Tag Archives: LAPD

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Zimmerman verdict protesters block Los Angeles freeway

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People protesting the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial clashed with police Sunday night in Los Angeles, with one group of protesters blocking a major freeway.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a splinter group from a larger protest walked down an on-ramp to the Interstate 10 freeway in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles and stood in the eastbound lanes, closing portions of the traffic artery for approximately 25 minutes.

The Los Angeles Police Department called a citywide tactical alert at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time following the freeway incident.Motorists were urged to avoid the area around the 10 Freeway and Crenshaw Boulevard due to jammed traffic.

The Times also quoted an LAPD spokesman who said that at least one arrest was made after rocks and D-cell batteries were thrown at officers at the corner of Washington Boulevard and 10th Avenue. Police also fired non-lethal rounds at the demonstrators. No injuries were immediately reported.

Zimmerman, 29, was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the February 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman had confessed to shooting the teen, but claimed to act in self-defense. Prosecutors said that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, had profiled Martin and followed him, creating a confrontation.

n New York City, hundreds of protesters marched into Times Square on Sunday night, zigzagging through Manhattan’s streets to avoid police lines.

Sign-carrying marchers thronged the busy intersection, chanting “Justice for! Trayvon Martin!” as they made their way from Union Square.

Some tempered their anger, saying they didn’t contest the jury’s decision based on the legal issues involved.

But “while the verdict may be legal, a system that doesn’t take into account what happened is a broken legal system,” said Jennifer Lue, 24, an Asian-American resident of Harlem.

Rev. Jacqueline Lewis told the Middle Collegiate Church congregation in Manhattan Sunday morning, “We’re going to raise our voices against the root causes of this kind of tragedy,” while Baptist Pastor Jack Hakimian reportedly expressed disappointment and resignation at the Impact Miami Church in North Miami.

In South Florida, a wary populace awoke to relative calm Sunday, as fears of mass and violent protests proved unfounded in the face of a highly-visible police presence.

“I haven’t seen any evidence of problems yet, and hopefully there won’t be any,” Ed Shohat, a Miami-Dade’s Community Relations Board member, told The Miami Herald. “We do not believe (violence) will happen. Frankly, Miami is a … more mature community than … 25, 30 years ago when we had violent reactions to criminal court verdicts.”

Meanwhile, Mark O’Mara, who defended Zimmerman at trial, suggested his client’s safety was at risk. “There still is a fringe element that wants revenge,” O’Mara said. “They won’t listen to a verdict of not guilty.”

However, Martin supporters — for the most part — somberly grieved the verdict in a non-violent fashion.

Some detractors of the verdict spoke of a lingering and ineffable sadness, which they sought to privately assuage through the comfort of family and friends. Others convened in places of worship — …read more

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Zimmerman verdict protestors block Los Angeles freeway

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People protesting the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial clashed with police Sunday night in Los Angeles, with one group of protesters blocking a major freeway.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a splinter group from a larger protest walked down an on-ramp to the Interstate 10 freeway in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles and stood in the eastbound lanes, closing portions of the traffic artery for approximately 25 minutes.

The Los Angeles Police Department called a citywide tactical alert at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time following the freeway incident.Motorists were urged to avoid the area around the 10 Freeway and Crenshaw Boulevard due to jammed traffic.

The Times also quoted an LAPD spokesman who said that at least one arrest was made after rocks and D-cell batteries were thrown at officers at the corner of Washington Boulevard and 10th Avenue. Police also fired beanbags at the demonstrators. No injuries were immediately reported.

Zimmerman, 29, was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the February 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman had confessed to shooting the teen, but claimed to act in self-defense. Prosecutors said that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, had profiled Martin and followed him, creating a confrontation.

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Hooters Bomb Threat In Hollywood Neighborhood Of Los Angeles, Calif.

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

One man is in custody after allegedly joking about having a bomb in his lunch pail. He made the claim, which police could treat as a false bomb threat, in a Hooters restaurant in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif.

“He said himself that it was just a joke,” explained LAPD media relations police officer Christopher No to The Huffington Post. But just to be on the safe side, LAPD‘s bomb squad evacuated the restaurant and surrounding businesses to make sure there was no explosive device inside the man’s pail.

An initial call to authorities was made at 4:45 p.m. PST, reports The Hollywood Reporter. By around 6:30 p.m. PST, HuffPost confirmed that the bomb squad was finishing up their investigation at the restaurant.

