LACP.org
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Forum Articles - 2006
LA Community Policing

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Below you'll find the many "Main Articles" from the
LACP website this year, listed by the month
they appeared with a brief description of what's
inside. Scroll down to find them.
 
Click here for other year's articles:
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010,
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
LACP Press Release - Jan, 2003   - former film and television editor, Bill Murray, admits that running the nine-month-old LACP website has taken over his life - a tremendous amount of time goes into the effort, now a nonprofit (not yet funded)
Police Commission honors LA Community Policing   - the LA Police Commission honored Los Angeles Community Policing (LACP.org) on October 29, 2002, by awarding its founder, Bill Murray, with a Certificate of Appreciation
 
- recent comments and criticisms from the LACP "stakeholders" - community members, LAPD officers and City officials
DONE's Response to Controller Chick's Audit
Controller Laura Chick Audits DONE
Mayor Selects Acting Fire Chief - Douglas L. Barry
Fire Chief William Bamattre Announces His Departure
Crisis Response Team - trained volunteers needed
Reader From Michigan Responds to LACP Article
Safe Passage Program - Safety Collaboratives
CAIR-LA: Celebrating 10 Years of Service - Nov 18th
Preventing Abuse Conference - Protecting Women and Children
Alliance of Neighborhood Councils - meeting Sat, Nov 18
City of Los Angeles E-Democracy L.A. – 2006
Example of community policing: the Hansen Dam Volunteer Patrol
LAFD Museum - looking for volunteers
Neighborhood Council Review Commission Public Hearing
The Death of JonBenet - How many more victims will there be?
Election Day - CERT help needed on Nov 7th
Community Policing project with the LA Sheriff
Sustaining Stable Communities Through Partnering
Community Policing in Europe
Four FREE Emergency Preparedness Fairs
Red Flag Days Teams _ CERT assists the LAFD
Updated Website Has Free Resources for Emergencies
Five Basic Things to Know About Those "Weapons of Mass Destruction"
Pacific Area - New Resource - a community website
Community Impact Statements
"Why Vote?" -- OPINION by Don Farkas - OPINION . Whenever it comes time to vote I am always reminded of the line in the classic movie, "Casablanca," where Humphrey Bogart says to Ingrid Bergman, "It doesn't take much to see the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." To bean counters in the world, it is easy to think like that about participating in elections, especially with regard to the impact of our own little vote, cast among tens of thousands or millions of other votes. As a practical matter of its intrinsic usefulness, the question is often asked as to why bother to vote. Why vote? The answer turns out to depend on the value one assigns to several very subtle and difficult to prove assumptions about the worth, reasonableness, and future of humankind.
Police Commission Seeks Hearing Examiner Applicants The members of the Los Angeles Police Commission are looking for Board of Rights Hearing Examiners and for Police Permit Hearing Examiners. On June 20, 2006, the Police Commission approved the new Hearing Examiner Selection and Appointment Process, paving the way for interested community members to fill at least 25 Hearing Examiner positions. The Commission is specifically looking for individuals with a community service background combined with arbitration, mediation, administrative hearing, or comparable work experience. See how to apply ...
Invitation to 225th City Birthday Celebration Join Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa in the 225th Birthday Celebration of the City of Los Angeles on Monday, September 4, 2006! September 4th, 2006 is the 225th Birthday of the City of Los Angeles. To celebrate, the City has planned a series of exciting events for you to take part in marking this historic day. During the first week of September 1781, eleven families left Mission San Gabriel and proceeded nine miles down a dusty trail to the river. There, on September 4, 1781, they established El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles - today, the great City of Los Angeles.
