COPS IN THE
NEWS
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BLOG POST
by Felicity Blaze Noodleman
Los Angeles, CA
7.11.14
by Felicity Blaze Noodleman
Los Angeles, CA
7.11.14
Now that the summer of 2014 is in full swing the heat is raising along with other factors effecting Community policing in Los Angeles. It always seems the "Cops" in LA have problems holding the lid on things and that includes themselves! More than a few stories have appeared in the news this year so we thought we would take a look at some of the most recent headliners.
LAPD it seems is always in trouble, but lately we've had issues with the Sheriff and now the CHP (California Highway Patrol). It is not a lack of oversight because they are always under scrutiny from the LA City Board of supervisors and everybody else from the media and to all of us - you and me.
Like a bunch of rowdy boys, the cops here have their mood swings. People get hurt and die because those boys and girls who are sworn to "protect and serve" are too loose and on the streets with guns! They all need a lesson from "Andy of Mayberry". It seemed that Andy could handle his Community with more common sense and less violence. Maybe today's cops have the wrong idea of what their job is in the first place. The Nazis went down with the Third Reich in 1945.
Clearly Los Angeles is not Mayberry, North Carolina but still the Police and Law Enforcement have a long history of abuse under the color of the uniform and it still continues. As citizens we can only shake our heads and wonder why. City Supervisors always are held accountable for "their officers" and still the problem continues! We have some ideas for getting these rough necks under control.
- Remove their guns
- Take the military demeanor from their organizations
- Change their uniforms to more of a civilian dress code
- Random drug test all officers
- Terminate all officers who abuse their authority
To say that Law enforcement in Los Angles has a skewed vision of their jobs is the understatement of the century. Now they want to tell us which Laws they will enforce and those which they won't! It seems some Federal Laws such as Illegal Immigration are not their responsibility! What about Homeland Security and Terrorism? One issue we know for sure is they won't be missing is lunch. They handle that issue in mass!
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck Regains Footing After Troubles In Spring
In his first term, Chief Charlie Beck established himself as
a capable leader, overseeing continued declines in crime, according to
department statistics. But concerns of the Police Commission earlier this year
looked to threaten Beck's pathway to a second term. (Lawrence K. Ho, Los
Angeles Times)
JOEL RUBIN
CrimeLaw EnforcementLos Angeles Police DepartmentImmigrationEric GarcettiRacism
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, who's seeking another term, met with Police Commission members to address concerns
Members of the Police Commission had concerns about Chief Beck's work at the LAPD--Beck's seeking another term
Police commissioners say LAPD Chief Charlie Beck has pulled an about-face in recent months
Charlie Beck received a blunt message from one of his civilian bosses as he prepared to request a second term as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department: He was no longer a shoo-in for the job.
Police Commissioner Paula Madison demanded a meeting with Beck in April and told him she was concerned about a recent string of controversies and his apparent lack of transparency with the five-member oversight panel he reports to.
"When I stepped into this role, I didn't expect that we would be looking for a new police chief, but now we may need to consider it," Madison recalled telling Beck.
Other commissioners shared her concerns. Some were displeased enough with Beck that they alerted Mayor Eric Garcetti, who appoints the commissioners and wields considerable influence on their decision. The mayor, in turn, summoned the chief.
When I stepped into this role, I didn't expect that we would be looking for a new police chief, but now we may need to consider it.- Police Commissioner Paula Madison to Chief Charlie Beck
Garcetti asked Beck to explain his plans for the future should he be given a second five-year term. It was "a frank discussion," according to commission President Steve Soboroff, who was briefed on the meeting.
Beck went to work making amends. He began meeting regularly with each commissioner in private — something he had not done previously — in an effort to build their trust and address their concerns.
In interviews, commissioners said Beck has pulled off a convincing about-face in recent months.
Despite some lingering concerns, a majority of the five-person commission — Kathleen Kim, Madison and Soboroff — said they favor giving Beck a second term. A fourth commissioner, Sandra Figueroa-Villa, declined to comment but has been a vocal supporter of Beck.
The fifth commissioner, Robert Saltzman, said he was encouraged by Beck's recent efforts but remains undecided about his future with the department.
LAPD detective accused of racially charged comments is placed on leave
Commissioners said they were withholding final judgment until they completed a series of private meetings with the chief and public hearings, the last of which is Tuesday. The commission has until mid-August to vote on whether to offer Beck another five-year term.