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From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/18/hooters-bomb-threat_n_3113613.html

News, Politics, Government

Gun owned by cop killer Christopher Dorner being auctioned at Las Vegas pawn shop

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A Las Vegas pawn shop is auctioning off a gun that once belonged to cop killer Christopher Dorner, the ex-LAPD officer who led authorities on the largest manhunt in California history when he gunned down four people.

Three weeks prior to the February rampage, Dorner sold a gun for $50 to a Las Vegas pawn shop dealer. Now, the shop is auctioning off the gun with the intent of giving the proceeds to families of the victims. The highest bid is currently at $400, according to local reports.

“It’s a .38 Special revolver, which is one of the most popular calibers,” George Bramlett, the owner of Bargain Pawn Shop, told KLAS-TV. Bramlett told the station that he suspected Dormer, who owned a home in Las Vegas, “Just needed money.” Bramlett described him as “real nice and professional” when he visited the store, according to the station.

Fox affiliate KTTV reports that the auction listing includes photos of the paperwork from the sale, as well as a surveillance image of Dorner in the store.

“The coward and murderer Christopher Dorner frequented many gun shops in Las Vegas and sold us this revolver on January 15, 2013,” the listing reads. “We were visited by local police and turned over the video surveillance we had. We have attached a picture of the original ‘buy’ ticket with Dorner’s signature. We would like to donate any proceeds to the families of the victims, so please let us know if there have been any funds set up.

“Astra model 960 revolver in .38 Spl and with 4″ barrel. Action and bore are very good. Appears to have been refinished and exterior is in very nice shape. Appears to be fully functional,” the store writes.

While the store’s intent appears good-natured, some cannot fathom buying the gun as a collector’s item.

“To me it’s revolting. Why would somebody want to own a killer’s gun?” Melinda Parschall told KLAS-TV.

Click for more on this story from MyFoxLA.com

From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/fqAkMY7SejU/

News, Politics, Government

Dealer auctions ex-LAPD cop's gun for donation

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A southern Nevada gun dealer wants to auction a handgun once owned by a rogue former LAPD officer who killed four people and fatally shot himself during a manhunt in February.

George Bramlett, owner of Bargain Pawn, said he plans to donate the money to the families of two California police officers Dorner killed. But administrators handling the funds for San Bernardino County Sheriff Deputy Jeremiah MacKay and Riverside police Officer Michael Crain say the families don’t want the money.

Bramlett posted the gun for auction Tuesday on a website, gunbroker.com, along with images of the sales receipt listing Dorner’s date of birth, California driver’s license number and La Palma, Calif., address. Bramlett bought the .38 special revolver from Dorner in January for $50.

By Friday, the bidding was approaching $500 for a gun that Bramlett said might otherwise be worth $300. Bramlett said he thought it might fetch thousands before bidding ends April 23.

“We’re trying to do the right thing,” Bramlett said. “Every cent that we get will go to the two police families. They both had kids.”

The administrators of the funds benefiting the two slain officers said Friday they don’t want money tainted by any association with Dorner, who went on a killing rampage to avenge people he said ended his law enforcement career.

Riverside police Sgt. Brian Smith, president of the Riverside Police Officers Association, called the effort “morbid.”

“I appreciate what he’s trying to do. And we don’t like to turn money down,” Smith said. “But when you get right down to it, Jeremy and Mike were murdered by this animal. We wouldn’t want to do that to the family members.”

The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Employee Assistance Team “would not knowingly accept a donation to the MacKay family which was in any way associated with the suspect,” Cindy Bachman, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.

Dorner, 33, had a home in Las Vegas where he kept several guns around the house, according to a manicurist who rented a room from him in the summer of 2008.

“On the floor, under the cushions. When I would clean, I would find guns,” J’Anna Viskoc said in a February interview with The Associated Press.

Bramlett, a licensed federal firearms dealer who has been in business since 1986, said Dorner was an occasional customer.

“It isn’t the gun that’s worth the money. It’s the history behind it,” the shop owner said.

Karen Sternheimer, a sociology professor at the University of Southern California, compared the attraction of Dorner’s story to admiration for famous outlaws like Billy the Kid and Bonnie and Clyde.

“I see this as the continuation of a long history of fascination with the notorious,” she said.

Bramlett was stunned Friday to hear his plan was panned.

He said he was committed to selling the gun, and if the family funds won’t take the money, he’ll find a proper beneficiary.

