Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass selected Jim McDonnell to serve as the city’s next police chief

Friday, ending a months-long search process and ushering in a new era for one of the country’s largest police departments. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents about 8,800 officers, voiced support for the mayor’s pick, saying it shows that Bass is committed to improving police staffing, boosting officer morale and fixing a “broken discipline process. We have every confidence in Chief McDonnell’s ability to hit the ground running to improve public safety in Los Angeles and to appoint an upper command staff that will do away with the status quo and turn a new page for the LAPD,” said the union, in a statement from its board of directors.

Los Angeles Times

LAPPL Statement on the Selection of Jim McDonnell as LAPD Chief of Police

Today, Mayor Karen Bass selected Jim McDonnell to serve as the Los Angeles Police Department’s next Chief of Police. The Los Angeles Police Protective League issued the following statement.

LAPPL Statement

Los Angeles Firefighters And Police Rally Behind Proposition 36, Urging Action On Crime And Repeat Offenders

Los Angeles firefighters and police officers stood alongside city officials and community leaders at a press conference this week in Venice to voice their strong support for Proposition 36. The proposition seeks to reclassify certain theft and drug crimes as felonies, in response to frustrations over repeat offenders causing chaos in neighborhoods with little or no consequences. Freddy Escobar, President of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles, with 35 years of experience, delivered an impassioned speech calling for change in California. In it, he argued that too many politicians are more focused on protecting criminals than victims. “Our firefighters—the ones that we represent—are tired of seeing the same repeat criminals victimizing the same innocent victims. It happens over and over again and impacts communities,” said Escobar. Escobar criticized the state’s priorities, saying, “Things in the state of California have gone too far. We care more about the rights of drug-addicted, homeless people than we do about kids walking to school who are afraid to walk past encampments filled with drugs and violence. We care more about the rights of pimps who prostitute 13 and 14-year-old kids on our streets than we care about the actual victims of these horrific crimes."

Westside Current

Man Sentenced To More Than 28 Years In Prison In South LA Death Of Toddler Son

The man charged in connection with the death of his 18-month-old son who was found unconscious at a South Los Angeles motel in 2021 was sentenced to more than 28 years in prison. Shane Flowers, 26, was charged with murder and assault on a child involving his 18-month-old son Dee'ago Alexander Jones. During a hearing Thursday, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 28 years and eight months in state prison. He also waived his rights to appeal. The boy's family along with detectives who worked on the case said they were pleased with the judge's sentencing. "Nothing can bring Dee'Ago back, however his mother and family and the hard-working LAPD detectives on this case were pleased with the lengthy sentence and that justice was finally served," said prosecutor Jonathan Hatami. Authorities were called to the Rosa Bell Motel at 5606 S. Western Avenue on July 12, 2021, and found Dee'ago unconscious and not breathing. He was sent to a local hospital and later pronounced dead. Dee'ago's mother, Ryanna Jones, testified in court against Flowers. She said she and her son came to California from St. Louis to get away from Flowers. She said it was an abusive relationship and claims Flowers would beat her.

ABC 7

Suspect Swings Ladder At K-9 During Hours-Long Standoff In Reseda, Video Shows

A wild scene unfolded in Reseda when a man involved in an hours-long standoff with authorities tried to attack an LAPD K-9 using a ladder. The standoff started around 4:30 p.m. Thursday along Vanowen Street near Reseda Boulevard after officers responded to a suspect armed with a metal stick and knife, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities said the suspect refused to comply with officers. At one point, video taken at the scene shows him lifting and swinging a ladder at a police K-9, nearly striking the dog multiple times. After several hours of negotiation, officers were finally able to take him into custody around 8 p.m. No one, including the K-9s and officers, were hurt. 

ABC 7

LAPD Officers Shoot At Suspect In Hollywood

Los Angeles Police Department officers shot at a man armed with a gun Thursday in Hollywood but he was not struck. Officers responded to the 1100 block of Cole Avenue, one block west of Cahuenga Boulevard, around 5:10 p.m. Thursday after reports of an armed man, according to the LAPD. The suspect, later found on Vine Street near Fountain Avenue, was shot at by officers before continuing a short distance northbound on Vine Street. He was eventually arrested after lying chest down on the sidewalk, where a firearm was recovered from the scene, police said. No officers sustained any injuries during the shooting.

MyNewsLA

Camaro Chase Ends In Downtown LA Underground Parking Garage

A pursuit that began in the Gardena area and continued on streets and freeways in West Los Angeles came to an end Thursday in a downtown LA parking garage. Officers were chasing a Chevy Camaro after a report of a stolen vehicle. Details about the theft were not immediately available. The driver of the bright blue car was traveling at high speed through West LA and Beverly Hills, making abrupt U-turns and lane changes. The driver narrowly missed other cars at intersections. The driver entered the 10 Freeway, squeezing between slower vehicles and concrete barrier, before exiting south of the downtown Los Angeles area. The Camaro was last seen pulling into an underground parking garage with officers in pursuit. NBCLA is attempting to confirm that two people in the car were in custody.

NBC 4

Menendez Brothers Case Under Review For Possible Resentencing Amid New Evidence, LA County DA Says

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said the Menéndez murder case is being reviewed by his office, naming two new factors that prosecutors are looking at ahead of a court hearing next month. Gascón said in a Thursday news conference that there could be potential for resentencing or possibly even a new trial. A hearing is set for Nov. 26. Lyle and Erik Menéndez have spent nearly 35 years behind bars for fatally shooting their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez, at their Beverly Hills mansion on the evening of Aug. 20, 1989. Prosecutors argued it was a murder motivated by greed — not long after their parents' deaths, the brothers were alleged to have spent money on Rolex watches, cars and real estate investments. But the Menéndezes testified that they killed their parents in self-defense. The brothers told the jury about the alleged sexual abuse they said they experienced at the hands of their father during an emotional, highly publicized first trial — with separate juries for each of them. With jurors divided, the judge declared a mistrial. 

CBS 2

Texas Deputy, 26, Dies In On-Duty Crash

A Wise County sheriff’s deputy has died following a crash while on duty, CBS News Texas reported. Deputy Lex Allen Love, 26, was responding to a crash when his vehicle struck a concrete barrier in a construction zone, according to the department. “Additional deputies were nearby when the crash occurred,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Deputy Love was non-responsive when deputies reached his vehicle. He was pulled from the cruiser, and life-saving measures were attempted.” Love began his career as a jailer with the sheriff’s office before graduating from the police academy, according to the report. He briefly served as a patrol officer with the Decatur Police Department before returning to the sheriff’s office in April. The department said Love leaves behind a young family.

PoliceOne

Los Angeles City Council Pressured To Redraw District Lines By State AG: Report

One of California’s highest-ranking officials wants the Los Angeles City Council to agree to redraw the boundaries of the city’s 15 districts, according to a report. The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s office drafted a legal document that, if signed by the council, would require the city to redistrict in time for the 2026 primary election. As of Thursday, there was no word whether the council intended to sign the agreement. The document, according to The Times, would require the members to remove personal bias as to their favorability for reelection before approving the new district lines. The push for new boundaries comes just three years after the council previously approved new district lines. That agreement, signed in 2021, was a 10-year deal, but according to reporting from The Times, those lines haven’t provided sufficient representation for Latinos. Discussions between Bonta’s office and L.A. city officials have included a new, Latino-focused district in the San Fernando Valley. The reported push to redraw districts comes after a 2022 scandal rocked the L.A. City Council when an audio recording leaked of council members making racist remarks.

KTLA 5

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.