Seeking new General Manager for DONE by Lisa Sarno, Interim General Manager, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. - The Education and Neighborhoods Committee will be holding a Special Meeting on August 14, 2006, at 6 p.m. at the Torrance Holiday Inn located at 19800 S. Vermont Avenue, CA 90502. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure broad public input in the selection of a new General Manager for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. Your attendance is encouraged. see the AGENDA
23rd Annual National Night Out - 8/01/2006 'America's Night Out Against Crime' - special events across LA on Tuesday, August 1 - ."[This is] ... a wonderful opportunity for communities nationwide to promote police-community partnerships, crime prevention, and neighborhood camaraderie. While the one night is certainly not an answer to crime, drugs and violence, National Night Out does represent the kind of spirit, energy and determination that is helping to make many neighborhoods safer places throughout the year. It's a night to celebrate crime prevention successes - and to expand and strengthen programs for the next 364 days."
Rampart Reconsidered- Blue Ribbon Panel's Report "Rampart Reconsidered: The Search for Real Reform Seven Years Later".. After nearly two years of work, the Blue Ribbon Rampart Review Panel has presented the LAPD Police Commission with its much anticipated report on the problems stemming from the CRASH (gang) Units in one of LAPD's Areas, Rampart Division, seven years ago. The repercussions of the "Rampart Scandal" were a principal cause for the five year Federal Consent Decree (now extended) and have cost the City untold millions of dollars. Unfortunately these reports are available only as huge pdf files, and can not be made into webpages. As such, LA Community Policing has them here in full, followed by a few short comments from Chief Bratton.
Protect YOUR Environment - Opportunity to Learn CEQA by Nicole Possert..One of our state's most important environmental laws for protecting resources (historic, cultural, environment, etc.) is the California Environmental Quality Act -- or CEQA. Knowing this law and how it is part of the planning and development process is critical for everybody involved or interested in development from community leaders to city planners, attorneys and commissioners to architects/design professionals. Two upcoming educational workshops will be devoted to the topic of CEQA and conveniently offered in Los Angeles on the campus of Occidental College. These workshops are part of annual professional training series hosted statewide by the California Preservation Foundation (CPF), a historic preservation nonprofit organization.
LAFD News and Information - and about Heat Safety by Brian Humphrey, LAFD Spokesman...Kindly allow us to bring these events and issues to your attention and warmly welcome your participation. Heat Safety Messages Worth Repeating...Given the recent loss of life attributed to heat in other parts of the country, we felt that pending hot weather in Southern California makes some messages worth repeating. Throughout the Summer - but especially this weekend, please don't underestimate the heat or overestimate your abilities! We encourage you to share this message with your friends and family. And since some of you have asked... you are also welcome to publish these safety tips in your neighborhood or business newsletters! Please click on the links we provide for more information ...
Jury Duty Scam - identity theft In this con, someone phones you pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. The scam is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving in formation by pretending they're with the court system.  The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Housing and Community Development Action Plan Community Meetings (planning for the years 2007-2008)..In July, 2006, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the Citizens’ Unit for Participation (CUP) and the Community Development Department (CDD) invite the public and all community groups to participate in a series of community meetings for the purpose of assessing and identifying the future needs of your community. They are seeking your input to establish priorities for federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in the following areas: Public Services, Public Facilities, Neighborhood / Public Improvements, Economic Development, and Housing.
The Brush Clearance Process in Los Angeles by Brian Humphrey, LAFD Spokesman...The citizens of Los Angeles, and those who protect them are no strangers to wildfire. Wildland blazes within our 470 square-mile jurisdiction are certainly well known, or dare we say unforgettable. And so it is with a penchant for our City's past and our unswerving devotion to our fallen colleagues, that the men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department set out in earnest this time of year to inform and educate the public about the danger of wildfire. It is also a time for us to enforce the City's long-standing Brush Clearance Regulations. See what's involved ...
"Sundown on Skid Row" - Investigative Documentary "Sundown on Skid Row" - screens Friday, June 30 . LA Community Policing is proud to announce the participation of LACP's own Dr. Arthur Jones in this feature length documentary about homelessness in America. A consultant on the film, Dr. Jones will be making a presentation as part of the event. Many other dignitaries and notables will also attend. The documentary deals with the horrors of homelessness and has interviews with many who tell poignant stories about the reality of life on the streets. It also focuses on people who have dedicated their lives to solving the homeless situation. Please help get the work out about this extraordinary event!