“We want to do something good with the money,” he told AP. “I won’t keep it. I don’t want it. We’ll get rid of this money somehow. Some police department will accept

From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/7nHg3wCWlRI/

News, Politics, Government

Cold case arrest prompts cross-country probe

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Authorities in California, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi and Ohio are scouring cold case files in the wake of the arrest and ensuing investigation of a suspected serial killer charged in the slayings of three Los Angeles women in the 1980s.

LAPD detectives say DNA evidence connects 72-year-old Samuel Little to the California killings and allege he could have more victims going back decades. Their probe has turned up several cases in which he was a suspect or convicted. One, in Mississippi, has been reopened.

Detectives allege Little, a former boxer, often delivered a knockout punch to women and then strangled them while sexually pleasuring himself, soon after leaving town. Little has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to appear in court later this month.

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Missing Colorado teen found unharmed in California

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A Colorado teenager reported missing by her family more than a month ago has been found in California where police say she is not in any danger.

Raven Cassidy Furlong was reported missing when she didn’t return home from her Aurora, Colorado high school in February. Authorities searching for the then-17-year-old were considering the possibility that she may be a victim of sex trafficking.

Furlong was seen Friday night at a taping of American Ninja Warrior, and voluntarily went with LAPD officers for questioning, MyFoxLA.com reported.

Police determined the now 18-year-old was in good health and not in any danger and released her over the objections of her aunt, Tobi Buckley. Furlong’s family believes she is being held against her will.

Auora police classified Furlong a “runaway,” but the family questions whether she was tricked into moving to California with the promise of modeling work.

According to investigators there is no evidence at this time to indicate the teen was lured to Los Angeles for the purpose of prostitution.

Furlong left her home on Feb. 5 with two friends, telling her family that she would return in two days, according to investigators.

Her vehicle was found in Venice, Calif. in March, but authorities had not been able to make contact with her

Colorado police are no longer considering this a missing person’s case, MyFoxLA.com reported.

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LAPD say boy, 11, made up kidnapping tale

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Los Angeles police say an 11-year-old boy was lying when he told detectives he was kidnapped by a man in a black mask as he walked home from his San Pedro school.

The Daily News reports the boy later admitted to police that he made up the story Wednesday to avoid discipline from his parents, possibly to explain his whereabouts after school.

He initially said the kidnapper chased him down, put duct tape on his mouth and dragged him into a car.

Police Lt. Sue Willis says the 6th-grader eventually confessed that he simply took off when his parents were late picking him up after classes ended at Dana Middle School. He bought candy and walked around town.

Willis says any discipline will be up to the boy’s parents.

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Killer who escaped women's prison nabbed on Los Angeles' Skid Row

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A convicted killer who made the U.S. Marshals’ Most Wanted fugitives list after escaping a Louisiana women’s prison was nabbed on Los Angeles‘ Skid Row after nearly three months on the lam.

Keana Barnes, 33, escaped from a woman’s prison in St. Gabriel on New Year’s Day, and was added to the Most Wanted list 11 days ago. A pair of LAPD officers caught her Monday in the gritty neighborhood after first giving her a ticket for loitering.

According to the U.S. Marshals Office, one of the officers grew suspicious after Barnes gave a fake name. While she was being brought to a stationhouse, Barnes confessed to escaping prison and police officers were able to confirm her identity after taking fingerprints ending a multiagency, nationwide search.

“The apprehension of Keana Barnes bodes well for the safety and security of our citizenry,” said U.S. Marshal Kevin Harrison, in a statement released by Middle District of Louisiana office. “Movies often portray running from the law as a glamorous, carefree adventure – the truth of the matter is nothing can be more stressful. I have no doubt the pressure applied by the U.S. Marshals made her life extremely difficult from the minute she ran to the minute she was caught.”

Barnes was serving a 25-year sentence at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for shooting Perry Jennings Jr. in March 2003 while he was sleeping in a New Orleans apartment. At the time she escaped, Barnes was awaiting trial for allegedly stabbing another victim to death a year before killing Jennings. During her trial, Barnes had accepted a plea deal that reduced two counts of murder down to manslaughter.

Details regarding Barnes’ escape were not available, though the Marshals Office said her flight was discovered when jailers found a broken window in her cell.

The former fugitive has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1999 with prior convictions for aggravated assault, battery, theft and manslaughter.

“An extremely violent criminal history landed Barnes on our 15 Most Wanted list,” Assistant Director for Investigative Operations William D. Snelson said in a written statement. “Thanks to the tenacity of our criminal investigators and Los Angeles Police Department’s quick action, law enforcement has taken another dangerous fugitive off the streets.”

