Los Angeles Unveils Real Time Crime Centers, Aimed At Helping Officers Rushing To Scenes

The two largest law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County are following a trend seen across the country — setting up rooms from which authorities can use technology to rush relevant information to police officers or deputies as they respond to a scene. The LA Sheriff’s Department opened its first Real-Time Watch Center on Friday morning, Sept. 27th at the Lost Hills station in Agoura Hills. The Los Angeles Police Department is three months away from establishing its first center. LAPD will initially add centers to its Central Los Angeles, Hollywood and Van Nuys divisions. The real-time systems can allow authorities to monitor private surveillance camera footage if residents or businesses choose to grant the police access to it when requested. They will also have access to license plate reader technology and existing cameras at large intersections. “A real-time crime center can actually paint a clear picture of the incident as it’s unfolding,” LAPD Captain Anthony Espinoza of the department’s Innovation Management division said. Real-time crime centers already are used by more than 300 departments across the country, including New York City, Detroit and Chicago. The Torrance Police Department opened their new center just two weeks ago. “LAPD has been watching what other departments are doing and how they’re implementing it,” Espinoza said. “We’re taking their best practices and trying to bring it to Los Angeles .”

The Whittier Daily News, Calif.

Brianna Kupfer Murder Trial: Homeless Man Sentenced To Life

After being found sane at the time of the crime, a homeless man who killed a UCLA graduate student -- stabbing her 46 times inside a Hancock Park boutique furniture store -- was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Shawn Laval Smith, 34, was convicted Sept. 10 of first-degree murder for the Jan. 13, 2022, killing of Brianna Kupfer, 24. After a brief hearing Wednesday morning that included a review of reports from a pair of doctors, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo determined that Smith was sane at the time of the crime, which was captured on a chilling audio recording. That determination cleared the judge to move ahead with the sentencing. In addition to convicting him of murder, jurors in the trial also found true a special circumstance allegation of murder while lying in wait, along with an allegation that the defendant used a knife during the commission of the crime. Smith had pleaded both not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity, necessitating the sanity phase of the case, for which the defendant waived a jury trial, allowing Escobedo to determine if he was sane at the time.

FOX 11

LAPD, Beverly Hills Police Increase Patrols Near Synagogues For Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashana began at sundown Wednesday with the Los Angeles Police Department pledging to have a "strategic presence" around synagogues and other houses of worship amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. "I can tell you that we have been planning and meeting not only internally but with our other law enforcement partners to provide a safe time period for (holiday gatherings)," LAPD Interim Chief Dominic Choi told KNX News. "You'll see a strategic presence of our law enforcement professionals out there at critical sites, engaging with our community leaders, talking, so everyone's informed of how to contact us, how to get early notifications if we see anything -- see something, say something. "There's been a lot of discussion, a lot of planning," Choi said. While planning for stepped-up security was already well underway, the urgency increased Tuesday when Iran launched missile strikes against Israel in apparent retaliation for Israeli attacks targeting Iran-based Hezbollah. The attacks dramatically heightened tensions in the Middle East and fears of a regional war.

ABC 7

Stabbing Suspect Barricades Herself In Los Angeles Apartment With Baby

A stabbing suspect who barricaded herself in a Van Nuys apartment with a baby was taken into custody following a standoff with Los Angeles police early Thursday morning. Officers responded to a stabbing report around 1:30 a.m. on Sherman Way near Woodman Avenue. One victim was transported from the scene by ambulance while the suspect, identified only as a female, barricaded herself in an apartment with the young child, freelance media firm KNN reported. Video showed officers eventually contacting the suspect and carrying her from the residence and into a patrol SUV. The woman was later seen hitting the window inside the police vehicle and was ultimately transported to a hospital for evaluation. The baby did not appear to be injured in the incident but was also taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The relationship between the baby and the suspect was unknown. It was also unclear what prompted the initial incident.

KTLA 5

Meet Spot, LAPD’s New Crimefighting Robot Dog

He can sit, stay and even shake – just like any well-trained dog. But that’s where the similarities end. The Los Angeles Police Department has deployed its newest crimefighting tool: a robot dog named Spot. The futuristic, four-legged machine, which resembles a 70-pound golden retriever in size and agility, has been met with both fascination and concern. Spot, designed by Boston Dynamics, can open doors, pick up objects and drag up to 50 pounds. It can also navigate difficult terrain, making it useful in scenarios where traditional robots have failed. Deputy Chief David Kowalski, commanding officer of LAPD’s counterterrorism and special operations, emphasized the robot’s life-saving potential. “The main reason that we acquired Spot is to save lives,” Kowalski recently told KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw, recalling a recent incident on an L.A. Metro bus where Spot was deployed in the case of a barricaded, armed suspect. The robot identified a weapon next to the suspect and picked it up, allowing officers to apprehend him without further risk. 

