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 designate their sober drivers before kick-off
• Make sure sober drivers’ cars are easy to access when it is time to start driving people home
• Serve plenty of food
• Offer a variety of non-alcoholic choices like non-alcohol beers, soft drinks, juice, and water
• Add the numbers of local cab companies into your phone so they are just one touch away
• Take appropriate steps to prevent anyone from driving while impaired
• Be prepared for guests to spend the night if an alternative way home is not available

If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:

• Designate your sober driver before the party begins and leave your car keys at home if you plan to drink
• Offer to be the designated driver the next time you go out
• Cover the cost for parking or even pay for a tank of gas
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself, eat enough food, take breaks and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
• Take appropriate steps to prevent anyone from driving while impaired.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission, it is believed that nearly 8 percent of fatal alcohol-related accidents are caused by repeat DUI offenders. Last year in California, 791 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents. This number has been declining due to increased public awareness and law enforcement.

The H2O Unit arrested 104 of the nearly 500 offenders that they had been monitoring last year. Just in the Valley this year, there have been 962 DUI accidents with four people killed. In 2010, there were 985 crashes with four people killed.

It is estimated that over 300,000 Californians have been convicted of three or more DUI offenses and more than 40,000 are driving around with over five convictions.

Deputy city attorney Rick Schmidt said, “When you find someone who has multiple prior convictions, it’s an indication that they’re driving drunk regularly. And it poses a significant risk to the public.”

The H2O Unit was formed in 2004 in an effort to target repeat offenders who are still driving while their driving privileges are suspended. Prior to this, judges would have their bailiffs follow the offenders out to make sure they didn’t get behind the wheel.

It is hoped that arresting these repeat offenders for driving with a suspended license can make them stop and think every time they want to drive and make the right decision not to.

Santa helped deliver the gifts which donated by area residents and businesses at various donations sites throughout the North Hollywood community.  On Monday, a “community caravan” will also take place in which an “equal number of toys” will be given out to children within poorer neighborhoods serviced by the North Hollywood Station.

The LAPD North Hollywood Police Station serves the communities of West Toluca, Valley Village, Valley Glen, Universal City, Toluca Woods, Toluca Lake, Sun Valley, Studio City, North Hollywood and Cahuenga pass and serves approximately 220,000 residents. The station has approximately 300 sworn officers, 32 reserve officers as well as a number of citizen volunteers.

The station is located at 11640 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, CA, 91601.  Bail can be posted at the North Hollywood Station 24-hours a day.

The LAPD has been on heightened alert since the home address, telephone number, cell phone number and email address of the UC Davis police officer who pepper-sprayed student protesters was posted on-line by the hacking group “Anonymous”.

“Anonymous” initiates active civil obedience through “hacktivism” and has made a name for itself through releasing personal, classified and private information of its targets.  CNN has posited the group as being one of the three major successors to WikiLeaks.

The group has recently been linked to attacks launched on the websites of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system and the Fullerton Police Department.  Last summer, “Anonymous” said it would take down the Fullerton PD website entirely if it didn’t submit to demands regarding the August beating death of a homeless man.  Those demands included the resignation of the police chief as well as the prosecution of the five officers involved in the beating.  The attack, which claimed would “remove entirely” the website from the world wide web as well as black-fax and email-bomb every inbox at the Department was not successful. BART, however, was forced to shut down MyBART.org temporarily until the website could be re-secured.

Reportedly, most of the attempted hacks to the Los Angeles Police Department have been an attempt to gain access to or slow down its website.  LAPD Comander Andy Smith was quoted as saying it was not immediately clear as to whether Anonymous was linked recent hacking attempts or whether they might be linked to the Department’s role in breaking up Occupy L.A. camps last week.

Apparently, more than 200 Occupy Los Angeles protestors were arrested early this morning in what the Los Angeles Police Department calls a “peaceful sweep”. LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck addressed the media shortly after the disbandment of the camp, saying that the arrests were “mainly peaceful”.

Arrestees were loaded onto buses and taken to the LAPD Metro Jail to be booked and processed.  Bail for those that called us was set at $5,000. The jailer at the downtown LA Metropolitan Center Jail told us that protestors would not be released on their own recognizance or “cited out” as protesters usually are. We are somewhat skeptical of that given the already overcrowded Los Angeles jail systems. However, each individual will certainly be screened for warrants on a nation-wide basis. So with so many individuals to book in, any release, be it on bail or otherwise will be hours away.

According to  the Los Angeles Times, several hundred police officers arrived at the camp just after midnight and surrounded the encampment and declared it to be an “unlawful assembly”. Occupiers were told if they did not leave within 10 minutes they would be subject to arrest.

Although many complied with the order to leave, others willfully submitted to being arrested. Others, officers said, attempted to hide in trees.  LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he had never before seen more professional and restrained force on behalf of the LAPD.  Beck said the raid went as well as could be expected.  Many protestors were prepared to be attacked with tear gas. Members of the police department brought in bomb-sniffing dogs, however, tear gas was not used and no explosives were found.

Villaraigosa had previously said the Occupiers would need to abandon the camp outside City Hall by 12:01 a.m. Monday morning.  Law enforcement officials have said the raid on the camp was delayed due to strong defiance of the order.

The LAPD had been warned that efforts of defiance could be marked, and were told to “watch each others backs” .  They were further warned that gravel, rocks and other items could be thrown at them.  The Times also reported that other officers, concerned about the possibility that urine and feces could be thrown at them arrived to the scene wearing white protective body suits.

