LAPD Chief Moore sends letter to rank and file following police union survey critical of his leadership

FOX 11 has obtained a letter LAPD Chief Michel Moore sent to department personnel on Saturday night, assuring them that he has their back after a police union survey revealed a massive majority of LAPD rank and file feel they aren’t supported by Moore and have rock bottom morale. Their morale is at crisis levels right now, they don’t feel that the chief is supporting them or standing up for them,” said Craig Lally, President of the LAPPL.

Houston Officer Shot And Killed

Houston police Sgt. Sean Rios on Monday was driving to his regular 2 p.m. shift at George Bush Intercontinental Airport when minutes before he was to clock in, the 25-year veteran staggered into a motel lobby along the North Freeway with a gunshot wound. Rios, a 47-year-old father of four, became the fourth Houston peace officer killed in the line of duty this year following a gun battle with a suspect who remains at large. His death capped off a violent day across the Houston-area that saw four other killings in a five-hour stretch. "A lot of things are happening on our streets," Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a news conference at the shooting scene. "There's a lot of people who are on edge. So I just want people to pray for our city and to ... bring emotions down and bring the violence down. Because this is a tragic case, and it's just been a very rough year in our city." Rios had been a sergeant for at least a decade, said Houston Police Officers Union Vice President Doug Griffith, who knew Rios from their days in the Southeast Patrol Division.

Video: Knife-Wielding Man Stabs California Cop

A 26-year-old man was shot and killed at a Rialto gas station after he allegedly attacked three officers with a knife Friday morning, Nov. 6, authorities said. Rialto officers were investigating a call of a gunshot victim at USA Gasoline in the 200 block of Foothill Boulevard about 6:20 a.m. when the man approached an officer sitting in his squad car and allegedly violently attacked him with a knife, police said. The man was identified as David Viveros of San Bernardino and police said they believe he had no involvement in the initial shooting call. Three officers were at the gas station when Viveros initiated the alleged attack. Officers twice deployed a Taser, but both were ineffective, police said. Viveros continued to attack the officers and stabbed one of them in the abdomen, at which point, one of the officers fired several shots at Viveros, who died at the scene, police said.

Nearly 9 In 10 LAPD Officers Felt Unsupported By Moore After Summer Protests, Survey Finds

Nearly 9 out of 10 Los Angeles Police Department officers did not feel supported by Chief Michel Moore and did not believe he or other commanders provided strong leadership during recent protests and unrest, according to a summer survey conducted by the officers’ union. Many officers said Moore should resign, accusing him in comments they submitted with the survey of “cowering” to Black Lives Matter protesters, “pandering” to city politicians and “not having an organized plan” during the unrest, the union said. Nearly 70% of respondents said the department was unprepared for the protests, which followed the May police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and close to 40% said they were thinking of leaving the force. The results, published this week in the union’s Thin Blue Line newsletter, reflect low morale among officers at a critical time in American policing and should raise alarms for Angelenos about the LAPD’s path forward at a time of increasing violence, Los Angeles Police Protective League officials said. “It speaks loud and clear what the membership thinks about the direction the department is going right now. They’re starving for leadership both from the chief and from his command staff. It’s obvious,” said Craig Lally, the union president. “It just doesn’t seem like law enforcement and public safety is a priority in this city.”

79-Year-Old George Bailey Found Safe After Silver Alert

A 79-year-old man with Alzheimer’s was found safe on Monday after disappearing without his wallet and phone over the weekend. Authorities were asking for the public’s help in locating George Bailey. Bailey had last been seen about 3:30 p.m. Saturday near Murfield Road South and Coliseum Street in Los Angeles wearing a black beanie, black jacket, blue shirt, khaki pants and gray shoes, LAPD said. A Silver Alert was also issued by the California Highway Patrol in efforts to locate him.

Man Stabbed In Florence Area Of L.A. County Dies At Hospital

A man who was stabbed over the weekend in the unincorporated Florence area of Los Angeles County died Monday at a hospital, authorities said. The stabbing occurred about 1 p.m. Saturday at Compton and Florence avenues, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The man died at a hospital on Monday morning, the sheriff’s department reported. His name was withheld, pending notification of his relatives. No arrests were reported, and no suspect description was released. Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

VIDEO: Deadly Gang Shooting Caught On Camera In Willowbrook

Investigators released footage of a deadly shootout on a Willowbrook street. The footage shows several gunmen unloading dozens of rounds at 34 year-old Edward Gray's car. This happened on 121st Street near Mona Park last month. Gray later died at a hospital. Deputies are looking for four suspects that got away in a white Tesla and a dark-colored Dodge Charger. They believe the incident is gang-related.