Although Beck has managed to assuage much of the commissioners' worry, more issues have arisen in recent weeks that could still cause trouble for him.
Most pressing is an audio recording that surfaced last month of a training seminar given by veteran Det. Frank Lyga in which he makes comments that have been widely interpreted as racist and sexist. Saltzman said the commission was awaiting more information about the case but expressed concern that department officials appeared to have taken little action and did not notify the commission, despite knowing about the recording for several months.
"Shoes just keep dropping," Madison said last week.
Chief Charlie Beck suspended the nephew of a former deputy chief, overruling officials who recommended that he be fired after lying about an off-duty confrontation at a bar in Norco. ( Joel Rubin )
Before the recent tension with his bosses, Beck had cruised relatively unscathed through his first term in a period of relative calm for the scandal-prone LAPD. Beck established himself as a capable leader and oversaw continued declines in crime, according to department statistics.
He guided the department through budget cuts that included the near elimination of cash to pay officers for overtime. As many of the department's roughly 10,000 officers accumulated hundreds of hours of unpaid overtime, Beck oversaw a plan that forced large numbers of them to take time off each month in lieu of being paid cash. The strategy strained resources as Beck and his commanders scrambled to make do with a depleted force.
Beck, when he thought it was necessary, did not shy from confrontations with his officers and the union that represents them.
Early in his tenure, he took a hard line with officers in specialized units who refused to disclose information on their personal finances. Beck disbanded the units and rebuilt them with willing officers.
Later, he invited controversy again when he tightened the rules for impounding cars of unlicensed drivers. The change was needed, he said, to help immigrants living in the country illegally who were unfairly affected by the impound rules.
The move won accolades from immigrant advocacy groups but drew the ire of conservative groups and the police union, which is challenging the rules in court.
Beck's greatest vulnerability is on issues of officer discipline. Commission members clashed with him repeatedly over the years, saying he was inconsistent in how he punished cops and too often gave warnings for serious misconduct.
Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Garcetti, right,
met privately to discuss Beck's plan for a second five-year term. (Francine
Orr, Los Angeles Times)
Decisions Beck made on discipline
set off his recent clash with the commission. In February, he opted not to punish
a group of officers involved in a flawed shooting, which drew a public
challenge from Soboroff. A few weeks later, members of the oversight board,
along with many officers, criticized the chief for not firing Shaun Hillmann, a
well-connected cop who was caught making racist comments.
Those controversies were followed
the next month by revelations that officers in South L.A. had been tampering
with recording equipment in patrol cars to avoid being monitored. Commissioners
demanded to know why Beck had left them in the dark about the matter and
questioned whether the chief was committed to working with his civilian bosses.
Madison put Beck further on his heels by raising concerns that he was
unprepared to deal with a coming wave of retirements among his top commanders.
For his part, Beck downplayed the
rough patch. He chalked up much of it to the fact that, except for Saltzman,
commissioners had been on the panel for only a few months when the Hillmann
case erupted.
"It was a new
relationship," he said in an interview. "We had some issues that, I
think, if we had been in a longer relationship still would have been
significant but wouldn't have been as dramatic."
Nonetheless, Beck acknowledged that
he has had to change. "I have to explain more and make sure that I don't
take things for granted — that people will automatically understand why I do
what I do just because I understand it."
The experience, he added, was a
sharp reminder that he needs "to make sure that this commission
understands me and the department and sees me as a willing partner with
them."
Madison said she believes Beck's
efforts in recent months have been genuine. She pointed to how he initially was
not receptive to her suggestion that he hire an outside consultant to help plan
for the upcoming wave of retirements, but he eventually agreed.
And Commissioner Kim, a law
professor, said Beck's outreach has given her the chance to better understand
his stance on immigration issues — an area of particular interest to her — as
well as discuss her concerns about the string of troubling incidents in the
spring.
Looking forward, Beck said he wants
a second term because, he said, "I've got more to do."
"I didn't just wake up after
41/2 years and have a new vision for the Los Angeles Police Department,"
he continued. "It's the same vision, I'm on the same road that I've been
on, I just need more time to get to the destination. I want a Police Department
that is seen as part of the community, not over the community. I want one that
is embedded in every fabric of Los Angeles."
