. These interactions are often complicated by mental health and substance abuse issues suffered by homeless people, a problem that some advocates said the LAPD has struggled to effectively address.
Los Angeles Times

Prison time for former LA Sheriff Lee Baca draws mixed reaction after Alzheimer's diagnosis
A day after court documents confirmed that former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, community leaders and law enforcement groups gave opposing views Tuesday about how much time he should serve in prison for his part in a corruption scandal. Baca's diagnosis was revealed one month before he is scheduled to appear for sentencing in federal court for lying to federal authorities who were investigating corruption in county jails under his command. Baca faces six months in federal prison. He pleaded guilty in federal court in February to one count of lying to government investigators probing corruption and civil rights abuses by deputies in the county's downtown jails and the attempt by the Sheriff's Department to obstruct that investigation. The former sheriff had repeatedly denied his involvement.
Los Angeles Daily News

Former state Sen. Ron Calderon pleads guilty in federal corruption case
Former state Sen. Ron Calderon formally pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal corruption charge after he admitted to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents and a hospital executive. Calderon, who represented the 30th Senate district from 2006 to 2014, appeared before U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder and entered the guilty plea to a count of mail fraud.The plea agreement was announced shortly after Calderon's brother Tom Calderon, a former state assemblyman, pleaded guilty to a charge of money laundering. Prosecutors had contended that Tom Calderon helped hide the bribes that his brother sought. 
Los Angeles Times

2 Orange County Men Convicted of Trying to Help ISIS
Two Anaheim men were convicted Tuesday on charges of trying to help the Islamic State terrorist group. Nader Salem Elhuzayel and Muhanad Elfatih M.A. Badawi, both 25, were convicted of conspiring to aid a foreign terrorist organization. Elhuzayel was also found guilty of bank fraud. Badawi was found guilty of aiding and abetting terrorists as well as financial aid fraud. Jurors deliberated for an hour before reaching the verdicts. Prosecutors said the men posted ISIS propaganda on social media and were quote as saying: “it would be a blessing to fight for the cause of Allah.”
CBS 2

Family asks San Jose Mayor, council allies not to attend memorial
While thousands of people poured into SAP Center Tuesday to pay their respects to fallen officer Michael Katherman during a public memorial, Mayor Sam Liccardo and Vice Mayor Rose Herrera weren't there. City Hall sources told this newspaper that Liccardo and six other council members were asked not to attend the public service. It was the family's request, they said they were told, based on the San Jose police officer's will. Katherman was killed on duty last week in a motorcycle accident. Liccardo confirmed he did not attend the service in a text message Tuesday.
Mercury News

FBI Investigation Uncovers VA Bribery Scandal in Palo Alto
A years-long probe into a bribery scheme at the Veterans Affairs offices in Palo Alto and Sacramento resulted in probation and prison time for seven people. Federal authorities launched the investigation in 2011 in response to a “culture of corruption” at the Palo Alto VA, according to indictments handed down a few years later. The FBI found that the agency's former contracting officer, Tracy Marasco, accepted cash, trips and gifts from companies in exchange for expensive contracts. She was sentenced to six months in prison and another six under house arrest.
San Jose Inside

FBI warned Chicago cops of ambush threat over Laquan McDonald video
The FBI warned the Chicago Police Department that officers' lives could be in danger with the release of the Laquan McDonald video, according to documents released by the city. In a Nov. 24 email sent just hours before the city made public the video of a white police officer shooting and killing the black 17-year-old, an FBI agent said that a confidential informant — who had provided reliable information in the past — reported plans to ambush officers in retaliation for the teen's death. “Violent rhetoric is high,” the FBI wrote. “Due to the recent media spotlight on officer-involved deaths of minorities, there is a lot of anger in the neighborhood served by the Chicago Police Department.”
Chicago Tribune

Omar Mateen's Alleged Gay Lover Claims Orlando Nightclub Shooting Was ‘Act Of Revenge'
Explosive allegations have surfaced surrounding Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, after Mateen's alleged male lover claims he did the shooting as “revenge” against Latino men.  The man, known only as “Miguel,” says Mateen was looking to be loved and embraced, CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported. Despite that, he believes Mateen acted on revenge when he shot up the gay Pulse nightclub after being with a Puerto Rican man he later learned was HIV positive. “He was terrified that he was infected,” the man said in an interview with Univision. “I asked him, ‘Did you do a test?' Yes. He went to the pharmacy and did the test … it came out negative, but it doesn't come out right away. It takes four, five months.”
CBS News

City Government News

Riordan, former L.A. City Council candidate fined by Ethics Commission
The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission fined a former City Council candidate nearly $16,000 Tuesday for failing to pay for campaign services that exceeded city limits on donations, as well as other violations. At the same meeting, commissioners also fined former Mayor Richard J. Riordan for neglecting to include key wording on election emails backing candidates for the Los Angeles Unified school board. City investigators accused Kelly M. Lord, who ran unsuccessfully five years ago for the San Fernando Valley council seat that ultimately went to Mitch Englander, of failing to pay $4,700 to a man who built his campaign website.
Los Angeles Times

L.A. City Council may seek bigger bond to house the homeless
Los Angeles City Council members are considering a significant boost to the size of a bond measure they say could help move tens of thousands of homeless Angelenos off the streets.  The City Council decided Tuesday to weigh a proposal by Councilman Mike Bonin to pursue a $1.5-billion housing bond –  $400 million more than the amount discussed by a council committee last week. If approved by the council, the bond would be placed before L.A. city voters in November as a ballot measure.
Los Angeles Times

Public Safety News

San Gabriel Complex Fire Chars 5,400 Acres In Angeles National Forest Above Azusa, Duarte
Two fast-moving brush fires continue to burn through dry brush in the Angeles National Forest above Azusa and Duarte Tuesday.  The fires, dubbed the Reservoir Fire and Fish Fire, have burned a total of 5,400 acres, and have been 10 percent contained. While the two fires have not merged, fire officials are now referring to them as the San Gabriel Complex Fire.  The Fish Fire has prompted mandatory evacuations in Duarte and fire officials are considering issuing some for Monrovia and the Bradbury area.  Los Angeles County Fire Deputy Chief John Tripp said progress on the Fish Fire's east bank was controlled, but they are worried about the west flank because it has a massive amount of fuel that has never burned.
ABC 7

Woman Airlifted to Hospital After Vehicle Falls 200 Feet Over Cliff
A woman was airlifted to a hospital after a vehicle fell about 200 feet down a cliff in Topanga, fire officials said.Firefighters responded to the incident around 2:45 a.m. near 19700 Observation Drive, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The woman was extricated from the vehicle and was expected to be airlifted to a hospital, fire officials said. The woman's condition was unknown.
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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