Law Enforcement

LA police officer shot on domestic violence call
A Los Angeles policeman who was shot in the face while answering a domestic violence call has been identified as a 22-year veteran whose wife and son also are LAPD officers. Police Chief Charlie Beck says Officer Steve Jenkins is hospitalized in critical and guarded condition. He was shot in the jaw and the shoulder Sunday night but Beck says it's unclear whether the wounds were caused by a single or multiple shots. Beck says a bullet lodged in his chest. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says his condition has stabilized.
Associated Press

Crime alerts for Montecito Heights, Jefferson Park and 15 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 17 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. 10 neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Montecito Heights was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.3 over the last three months.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD joins statewide crackdown on drivers using cell phones
Los Angeles police plan to join a statewide "zero tolerance" enforcement crackdown on drivers texting or using their cell phones without hands-free technology, officers said Sunday. California's first "Distracted Driving Awareness Month" kicks off at 6 a.m. Monday, said Los Angeles police Lt. Ron Katona of the department's Traffic Coordination Section.
Los Angeles Daily News

LA aims to whitewash graffiti writers going legit
The Los Angeles City Attorney's office is trying a new legal maneuver to try to stamp out graffiti - it's charging 10 graffiti writers with violating unfair competition laws because they're selling works on the strength of reputations built on vandalism. Assistant City Attorney Anne Tremblay says these graffiti writers - all associated with the MTA tagging crew - have an unfair advantage over legitimate artists because they gained notoriety through crime.
Associated Press

Giants fan beaten at Dodger Stadium in coma, identified as paramedic
The Giants fan who was severely beaten at the end of the Dodgers home opener Thursday is a Santa Cruz paramedic and the father of two children. Bryan Stow, 42, hit his head on the pavement during the attack and is in a medically induced coma, family members told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The Los Angeles Police Department released sketches of two suspects in the attack.
Los Angeles Times

Report recommends nixing red-light cameras
With the contract for the city's much-criticized red-light cameras coming up for renewal this month, a stinging report that recommends scrapping them could hurt LAPD efforts to continue the program. The report's main conclusion is that if the costly system were shut down, all traffic engineers would have to do to improve traffic safety is extend the length of yellow signal lights at intersections.
Los Angeles Daily News

Half Moon Bay votes to outsource police services
At a painful meeting that had the mayor and head of the police officers union choking back their emotions, the Half Moon Bay City Council voted Saturday to shut down its Police Department and turn over its duties to the San Mateo County Sheriff. The council voted unanimously to authorize the city manager to negotiate the specifics with the sheriff - a move that is expected to save the cash-strapped coastal city of 13,300 at least $509,000.
San Francisco Chronicle

Collective Bargaining

State Budget Crisis

Governor isn't giving up on budget
He posted a message on YouTube, then laid low for a few days. The collapse of state budget talks last week represented the first major setback of Gov. Jerry Brown's administration, to which he responded with relative calm. "I'm not giving up," Brown said. "I've been around a long time. I know we can do it."
Sacramento Bee