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck meets the Police Commission in February. After panel members questioned his handling of discipline, Beck met one-on-one with each member. (Mark Boster, Los Angeles Times)
If Beck is given the time he wants, Soboroff said he believes the recent string of controversies will have ultimately helped the chief. "If the chief gets reappointed, he will be a better chief because of it," Soboroff said. "He'll be more responsive."
joel.rubin@latimes.com
@joelrubin
Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-beck-reappointment-20140707-story.html#page=1
CHP Investigating Officer Caught Beating Woman on Side of L.A. Freeway
The woman allegedly became physically combative, prompting the officer to place her under arrest, CHP officials said.
Posted by Michelle Mowad (Editor) , July 07, 2014 at 11:05 AM
An investigation was underway into the arrest of a woman in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles after video surfaced of a California Highway Patrol Officer striking her repeatedly before taking her into custody.
The arrest was made after the CHP received a call around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday of a pedestrian walking along the right shoulder of the eastbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway at La Brea Avenue, according to a CHP statement.
An officer responded and located the pedestrian, a woman who was barefoot and making her way along a narrow shoulder, at times walking into traffic lanes, according to the CHP.
Concerned for the woman's safety, the officer ordered her to stop, but she did not respond, CHP officials said.
The officer then got out of his vehicle and stood in front of the woman, but she ignored his commands and continued walking, heading westbound against the flow of traffic and at times into traffic lanes, according to the CHP.
The woman allegedly became physically combative, prompting the officer to place her under arrest, CHP officials said.
"A physical altercation ensued as the pedestrian continued to resist arrest at which point a plain clothes off-duty officer assisted in applying the handcuffs to the pedestrian," according to the CHP statement. "When asked if she sustained any injuries, the pedestrian did not advise of any nor were any located by the officers at the scene."
The woman was then taken to County-USC Medical Center for further evaluation, the CHP reported.
"At this time the investigation is ongoing and all evidence and parties are being investigated and under review," according to the statement.
A passing motorist recorded the arrest and provided the video to news outlets. It shows the woman on her back attempting to ward off several blows from the CHP officer kneeling over her, before the plain clothes off-duty officer came on the scene.
CHP has vowed to investigation an alleged incident of officer beating a woman on the side of the freeway after a driver captured cellphone video
(Photo: CBS News)
http://www.wfmynews2.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/05/calif-highway-patrol-video-beating-woman-side-of-freeway-los-angeles/12259569
—City News Service
LAPD to Halt Detention of Undocumented Immigrants at Request of ICE
An overload of immigrant families at the U.S. border with Mexico has led to calls for aid from the Obama administration and ignited conversation around immigration reform.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/immigration-border-crisis/lapd-halt-detention-undocumented-immigrants-request-ice-n149911
By Andrew Blankstein
The city of Los Angeles announced Monday that it will no longer honor requests from federal immigration officials to detain undocumented immigrants for possible deportation without either a court order or arrest warrant, citing constitutional concerns raised by recent court decisions.
In announcing the decision, Mayor Eric Garcetti and police Chief Charlie Beck cited a recent decision by a federal judge in Oregon who found that local authorities violated the 4th Amendment rights of an undocumented immigrant held for two weeks on an ICE hold despite being eligible for release. Specifically, the judge found that such detainers lacked the necessary legal underpinnings, such as probable cause or a judicial determination, required to hold a suspect for a longer period.
They also cited a bulletin to law enforcement from California Attorney General Kamala Harris last week questioning the legality of the detentions.
“Until this area of the law is further clarified by the courts, effective immediately the Los Angeles Police Department will no longer honor immigration detainer requests submitted by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” Garcetti and Beck said in a statement.
The decision by Los Angeles comes amid an escalating debate over U.S. immigration policy, fueled by questions over whether tens of thousands of undocumented Central American children who recently entered the U.S. illegally will be deported or allowed to stay. President Obama has vowed to ask Congress this week for added funding to deal with the the children and families' cases.
Los Angeles' decision to stop honoring the ICE requests represents another front in the immigration fight, with other local governments, including Philadelphia, Cook County, Ill., Newark, N.J., and other areas in California, recently deciding to limit or end their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The LAPD already had previously curtailed its participation in the deportation program authorized by ICE’s Secure Communities program, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on Sept. 30 2008. In October 2012, Chief Beck announced that the department would no longer honor requests from federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants arrested for low-level crimes and sought for deportation.