LAPD Police Commission Invitation - Tue, June 27th LA Police Commission -- Community Meeting -- Tuesday, June 27th -- 6:30pm ..Community members are invited to attend and share their opinions, questions, concerns and comments with the Police Commissioners, President John W. Mack, Vice President Alan Skobin, Shelley Freeman, Andrea Sheridan Ordin, Anthony Pacheco. Special Guests: Councilmember Bernard Parks, Police Chief William Bratton .. Prince Hall Memorial Auditorium. 9027 S. Figueroa Street, LA 90003
The Great Hollywood Walkabout - Sat, June 24th by Deborah Murphy .. Council President Eric Garcetti's Office and the Dept of City Planning are working on a Walkability Study of the Hollywood Community Plan area and are conducting a Walk Audit of the major streets in the plan area to review the current build out of the street VS the street designation of each street. We will be sponsoring a grand event that we are calling "The Great Hollywood Walkabout" which will take place on Saturday June 24th from 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM with community volunteers - please see attached flyer. We are very concerned about the future walkability of these streets ...
Congress of Neighborhoods - Sat, June 17th
LAPD Invitation - Meet the Chief - Mon, June 19th Please join us at the next Forum Summit meeting on Monday, June 19, 2006, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00p.m. The meeting will be held at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens, located at 570 West Avenue 26, Los Angeles. Chief William J. Bratton is looking forward to the opportunity to update you on current issues within the Department. To that end, the Department is in the process of hiring 700 new police officers. This has become critical, snce we anticipate over 400 sworn personnel to retire over the course of this year. This is where you can help us! We would also like to know what concerns or ideas you might have to improve our partnership as we continue to work together.
Gang Injunction Public Hearing
LANI Community Forum - FREE
"25 to Life" game sending wrong message to public The video game " 25 To Life " is due out in stores this month. The object of this game is to kill LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is putting together an on-line petition to boycott this game. We are asking each of you to go to their web site and please sign the Petition, and pass along this info to your family and friends. Let's take a stand for what is right. Please, visit the Memorial web site and sign the petition in memory of all of our fallen officers. This only takes a minute to do.
Laura Chick Finds Efficiencies at LAFD Citing an estimated annual savings of between $2.3 million to $3.8 million, City Controller Laura Chick has released an audit recommending taking 62 sworn firefighters who are 911 dispatch call takers, and 18 who are assigned to special duty, and redeploying them in the field reassigning their duties to civilians. The Chick audit studied eight other fire departments in the nation and found that each has successfully used civilians in their emergency call centers. The benchmark partners are Los Angeles County, Orange County, Chicago, Atlanta,. Dade County, Phoenix, San Jose and Houston.
Tough Choices for a Brighter Future From DONE Newsletter: .Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released his budget plan for the coming year at a press conference at Van Nuys City Hall. The Mayor joined LAPD cadets and Police Chief William Bratton in unveiling his spending plan, which boosts funding for key city services such as public safety, road resurfacing and sidewalk repair, traffic congestion relief programs, City libraries, summer youth employment programs among other investments. The Mayors Budget makes a down payment on cutting the City's inherited deficit by $47 million and improves value for taxpayers by identifying over $40 million in savings through efficiencies.
LAFD -- Event Roster by Brian Humphrey, LAFD Firefighter/Paramedic...The Los Angeles Fire Department is pleased to host, participate in or support a variety of community events and causes this Spring and Summer. The following dates have been confirmed, and we thought you might like to add one or more to your personal calendar. Unless otherwise noted, these events are open to the public and all are welcome.
Policing & Terrorisn: The French (DIS)connection by Arthur A. Jones and Robin Wiseman ..The Muslim youth riots of November 2005 raged throughout France over ten nights. They resulted in the burning of some 10,000 automobiles and caused injuries to at least 150 police officers, shocked the world and called much-needed attention to the causes of the turmoil and its possible implications for the fight against terrorism. The purpose of this brief report, The French (DIS)connection and the Lessons for America, is to provide a broad overview of the conditions and policies in France that contributed to the riots, and to invite the reader to consider whether one or several such factors are also at work in the United States. We begin the discussion with a short review of the origins and development of Community Policing (police de proximité) in France.
