Monday, May 21, 2012
An audit out of the City Controller's Office, as well as reports from the Los Angeles Times show emergency response times are getting longer.
An audit by City Controller Wendy Greuel released Friday found that Los Angeles firefighters responded to emergency medical calls an average of 12 seconds slower since Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council cut the fire department's staff size in 2009. The audit also found major underlying problems with the quality of the data. Almost one-third of the 1.9 million responses analyzed by Greuel's staff were missing critical information, such as if the responses were to fires or medical emergencies. "It's unacceptable that the LAFD has not been able to accurately track its emergency response times," Greuel said, adding that her audit sets the stage for "a real discussion about what needs to be done to improve public safety for all …
Friday, May 18, 2012
LAPD released video footage of the man suspected of robbing a jewelry store at Westfield Century City.
Police have released video footage of a man suspected of robbing a jewelry store at Westfield Century City earlier this month in the hope that the public will be able to identify him. A robbery at a jewelry store at the mall was reported on May 10 around 5 p.m. According to police, the suspect entered the jewelry store and asked to see Rolex watches. He then grabbed one from the tray and demanded another from a store employee. As the man ran out of the store, a security guard tackled him, but the man escaped, running in the direction of Constellation Boulevard, according to police. The two Rolex watches are valued at $64,900. The store employee was not injured and the security guard was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Police were …
The annual "Lane Kemper Softball Classic," held Wednesday at Hjelte Sports Center in Encino, benefits the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen's Fund.
Los Angeles city firefighters from Echo Park, Westwood, Pacific Palisades and more gathered on the field at Hjelte Sports Center in Encino Wednesday for the "Lane Kemper Softball Classic," a fundraiser that benefits the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen's Fund. Firefighter Bill Bringas of Pacific Palisades Fire Station 23 coordinated the charity tournament, named after Bringas' friend and colleague Captain Lane Kemper. Kemper was an advocate for the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen's Fund before he lost his battle with cancer in September 2006. According to Bringas, 32 teams particpated in Wednesday's event. Which means about 500 firefighters and about 100 spectators took to the field for a day in the sun! Firefighters from Pacific …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Multi-state scam is targeting LADWP and SoCal Gas customers, claiming the president will pay their bills.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Southern California Gas Company are warning customers about a scam that collects Social Security Numbers from victims by convincing them that the president will pay their utility bills. Suspects go door to door, send texts and even use social media, telling their marks that President Obama is offering a special program of bill credits or direct payment of bills. The victims must provide their Social Security number, and are given a bank routing number to pay the bills with. However, the number is fraudulent and bills are not paid. Officials at both the LADWP and SoCal Gas say that all employees wear identification badges, and do not collect payments door to door, not do they call or …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Local police released information about the incidents.
Police are reporting a recent string of robberies of UCLA students in the North Village by two armed men. Five robberies occurred in the North Village between April 4 and May 11, according to an alert from the West Los Angeles Police Department. All of the crimes took place between 10:45 p.m. and 3:15 a.m. near the intersections of Ophir Drive and Veteran Avenue, and Midvale and Levering Avenues, according to Lt. Mark Littlestone of the University of California Police Department. Two suspects have approached the students, shown their handguns and have fled in a dark car with the students' purses and electronics. The two suspects carried handguns and are described as black males between 24-32 years old, about six feet tall. Both were …
34.068715
-118.45487
Ophir Dr & Veteran Ave, Los Angeles, CA
/articles/5-robberies-reported-near-ucla
/locations/7029918
34.06644
-118.45197
Midvale Ave & Levering Ave, Los Angeles, CA
/articles/5-robberies-reported-near-ucla
/locations/7029919
The man is suspected in at least a dozen crimes in the Los Angeles area, including the Westside, the Valley and Hollywood areas.
Police released security video Tuesday of a man who they say committed carjackings and about a dozen strong-arm robberies and other crimes recently across Los Angeles, and in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Glendale and Pasadena. The suspect, dubbed the "Opportunistic Bandit," was described as black, about 25-35 years of age, 5-feet 9-inches to 6-feet 4-inches tall, weighing 180-250 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. The man generally approaches his victims, mostly women, after they have obtained money at ATMs at banks or convenience stores, said Capt. William Hayes of the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division. The footage released Tuesday is of a carjacking that occurred at about 8:45 p.m. April …
Monday, May 14, 2012
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation and UCLA are investigating the complaints.
Numerous allegations of drivers improperly using disabled parking placards near UCLA has sparked a joint investigation by the university and the Los Angeles Department of Transporation, the Daily Bruin reports. One person has posted four videos to YouTube of people he says are illegally using disabled parking placards walking to their cars or leaving their cars. Those videos, posted by the user "1TerminalVelocity," can be viewed by clicking the images to the right of this article. They have received more than 1,600 views altogether, as of Monday afternoon. The videos show the user following the people he claims are parking illegally on foot or in his own car as they walk to or from their parked cars. Not all of the videos show proof that …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
The station will feature tours and demonstrations for Fire Service Recognition Day.
Fire Station 99 in the Bel-Air/Beverly Crest eighborhood will be one of eight Los Angeles city fire stations that will participate in open houses this Saturday. The event, which will feature demonstrations and tours at various fire stations, is part of Fire Service Recognition Day. Fire Station 99 will be open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in an effort to "increase awareness of fire department services," according to the LAFD website. The department also says it's a way to extend appreciation to the community. Fire Service Recognition Day is celebrated by the LAFD on the second Saturday in May. This year's theme is "Serving Our Communities: Prepare, Respond, Recover." City News Service contributed to this report.
34.13132
-118.440215
14145 Mulholland Dr, Beverly Hills, CA
/articles/fire-station-99-hosts-open-house-saturday
/locations/6996110
Thursday, May 10, 2012
President Barack Obama will spend Thursday night in Beverly Hills, but the majority of his short trip will be spent in Studio City.
Ahead of President Barack Obama's planned trip to Los Angeles Thursday night, L.A. Councilman Paul Krekorian warned Studio City residents and commuters who travel through that area to expect traffic delays. Obama is attending an evening fundraiser at actor George Clooney's home in the Fryman Canyon neighborhood. The president is scheduled to land at LAX at 6:25 p.m., and is expected to travel by helicopter and motorcade to Clooney's home. His exact route is not being released. Earlier: Obama Attends Holmby Hills Fundraiser Road closures and tight security in the hills could lead to traffic delays on Ventura Boulevard and Laurel Canyon Boulevard north of Ventura Boulevard, Krekorian said. The Department of Transportation and the LAPD were …
Monday, May 7, 2012
Gavin Smith was a member of UCLA's 1975 national championship men's basketball team.
A 20th Century Fox distribution executive and former UCLA basketball player remains missing, six days after being reported missing near a family home in the Oak Park neighborhood of Ventura County, CA. Gavin Smith, 57, who works out of a Calabasas, CA, office, was reported missing Tuesday night after last being seen driving away from a family home in the 500 block of Callwood Court in a black 2000 Mercedes-Benz 420E with tinted windows and a roof rack, according to sheriff's deputies, who apparently were contacted by someone at Fox. The license on the car is 6EKT044. Smith, who is white, about 6 feet 6 inches and 210 pounds, has green eyes and gray hair with blond highlights; he has a roughly 4-inch scar on his right, inner wrist and a 5-…
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9:57 pm on Saturday, May 19, 2012
I think this guy was caught at 6.30 or so on thursday evening but I haven't read anything. I say this because I was lading at Santa Monica Airport and heard this on the Santa Monica Tower frequency 120.10 because a police helicopter pilot was telling us that he was with a woman at an ATM when apprehended... more ›