Barnes is still being held in Los Angeles and is due to go before a federal court judge on Wednesday.

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Judge allows tapes to be released to LAPD in probe into possible unsolved Manson murders

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A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the Los Angeles Police Department should be able to obtain the decades-old taped conversations between a Manson family disciple and his attorney.

U.S. District Judge Richard A. Schell of Plano wrote in an order Sunday that Charles “Tex” Watson waived his right to attorney-client privilege when he allowed his lawyer to sell the eight cassette tapes to an author nearly 40 years ago for a book about the convicted murderer’s life.

The ruling affirms a bankruptcy judge’s decision that Watson, who’s serving a life sentence in California for his role in the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others, sought to overturn.

Watson’s attorney, Bill Boyd, died in 2009. The tapes were discovered last year by the trustee handling the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case of the law firm where Boyd was a partner.

Los Angeles police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said Tuesday the department is prepared to send detectives to Texas to pick up the tapes as soon as they are available. However, they will wait until a 30-day window for an appeal passes.

“The LAPD is pleased that the judge ruled in our favor,” Smith said. “We are looking forward to getting these tapes and thoroughly analyzing their contents.”

Smith has said previously that the LAPD believes the tapes could yield clues to unsolved murders. But Watson has indicated that the Manson family wasn’t responsible for any other killings.

Fort Worth lawyer Kelly Puls, who is representing Watson in the tapes matter, said Tuesday he would talk to Watson about appealing Schell’s ruling.

“We’re going to be looking at all our options,” Puls said.

Schell said Watson, now 67, gave up his right to attorney-client privilege when he allowed Boyd to sell a copy of the tapes to Chaplain Raymond G. Hoekstra with the International Prison Ministries in 1976.

The $49,000 Boyd received was a partial payment for legal fees. The taped conversations became part of Hoekstra’s book “Will You Die for Me? The Man Who Killed for Charles Manson Tells His Own Story: Tex Watson as told to Chaplain Ray.”

Moreover, a previous court filing in which Watson said he’s willing to allow the LAPD to listen to the tapes “alone constitutes a waiver of attorney-client privilege,” Schell wrote.

In putting the case in front of Schell, Watson was appealing a ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brenda T. Rhoades last May that gave the trustee, Linda Payne, permission to comply with a written request from the LAPD that the tapes go to the department.

The LAPD sought to use a search warrant to obtain the tapes from Payne last October, but Schell blocked that effort, characterizing it as an attempt to circumvent his order that made the tapes off-limits until he could rule on them.

Watson, a native of the small North Texas community of Copeville, was a key figure in the Tate-La Bianca murders, one of the most notorious crimes of the 20th century. He, Manson and three others were sentenced to death, but the sentences were commuted to life in prison …read more
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$1M reward for cop killer Dorner shrinks as contributors cite fine print

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By Joshua Rhett Miller

When cop killer Christopher Dorner was on the loose and terrorizing southern California, some 30 groups joined together to put a $1 million price on his head. But after the former LAPD officer killed himself while barricaded in a mountain cabin in February, some of those groups have gotten stingy.

A law enforcement union became the latest of the contributors to voice second thoughts about its $60,000 share of the reward, following a similar decision by the city of Riverside to withdraw its pledge of $100,000. With Dorner dead and no shortage of prospective claims to the pot, it seems some of the groups behind the reward have developed an appreciation for fine print. Specifically, the part that authorized a payout for information leading to the “arrest” and “conviction.”

“It’s on hold,” Ron Cottingham, president of the 64,000-member Peace Officers Research Association of California, told FoxNews.com. “The authorization for that pledge came from the board of directors. And since the circumstances under which they offered the pledge toward the reward do not seem to have been fulfilled, it’s still on hold.”

A couple who was bound in their mountain condo by Dorner and a camp caretaker he carjacked have laid claim to the reward, which officials have said they hope to dole out by mid-April. Both parties say they provided authorities the crucial tip that allowed police to corner Dorner in a vacant mountain cabin before killing himself after a shootout on Feb. 12. Dorner, 33, killed four people, including two police officers, during his weeklong rampage.

During that manhunt — portions of which were broadcast live on national television — LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa coordinated a $1 million reward from more than 30 agencies, corporations and associations including the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Los Angeles Dodgers, AEG and the University of Southern California. And while crime rewards typically lead tipsters to protect their identities, the well-publicized killing spree had the opposite effect, according to LAPD detective.