The Occupy Los Angeles protest began approximately two months ago as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Protesters in Philadelphia have already begun to tweet support for LA Occupiers, saying they have been given a similar order to disband their camp.

Simple things, they say, such as remembering to lock vehicle doors and storing packages in the trunk can go a long way.  Persons who leave packages and gifts in plain sight have a higher likelihood of having their cars broken into and their items stolen.

The message being relayed is relatively simple:
• Lock It: Lock your vehicle every time you leave it unattended and always lock your valuables in the trunk.
• Hide It: If you don’t have a trunk, hide valuables under the seats, in the glove box, or other compartments within the   vehicle.
• Keep It: Personal responsibility is the best prevention to safeguard personal property and to prevent becoming a victim

CBS Los Angeles has reported that owners of American-made sport utility vehicles should be  aware that a “spat of thefts of removable third row seats” have become increasingly frequent.

The “Lock It, Hide It, Keep It” campaign was first kicked off at the Los Angeles Police Department Nuys station in Aug. 2010.  Then Deputy LAPD Chief Kirk Albanese said statistics showed that by taking an extra few seconds to stow belongings, that the crime of burglary and theft from motor vehicles could be eliminated.  Albanese has since been promoted to commanding officer of the Detective Bureau.

Lucy Liu, who first became famous for her role in Ally McBeal; is no exception to that rule. Her newest acting gig  has landed her a recurring part on the TNT drama Southland, where she plays a hardworking member of the Los Angeles Police Department.

In order to better acquaint herself with the part,  TMZ has reported that Liu “strapped on body armor” for a ride-along with the Los Angeles Police Department.  It’s believed this was done to ensure her safety while touring some of the city’s highest-crime areas.

Although the LAPD did not allow her to participate in any official police business, she was able to get a birds-eye-view in terms of the ins and outs of what it means to be an officer of the law.

The Los Angeles Police Department is advising that those who are attending parties to plan a safe way hope prior to arriving and/or to designate a sober driver to get them home at the end of the night. It’s also recommended those who have had a few too many drinks call a taxi, friend, roommate, or family member or to take public transportation to get home.  It’s further suggested that if you see someone who is visibly impaired who is about to get behind the wheel, to take their keys and assist in getting them home safely.

In our experience, most people who are arrested for first time DUI are released without bail about 8-12 hours after arrest, depending on their blood alcohol level. Repeat offenders, drivers involved in accidents or others with mitigating circumstances will require bail bonds to obtain release from jail. Additionally, certain jurisdications such as Burbank and all of San Diego County require bail for every DUI arrest.

Patch reports that a sobriety checkpoint will be conducted between 8 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday at Ventura Boulevard and Big Oak Drive in Studio City. A second checkpoint will be conducted between 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday at Sunset Boulevard and Bronson Avenue in Hollywood.

The second measure seeks funding for newly mandated prison realignment, which went into effect earlier this month. The mandate requires inmates convicted of “low-level” felonies be transferred from state to local prisons.  It also provides for the release of 30,000 inmates.

Clearly, this impacts the LAPD and Los Angeles jails. Many Los Angelenos, for obvious reasons, are wondering how this will effect their day-t0-day lives. In a recent interview with KPCC, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Beck broke it all down.

• On The New Open-Carry Restriction:  “Carrying guns openly in public is most certainly a recipe for disaster,” Beck told KPCC. “Los Angeles police officers would certainly detain more people with guns which is always dangerous, and I’m glad that doesn’t have to happen.”

• On Prison Realignment:   “This is very much doing something that I don’t like to do, which is building the plane while you fly it. I don’t like to do things this way, this one of my issues with what’s happened here, we’ve had not lot of time to plan this, no coordination, not a pilot plan, not the way I normally implement massive changes in the way the organization works. I am going to dedicate 150 police officers, that’s more than any other in the state, towards this, and I’ll do that’s whether I get funded or not. But, in fairness to the people of Los Angeles who pay for this police department, the county and the state should reimburse us.  They’ll be deployed in every one of our 21 divisions, every one of those 21 divisions will have a team of officers lead by a supervisor who works for their detective lieutenant and they will be the parolee probationer compliance team- and that’s what they’ll do [...] they’ll try to do the job that the state parole would normally have done.”

• On Budget Cuts And Reducing Calls to 911: “Much of 911 gets taken up with people that don’t need 911. So, you know, L.A. has implemented the 311 system; I really ask the public that if it’s not an emergency, if you don’t need a police officer right away, call 311 and we’ll get your issue handled. And that will make room for people that have life or property in immediate threat. That’s an important message for this to come out. A lot of this is about volume.  I will work on getting more 911 operators and just will ask the public to do it on the other end — which is try to reduce the call load.”

According to an Oct. 10 report by the LA Times, Albanese will replace soon-to-be-retiring Deputy Chief David Doan.    Albanese, a 31-year veteran, will be replaced by Commander Jorge Villegas. Albanese will report to  Special Operations Assistant Chief Michel R. Moore.

Although may be considered unusual to put a commander at the head of the reigns for an area bureau, Beck cited city “financial issues” as being a driving force behind that decision.

The LAPD Detective Bureau consists of several divisions, including the Scientific Investigation Division, Investigative Analysis Section, Commercial Crimes Division, Robbery-Homicide Division, Detective Support and Vice, Juvenile Division and Gang and Narcotics Division.