In a statement, ICE said it remains “committed to working with its law enforcement partners” and expects local authorities to comply with its detention requests.
“When law enforcement agencies turn criminals over to ICE rather than releasing them into the community, it enhances public safety and the safety of law enforcement,” the statement said.” To further this shared goal, ICE anticipates that law enforcement agencies will comply with immigration detainers.
The immigration holds have allowed ICE to investigate when an undocumented immigrant is arrested by local law enforcement and take them into custody if they are found to have committed serious crimes.
But the practice has been criticized by those who say it has resulted in the large-scale deportation of people who have not committed serious crimes.
Beck said he did not believe the decision would impact crime in Los Angeles. Since January, the LAPD has made a total of 50,000 arrests. Of those, ICE has made 773 requests for a detainer and 309 of those have been honored, according to LAPD officials.
LAPD jails only house suspects for up to 72 hours before they are transferred to the Los Angeles County jail system.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Nicole Nashida said Monday that under department policy, ICE is notified when the department begins processing an undocumented inmate out of the jail, which can take days or weeks. Inmates are not held past their normal release date but Nashida said that two ICE buses arrive each day to pick up inmates.
She said that together with their law enforcement partners, the department is evaluating that policy to ensure that it complies with ‘best practices.’
First published July 7th 2014, 11:30 am
Andrew Blankstein is an investigative reporter for NBC News. He covers the Western United States, specializing... Expand Bio
Interim L.A. Sheriff, Officials Spar Over Watchdog's Access
http://abc7.com/news/2-die-in-los-angeles-county-sheriffs-custody/146644/
SOURCE: LOS ANGELES TIMES
Los Angeles County officials are at odds over how much access and under what conditions the Sheriff's Department's newly appointed watchdog will have to confidential information on deputy-involved shootings and other department issues.
The county's Board of Supervisors appointed former prosecutor Max Huntsman in November to head up the newly created Office of Inspector General for the Sheriff's Department. County officials are still hammering out the details of how the office will be structured.
"Absent an Attorney-Client relationship my desire to cooperate with the OIG will remain consistently high, but my actual ability to share information will be impaired and will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis," Scott said in a statement Wednesday.
Past civilian monitors of the Sheriff's Department have functioned under an attorney-client relationship. Sheriff's officials said attorneys from outside the county had advised Scott to set up a similar relationship with the inspector general, although the county's top attorney advised that such an arrangement wasn't necessary.
At a public meeting Wednesday, aides to the supervisors opposed the sheriff's proposal, saying it would impede Huntsman's independence.
"The [inspector general] is being put into place to be a monitor, oversight, and distant from your organization," Joseph Charney, a deputy to Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, told sheriff's officials. "We're concerned about that."
Some county officials argued that attorney-client privilege would not apply, in any case, since the inspector general would not be giving legal advice to the sheriff. They said other state laws already protect the confidentiality of sensitive information.
"I don't see where the attorney-client privilege provides any additional protection with respect to either personnel and disciplinary information or open investigations," said Richard Drooyan, an attorney who has monitored the progress of reforms in the Sheriff's Department. "And to the extent that it's intended to shield problems in the Sheriff's Department, that's what we want to avoid."
The inspector general of the Los Angeles Police Department does not operate under attorney-client privilege, Drooyan said in an interview later.
Monitoring the Sheriff's Department is more complicated, because the sheriff is an elected official.
Under a proposal the board will vote on this month, the inspector general would not have an attorney-client relationship with the sheriff, but would have such a relationship with the Board of Supervisors so that they could consult him when the county is faced with lawsuits.
New sheriff-designate John Scott meets the media with the Board of Supervisors at his side. Photo: ZevWeb. http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2014/01/new_la_sheriff-to-be_meet.php
So how should we conclude an article like this? The cops are clearly running ram shackle and rough shod over the community. They all have unions to protect their rights and jobs. Where is their respect for their real boss, the tax payers? When ever this kind of situation exists you can be sure the fox is in charge of the hen house raiding everything they can. All we are really able to do is vote all the bums out of office and make a clean start. I'm Felicity for the "Noodleman Group"!
Copyright 2014 - Los Angeles Times
http://www.officer.com/news/11567565/interim-la-sheriff-officials-spar-over-watchdogs-access
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