“Everybody’s coming out of the woodwork on this one,” LAPD Detective Andy Neiman told the Associated Press. “These people are being very public about it because they know Dorner can’t come after them.”

Both Beck and Villaraigosa have said they’d like to see the reward paid out. LAPD spokesman Richard French told FoxNews.com that authorities from the relevant agencies will meet in the next two weeks to correlate their findings regarding the reward and determine who was ultimately responsible for Dorner’s capture.

“It is a very unique situation because we have so many jurisdictions involved and so many people pledging rewards,” French told FoxNews.com.

The city of Riverside, however, which saw one of its officers gunned down by Dorner, has announced its pledge of $100,000 is no longer on the table.

City spokeswoman Cindie Perry, who did not return requests for comment, told the Los Angeles Times that the City Council resolution indicated that the reward money was for information leading to an arrest and conviction — neither of which were met.

“Because conditions were …read more
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Judge: Manson disciple can't keep tapes from LAPD

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A federal judge in Texas says the Los Angeles Police Department should be able to obtain the decades-old taped conversations between a Manson family disciple and his attorney.

Judge Richard A. Schell’s ruled Sunday that Charles “Tex” Watson waived his right to attorney-client privilege when he allowed the lawyer to sell the tapes to an author.

A bankruptcy court ruled last year that the LAPD should get the tapes, but Watson appealed.

The LAPD has sought the tapes on the basis that they could provide clues to unsolved murders.

A message left for an LAPD spokesman was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Watson is serving a life sentence in California for his role in the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others.

His attorney, Kelly Puls, declined immediate comment.

…read more
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Authorities consider possible sex trafficking in case of missing Colorado teen

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By Cristina Corbin

Authorities searching for a 17-year-old Colorado girl are considering the possibility that the missing teenager is a victim of sex trafficking, a law enforcement official confirmed to FoxNews.com.

Raven Cassidy Furlong, of Aurora, Colo., left her home on Feb. 5 with two friends, telling her family that she would return in two days, according to investigators.

Her vehicle, registered under her stepmother’s name, was found earlier this week in Venice, Calif., near Los Angeles.

Aurora police have classified Furlong a “runaway,” but when her name was discovered on the modeling website, ModelMahyem.com, her family questioned whether she was tricked into moving to California with the promise of modeling work.

Furlong, as well as her two companions, ages 16 and 19, have not been located, and there is no evidence at this time to indicate the teenagers were lured to Los Angeles for the purpose of prostitution, according to authorities. But sex trafficking is being considered as a possible scenario, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told FoxNews.com.

“In cases where evidence may indicate [sex trafficking], that is clearly a concern that would be thoroughly addressed by law enforcement at the state/federal level, especially in cases involving minors,” Eimiller said.

The Aurora Police Department is the lead agency in the case, assisted by both the LAPD and FBI as part of a task force that addresses crimes against children.

Michelle Bart, a Furlong family spokeswoman, told FoxNews.com on Wednesday that “We have reason to believe she is still in the Los Angeles area and being held against her will.”

Furlong’s case follows the disappearance of two other young models, Kara Nichols, who also had a profile on ModelMayem.com, and Kelsie Schelling, who has a modeling profile on the site Explore Talent. The two women are still missing, but there is no evidence that their cases are connected to Furlong’s, according to Aurora police.

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Articles of Interest

Women Shot by LAPD Get $40K for New Truck

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By Mark Russell Finding a new truck for Emma Hernandez and Margie Carranza, to replace the one shot 102 times by the LAPD during their manhunt for Christopher Dorner , has proven too difficult, so instead the city has agreed to give them a $40,000 cash settlement, reports the Los Angeles Times . Officials… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home

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LA compensates 2 for truck mistakenly shot by LAPD

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The city has agreed to give $40,000 to two women whose pickup was shot up by a Police Department protection detail that mistook their newspaper delivery vehicle for the truck driven by rogue ex-cop Christopher Dorner during his rampage, officials announced Thursday.

The tax-free settlement covering the pickup and other property came quickly after the women’s attorney, Glen Jonas, rejected Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck’s offer of a replacement truck because the women would have had to pay taxes. The deal specified no admission of liability.

Margie Carranza and her 71-year-old mother, Emma Hernandez, were delivering papers around 5 a.m. Feb. 7 when LAPD officers guarding the suburban Torrance home of a Dorner target blasted at least 100 rounds into their Toyota pickup. Hernandez was shot in the back and Carranza had minor injuries.

Jonas said the women were still not doing well.

“Margie’s still very emotionally impacted and Emma is suffering from her injuries,” Jonas said.

