Keep Bailing

The Los Angeles Police Department has said they will use a recent $30,000 donation to add a tractor to its vehicle fleet.  The tractor will be an odd addition to the department’s current vehicular inventory which includes patrol cars, boats, helicopters, mobile command trucks and motorcycles.

Some might consider the addition of a piece of farm equipment to be an unusual selection for the LAPD.  A spokesperson for the department points out the tractor will not be used to patrol city streets.  It will instead be utilized to maintain topsoil on the two acre area in which LAPD Mounted Platoon horses are trained.

At the current time the department has about 30 horses that reside in an area just east of Griffith Park and Interstate 5.

Lt. Tony Lomedico said the tractor is needed to Read more »

Members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have said they intend to crackdown on Black Friday shoppers who choose to behave badly.

The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. Also known as the kick-off to the holiday shopping season, Black Friday offers numerous sales and deep discounts on hot ticket items. Many items sell out quickly and in past years, this has caused unfortunate shopping incidents throughout the United States.

Fights, brawls, stampedes and even incidents where shoppers have Read more »

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has offered up the following tips to ensure residents and visitors are able to enjoy a happy and safe holiday shopping season.

First and foremost the LAPD is reported to be recommending that people be mindful about locking their cars, trucks and SUV’s when they are visiting malls and shopping centers.  If your vehicle contains valuables they should be stowed out of sight if not locked in the trunk.   The glove box, beneath seats and other vehicular compartments are among the recommended hiding places.   Those who leave items of value in plain sight are far more likely to become victims of crime.

Hot ticket electronics items such as GPS and GPS Read more »

The Los Angeles Police Department today announced they will be cracking down on DUIs between Aug. 17 and the end of Labor Day Weekend.

Checkpoints and patrols will take place throughout the county as part of a statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” initiative.  The number of DUIs increase markedly during the summer months, said a Los Angeles Police Department Spokesperson.  This also leads to a spike in accidents resulting in death or injury.

Officers warn they will be in “aggressive pursuit” of drivers who nay be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  DUI arrests can lead to the revocation of a person’s drivers license, fines, penalties, and increases on auto insurance premiums.

Reportedly, the Los Angeles Police Department will holding DUI patrols in on the following dates and locations: Read more »

The Los Angeles Police Department is happy to announce crime rates are continuing to decline.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck held a press conference alongside Mayor Antonio Villariagosa earlier this week, referencing Los Angeles as being the safest city in America.  According to a recent report by the Los Angeles Times, violent crime has dropped approximately 9% from the same reporting time in 2011.  Homicides remain on par, but continue to remain consistent with levels reported in 2010.    A Department spokesperson pointed out that this may be the third year in a row where LA has less than 300 killings.    The Times notes this is four times less than a peak seen in the late 1990s.

Beck said aggravated assault, rape. robbery and gang crime have also declined.

Property crime, however, seems to be on the rise.  Although Read more »

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Gus Martinez has set an unusual world record. According to a recent report by Yahoo News, Martinez can proudly say he has ridden a Ferris Wheel for longer than anyone else on the planet.  In June 2012 he traveled to Santa Monica Pier, climbed aboard, and rode for 25-hours.  He did, however, take several five-minute breaks during that time.

Guiness Book of World Records spokesperson Philip Robertson traveled from London to verify a record was being set by the LAPD Detective.  He told Yahoo News that Martinez indeed had a “solid finish”.  The previous record, he said, was held by an Irish woman who rode a Ferris Wheel in her home town for 24 hours and 30 minutes.

Martinez admitted feeling a bit queasy in the early part of his ride but Read more »

LAPD Emergency Staging Area Enjoyed By Local Pooches

Four-legged residents of downtown Los Angeles are happy to get at any amount of green-space they can, say their owners, and the pups are thankful they can make good use of the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters emergency staging area.

The grassy knoll adjacent to the LAPD Metropolitan Center Jail on 2nd Street between Main and Spring Streets has long been functioning as a make-shift dog park, according to a recent story by the LA Times.  At the same time, the one-acre area isn’t technically a park.

At the same time, the Los Angeles Police Department says they are happy to share.  A Department representative said they don’t have the funds to maintain the area, but thanks to residents and dog-owners, the space is weeded, mowed, and cared for on a regular basis.

Signage requesting dog owners keep their pets leashed is often ignored, but since the dogs aren’t causing any harm, police are turning a blind-eye to the violation.

In addition to being a great place for dogs to socialize, residents say it’s Read more »

The Los Angeles Police Department and University of Southern California have announced increased security measures after the recent murders of two Chinese students.

Ming Qu and Ying Wu were fatally shot in a drive-by shooting earlier this month.  The students had been chatting in a BMW when the gunman approached.  Property and other personal effects were later found to be missing from the vehicle.   The suspect remains at large.

The Los Angeles Times had reported USC will be installing additional security cameras in addition to accepting additional police presence.  They further reported that Los Angeles will now dedicate a city prosecutor to investigate crimes taking place on or close to the campus and an LAPD Detective and four additional officers will be assigned to “work on and around campus with USC safety officials.”

LAPD spokesperson Andrew Smith said the additional officers will equate to a 7.5% increase to the Southwest Division’s current presence.   The officers are not new-hires, he said, but will be transferred to the Southwest Division from Read more »

The perception of the Los Angeles Police Department in 1992 was that it was ridden with corruption.   It was on Apr. 29 of that same year that community outrage boiled over, and exploded into one of the most explosive and deadliest riots in the history of the nation.

By that time the 1991 LAPD beating of Rodney King had been broadcast throughout the nation.  LA’s African American community was outraged, saying that police abuse and racial profiling had gotten out of control.

The District Attorney’s office brought charges against four of the officers who participated in the attack.  But on Apr. 29 1992, an all-white jury acquitted them.   An almost immediate riot broke out in South Central Los Angeles, leading to more than 2,300 injuries and 55 deaths. The total estimated damage topped $1 billion.

Then Police Chief Daryl Gates was forced to tender his resignation.

Nine years later, after new allegations of corruption and brutality arose; the U.S. government stepped in and began a 10-year period of federal oversight. LAPD policies and procedures were changed.  Reforms were instituted, and new guidelines as to how officers investigate crimes and how higher-ups discipline improper action put to action.

In July 2009 the period of oversight was lifted, after a federal judge found the Department had reformed itself significantly.

Things have continued to change for the better. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that the LAPD trained Read more »

Local police precincts throughout Los Angeles County have said they have already begun preparing for a widespread DUI crackdown on Super Bowl Sunday.   Their message for those contemplating driving while under the influence is simple.

Don’t do it.

NBC Los Angeles reported the Los Angeles Police Department Avoid the 100 DUI Task Force said they will be deploying special roving DUI patrols on Sunday, Feb. 5  in communities throughout the area looking to stop and arrest drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs. These DUI patrols are, in addition to regularly scheduled patrol officers, all looking for the tale-tell signs of an intoxicated driver behind the wheel.

In 2010, over 10,000 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, law enforcement officials said.  In California, this led to 791 deaths because someone failed to designate a sober driver.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl XLVI Party, you are asked to:

• Make sure all of your guests Read more »