Philadelphia Fugitive, Akhenaton Jones, Located In Los Angeles And Arrested For Transgender Woman’s Murder

A Philadelphia man wanted for murder over the summer was arrested in Los Angeles this week. Akhenaton Jones is accused of killing 27-year-old transgender woman Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells on June 7, 2020, police said. Her dismembered body was discovered that same month, authorities disclosed. Jones was located and arrested and police are now awaiting extradition. No further details were immediately available about the case, Jones’ ties to the L.A. area, or which units took him into custody.

Federal Trade Commission: 25 Websites Sold Fake Clorox, Lysol Products But Never Delivered Them

Still on the hunt for Lysol wipes? Beware of buying them online, where the Federal Trade Commission says at least 25 websites have been selling the products without actually delivering them. The FTC says that the operators of 25 counterfeit websites “have been playing on consumers’ COVID-19 pandemic fears to trick the into paying for Clorox and Lysol products that the defendants never deliver.” The sites have been up since at least July 2020. None of the websites are owned by, affiliated with, or authorized by the companies that make Clorox and Lysol, according to the FTC. Consumers reported that when they tried to go back to the fake website to seek a refund for the never-delivered products, the site was gone in a matter of days or weeks, and the FTC says the sites would pop up again with a different URL. In other cases where consumers tried to stop payments or get chargebacks through their credit card companies, the sites used falsified shipment information to make it harder to get the charges reversed, according to the FTC.

Public Safety News

LA County Reports 1,413 New COVID-19 Cases, 5 Deaths

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Monday reported 1,413 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and five deaths, bringing countywide totals to 323,625 cases and 7,177 deaths — continuing a surge in cases the county has seen over the past few weeks. “The surge is not as steep as what we saw in July, but we’re very concerned that the numbers can continue to increase,” Dr. Barbara Ferrer, county public health director, said. “From September to October, we saw an average number of daily cases go from a little over 750 cases per day to almost 1,400 cases per day. And over the weekend, we reported for Saturday and Sunday alone, a total of 4,600 cases, which is about 2,300 cases per day.” Of those whose deaths were newly reported, one person was over the age of 80, two were between the ages of 65 and 79 and two were between the ages of 50 and 64. Four had underlying health conditions.

Amid New Coronavirus Surge, L.A. County Public Health Director Says ‘Next Two Weeks Will Be Crucial’

Coronavirus cases are again surging in Los Angeles County, prompting renewed alarm from health officials calling for residents to redouble their efforts to protect against the spread of the virus. While “not as steep as what we saw in July,” said county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, “we’re very concerned that the numbers could continue to increase.” “These numbers are demonstrating real and alarming increases, and the next two weeks will be crucial,” she said during a briefing Monday. “As we go into our cooler months and our holidays, we are increasingly worried about more and more transmission of the virus and more hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.” In L.A. County, officials announced at least 2,000 new coronavirus infections every day from Thursday through Sunday.

LA County To Consider Setting Up Vaccine Sites At Local Schools

As the possibility of a vaccine for COVID-19 takes shape, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider whether to use schools as a key resource in rolling out vaccinations. Supervisor Janice Hahn has recommended that the Department of Public Health work with school districts to evaluate the feasibility of setting up mass vaccination sites at local schools. "I am hopeful that a vaccine will be approved and available soon, and when that happens it is going to be a huge undertaking for LA County. People's lives and livelihoods will depend on us getting it right and that means preparing now," Hahn told City News Service. Hahn recently met with Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner and said she was grateful for his willingness to partner to distribute vaccines.

Wildfire Spotting Network Grows To 610 Cameras In California

As the threat of wildfires has grown to a staggering level in California, so has its network of high-tech cameras watching the backcountry to spot the first outbreak of flames and help firefighters battle them until they are contained. The 610th ALERTWildfire camera was installed in California last month, according to the program office at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The size of the multi-state system almost doubled in the past four months, primarily in California, where more than 4.1 million acres have burned this year. There are also 41 cameras in Nevada, nine in Oregon, six in Idaho and one in Washington. Geoscientist Neal Driscoll, director of the ALERTWildfire program at UCSD, said the system allows first responders to begin fighting fires at their outset. “These cameras save critical time by allowing rapid confirmation of 911 calls and accurate location of new fires using the ALERTWildfire web-based interface, time that would otherwise be spent sending engines to mountaintops or launching aircraft to confirm fire ignition and location,” he said in a statement.