KTLA 5

68 People Charged In Connection With Violent White Supremacist Street Gang In L.A., Feds Say

Sixty-eight people have been charged in a federal grand jury indictment detailing alleged crimes by a white supremacist street gang which prosecutors say maintains an alliance with the Mexican Mafia prison gang. On Wednesday, FBI officials joined federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials in downtown Los Angeles to announce the arrest of 42 people in connection with the investigation — including 29 defendants arrested that same day in raids around the L.A. area. Those defendants were expected to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in downtown LA later Wednesday while the other 13 remain in custody. A total of 68 people were charged in a 76-count indictment returned by a grand jury on Sept. 26. According to federal prosecutors, the Peckerwoods in the San Fernando Valley has been accused of a years-long pattern of racketeering, extensive drug trafficking, illegal firearms possession as well as COVID-19 loan fraud. The indictment, unsealed Wednesday, details the seizure of dozens of pounds of fentanyl, heroin and meth as well as several illegal firearms. The gang allegedly worked with other organized crime groups based out of California prisons. 

CBS 2

Warhol Print Of Vladimir Lenin Worth $200K Stolen In Southern California Recovered

A 58-year-old man who formerly lived in downtown Los Angeles pleaded guilty to trafficking a stolen Andy Warhol print worth at least $175,000, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Central District of California Office say the Warhol print of former Soviet Union leader Vladimir Lenin, which was number 44 out of 46 prints the famous artist made, was stolen out of an L.A. County home in early 2021. According to a DOJ news release, the person who owned the artwork reported the theft to law enforcement, as well as to the West Hollywood gallery where the print was purchased. Days after the Warhol print was stolen, the thief sold it to a pawn shop who contacted Brian Alec Light, now a resident of Hudson, Ohio for help selling the piece. Light, who was aware the artwork was stolen, arranged for it to be sold at an auction house within weeks of the theft, prosecutors said. “Light told the pawn shop owner to drop off the Warhol at the auction house in Beverly Hills so that it could be transported to Dallas for inspection and sale, which the pawn shop owner did,” the release noted.  

KTLA 5

BWC: Indiana Officer Rescues Missing Toddler Found Floating In Neighbor’s Pool

A Fort Wayne police officer rescued a 3-year-old boy after finding him floating on his back in a neighbor’s pool, 6ABC Philadelphia reported. Body camera footage captured the moment Officer Evan Myers found the child floating on his back and pulled him from the water. The boy’s father, Alex Cavillo, said his son had managed to get to the pool through an opening in a fence on Sept. 22. “I look out the kitchen doorway and see that the garage door was open, so I immediately ran out and started looking for him and couldn’t find him,” Cavillo told WPTA-TV. Officer Myers, while searching the area, heard crying and discovered the child floating on his back in the pool, according to the report. Footage from his bodycam shows him pulling the boy to safety. The boy’s mother, Savannah Ybarra, expressed deep gratitude for Myers’ efforts. “I want to personally thank him deeply for being able to find my son,” she said. The family said they plan to install a fence around their own property to prevent future incidents, according to the report.

PoliceOne

Park Rangers Rescue Husky That Fell Down 30-foot Cliff During Hike At Griffith Park

Mitus, a 1-year-old husky, means everything to Jason Garcia and his family, especially after they almost lost him while hiking in Griffith Park. "We reached the top and the dog got a heat stroke at the top," Garcia said. "He started having a seizure at the top." Garcia said the family ran out of water and he picked up his dog to help it but tripped along the hillside. "I started panicking because after he stopped breathing for a few seconds I grabbed him and went down," Garcia said. Park rangers quickly arrived to help the family, who were a mile up the Wonderview Trail. "We found a family that was distraught because their dog had fallen over a steep cliff," Senior Park Ranger Adam Dedeaux said. "We set up a rope rescue system and we lowered Ranger Hills over the cliff." Ranger Madison Hills found Mitus about 30 feet down a steep embankment and brought him back up to his family. However, Hills described the challenges accompanying animal rescues. 

CBS 2

Fifth Locally Acquired Case Of Dengue Reported In Los Angeles

Los Angeles County health officials have reported another case of locally acquired dengue, bringing the tally to five patients in the past two months. The Department of Public Health says that the patient, a resident of El Monte, does not appear to have any connection to the other four people who also contracted the illness in Baldwin Park and Panorama City, what officials have called an "unprecedented" occurrence. Officials say that none of the patients have history of traveling to areas where dengue is endemic. With this, health officials are again stressing that incidents like this are extremely rare in Southern California areas where dengue has not previously been transmitted by mosquitos. Last year, single locally acquired cases were reported in Pasadena and Long Beach. 

CBS 2

Part Of LA County Under Red Flag Fire Weather Warning

A week of record high temperatures includes a red flag fire weather warning for part of Los Angeles County during what is historically one of the most dangerous times of the year for wildfires. Temperatures are expected to cool slightly this weekend, but not before above-normal heat that warranted excessive heat warnings and advisories through at least 8 p.m. Thursday. Some areas are expected to reach well into triple digits Thursday in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys. A red flag warning will be in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday for the western San Gabriel Mountains and the 5 and 14 Freeway corridors. The warning extends into the LA and Ventura county mountains. The warning, indicating critical fire danger, was issued due to heat, gusty northeast winds and low humidity. "There is a high risk for fires growing and, unfortunately, spreading," said NBC4 forecaster Belen De Leon. "A lot of this has to do with these temperatures. We are way above normal." The warning comes as three major wildfires that started nearly a month ago continue to burn in several Southern California counties. The most active fire, the Line Fire in San Bernardino County, was 79-percent contained at 43,900 acres. Some evacuations remain in effect.

NBC 4

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.