Jonas, who noted he has waived all his fees, said he hoped that all other issues including personal injury can be resolved without the need to file a lawsuit or have a trial.

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said the truck compensation was one of the fastest resolutions of a case he can remember in his term.

The women were expected to receive the money in two to four days.

The errant shooting in Torrance occurred just hours after Dorner shot and wounded a Los Angeles police officer in Riverside County and then ambushed two police officers in the city of Riverside, killing one and wounding the other.

Dorner was on the run in a Nissan Titan pickup after being named as the suspect in the murders of a retired LAPD captain’s daughter and her fiance. The former captain had represented Dorner at an LAPD disciplinary hearing that led to his firing. The double-murder investigation led to discovery of a manifesto posted online by Dorner that vowed to wage war on Los Angeles police.

Dorner hid out in the San Bernardino Mountains until Feb. 12, when he tried to flee but law enforcement converged on him. Dorner killed one sheriff’s deputy and wounded another in a gunbattle that ended with fire consuming the …read more
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Articles of Interest

Women Shot by LAPD Still Waiting for New Truck

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By John Johnson In the heat of last month’s manhunt for Christopher Dorner, the LAPD put 102 bullets into an SUV driven by mother-and-daughter paper carriers in a case of mistaken identity. Emma Hernandez, 71, and Margie Carranza, 47, survived but are still waiting for a new truck as promised from the department,… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home

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LA Measure B Results 2013: Police Pension Plan Proposal Passes (LIVE UPDATES)

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

LA voters appeared to be in favor of Measure B, a proposal to allow Department of General Services (GSD) police personnel who transfer to the LAPD, to transfer their retirement credit from the city’s civilian plan to the generous fire and police pension plan.

The measure stated that such transfers would be cost neutral to the city, “with any additional costs to be paid by the police personnel who choose to switch retirement plans.”

The polls closed at 8 p.m. With 90 percent of votes counted, the measure gained 58 percent of votes. Forty-two percent of voters rejected the measure.

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Half-dozen ex-LAPD officers seek firing reviews since Dorner investigation

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At least six former officers have requested a reopening of their termination cases since the Los Angeles Police Department started investigating allegations by a former officer who left a trail of violence to avenge his firing.

Police Chief Charlie Beck reopened the case of Christopher Dorner and ordered a review of the LAPD disciplinary system after Dorner released a manifesto accusing the department of unjustly firing him. He also vowed to wage warfare on its officers and their families.

Police Protective League President Tyler Izen said he will ask the chief to review the new requests. He called the decision in Dorner’s case unprecedented and said it “has left many of our members in absolute limbo.”

“Because, if the department does investigations and they’re satisfied with those investigations, then what do they hope to learn from this review?” Izen said. “And if they are not satisfied with those investigations, why are they doing them without being satisfied in the first place?”

The department has conducted “biopsies” on cases in the past, but the officers involved were usually unaware of the action, he said.

Such internal decisions are often made to provide training or learning opportunities, Izen added.

In the Dorner case, Beck has said the review is being conducted to ensure public confidence in the department.

At Tuesday’s Police Commission meeting, Beck said he expects that review to be completed in several months. The department has also started a series of internal audits and held meetings to look at the overall disciplinary system, Beck said.

“We’re doing additional work within the department to discuss what the perception of fairness is for the discipline system,” Beck said.

That process will look at perceptions of fairness when dealing with race, gender and rank, and will involve input from officers, Beck said.’

He said many requests for reviews from former officers involve files that are old, but the department will look nonetheless.

“If people bring forward issues relative to their boards of rights or their firing that appear to have substance, I’ll have somebody look at them, do a biopsy, and make sure they were done the way that they should have been done,” Beck said.

Some people in the department have said the reopening of the Dorner case is a no-win situation.

The results will ultimately be reported to the Police Commission, the department’s civilian oversight board.

Commission President Andrea Sheridan Ordin acknowledged the difficulty involved in reopening the Dorner case but said the review is necessary.

“There will be people who said we shouldn’t have said anything at all; then you have a group of people say they don’t talk to us, they don’t care about us, and we have legitimate concerns, and no one’s answering them,” Ordin said.

“I’m not saying there’s any single right answer, but we just have to believe that more information, accurate information, well-thought-through information and recommendations are better than ignoring it,” she added.

Ordin, a longtime attorney, was a member of the Christopher Commission, which examined the LAPD after the beating of Rodney King.

“What you want is a department that can police …read more
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