Police Commission on Devon Brown Los Angeles Police Commission President John W. Mack announced the Commission's decision regarding the use of force incident which resulted in the very tragic death of Devin Brown, a 13 year old youth, on February 6, 2005. Mack said the Commission had unanimously voted that both the TACTICS and the DRAWING OF THE WEAPON were "in-policy" but had voted 4 to 1 that the USE OF FORCE (shooting) resulting in Devon's death was "out of policy". Commissioners Mack, Freeman, Ordin and Pacheco voted "aye," and Commissioner Skobin voted "nay." EDITOR'S NOTE: Read the entire Police Commission statement and see the USE OF FORCE Report ...
Local Crime Reports - now available online A recent Letter to the Editor has prompted us to post the following good news about a welcome tool from LAPD ... crime statistics are now available online as maps! It comes up with a map of the crimes in the last few days within 1 mile. (You have to float your cursor just right over each marker to get the pop-up box with the details.) You're not limited to just the past week, but there is a limit of only a maximum of 7 days at a time. That is, you could ask for crime reports for any 1-to-7 day period, starting at any date. Check this out !!!
Storm Prep, News, Info and Save the Dates... by Brian Humphrey, LAFD Firefighter/Paramedic...Please allow us to share some information of interest regarding your Los Angeles Fire Department, and ask you to save the afternoon of Thursday, March 9, 2006 - when we hope you will join us for the Los Angeles Firefighter of the Year Luncheon, as well as the lunch hours of March 17, 2006 for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Detailed information about these specific events will be forthcoming.
Muslims and Homeland Security in Co Cal Flanked by U.S. Congressmember Jane Harman, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca; a group of Muslims from Southern California came together and introduced the newly formed Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress (MAHSC). MAHSC is expected to develop into a nationwide network of local Muslim -American community, business and religious leaders. "The security of our homeland is important to all Americans," Sheriff Lee Baca said. "So is the understanding and acceptance of our differences. The Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress will play a vital role in fostering education, understanding, communication and cooperation between Muslims and the general public toward the mutual goal of protecting and defending America and its entire people... "
Calling all women ... to a GREAT career ! LAPD & LAFD "Women's Recruitment Expo" - March 25, 2006 . In an effort to increase the number of women represented in the LAPD and LAFD, the City of LA is hosting a "Women's Recruitment Expo" on Saturday, March 25, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Los Angeles Police Academy in Elysian Park. The academy is located at 1880 N. Academy Rd. Admission is free and so is parking. The event includes a tour of the police academy every half hour, a hiring overview, a panel featuring prominent female police officers and firefighters and a question-and-answer session. An LAPD written exam will be given at 12:30 p.m.
The real tragedy of Police Pursuits by Candy Merchant Priano..The author lost her innocent teenaged daughter, Kristie, when she was killed in a tragic incident involving a police pursuit, and has become an advocate seeking justice for innocent victims of pursuit throughout the United States, and especially in California. .Today’s media, including shows like “Cops” and the sanitized chases in the latest action flick (and even the inappropriate jokes about police chases), have all played a part in minimizing the inherent dangers these police vehicular pursuits pose to innocent bystanders. When deadly chases occur in real life, journalists must rely heavily on law enforcement public relation officials to give them information about the chases that involved one or more of their officers.
Why Feds don't share intel with LAPD LAPD's dual employment policy creates National security breach - An Open letter to the Mayor ..by Edward Woody Porter Goss, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, wrote in today's NY Times, "We also know that unauthorized disclosure of classified intelligence inhibits our ability to carry out our mission and protect the nation." LAPD's dual employment policy creates a National security breach by allowing the opportunity for such unauthorized disclosure to happen. This is the reason Washington doesn't trust the City of Los Angeles with sensitive or classified information.
Sheriffs Leroy Baca's Community Day 2006