Law Enforcement

Two get prison for beating Giants fan at Dodger Stadium
A California judge sentenced two men to prison Thursday for the brutal 2011 opening day beating of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodger Stadium, calling them "the biggest nightmare'' of fans at sporting events. Superior Court Judge George Lomeli sternly lectured Louis Sanchez and Marvin Norwood in a crowded courtroom after they entered guilty pleas for the beating that left Bryan Stow brain-damaged and permanently disabled.
USA Today

California law enforcement offices can access criminal records through smartphone application
Attorney General Kamala Harris says her office has designed a mobile application that will allow law enforcement officers to download criminal records and other information to their smartphones. She says the California Department of Justice maintains nearly 20 databases, but officers have had to retrieve information from them by radio through a dispatcher.
Associated Press

Woman abducted, sexually assaulted on South LA street
Police are searching for two sexual assault suspects who abducted a woman on a South Los Angeles street Tuesday night. At about midnight Tuesday a woman walking near Normandie Avenue and 54th Street was approached by two Hispanic men who forced her into a vehicle, the LAPD said. The suspects drove the 1990s blue 4-door compact vehicle to an unspecified location and sexually assaulted the woman.
ABC7

Fugitive from Montana may be in Southern California, FBI says
A convicted sex offender from Montana who escaped after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting a woman and a police officer, may be hiding in Southern California, the FBI said Thursday. Kevin Briggs was arrested in Bozeman, Mont., on Feb. 1 on suspicion of assaulting a woman and a police officer but escaped, the FBI said. At the time, Briggs was on probation for illegal sexual intercourse, kidnapping and burglary. He was also a college student studying chemical engineering
Los Angeles Times

Homeland Security chief plays down latest shoe bomb warning
The new head of Homeland Security played down a recent warning that terrorists might try to sneak explosives onto commercial planes in passenger shoes, saying the threat has been around "for years." In a press conference at Los Angeles International Airport, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the advisory was "the type that we routinely issue in response to the latest intelligence."
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Bill would close sex-crime sentencing loophole
Sexual predators who attack the severely disabled can escape harsher penalties because a loophole in the law prevents judges from handing down longer jail sentences simply because the victim cannot prove force was used. Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, R-San Diego, is pushing to change that, carrying legislation that would free judges to put rapists behind bars longer regardless of whether a victim is developmentally disable.
U-T San Diego

Legislation would make child abuse reporting training mandatory in California schools
Next month, the state Assembly education committee will begin discussing legislation to require that school employees receive child abuse reporting training every year. After two years of reports by this newspaper of various school employees failing to properly report child abuse, Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Burbank, introduced Assembly Bill 1432, which would change state law from "strongly encouraging" training to "requiring annual training," including yearly proof of such education.
San Jose Mercury News

Lawmakers: California driver's licenses should include 'veteran' designation
Veterans would be identified on California driver's licenses as having served their country under a bill proposed Thursday by Assembly members Jim Frazier, D-Oakley, and Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica. The hope, Frazier said, is that the license designation under AB 1637 would make it easier for veterans to access federal, state and local benefits, including employment, education, housing, health and counseling benefits by eliminating the "impracticality of carrying around official discharge papers."
San Francisco Chronicle

Guns

Ed Markey to introduce 'smart gun' bill
A Democratic senator wants to ensure that handguns sold in the United States can be operated only by "authorized" users. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts plans to introduce a bill that would require new handguns be outfitted with personalization technology within two years and that older guns be retrofitted within three years so that the firearms won't work for unauthorized users. The bill includes exemptions for antique guns as well as military arms.
Politico

Transit

Metrolink gets collision-avoidance technology, Metro gets downtown connector
Nearly six years after a Metrolink passenger train barreled head-on into a freight train in Chatsworth after its operator ran a red light, new technology that would have prevented the deadly collision is being installed throughout the system. Metrolink rolled out a train Thursday morning equipped with "positive train control," which lets on-board computers halt engines remotely if trains speed or blow through stop signals. Earlier in the day, Sen. Diane Feinstein , joined by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and a host of local transportation officials, celebrated another major milestone in Southern California transit with the announcement of $670 million in federal money to fund the Los Angeles regional connector.
Los Angeles Daily News