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LAPD Seeks New Technology, Training In $66 Million Plan Following Protests

By Margaret Shuttleworth, City News Service LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles Police Department today will present the police commission its estimated $66 million plan to incorporate recommendations from three reports that found the department mishandled aspects of its response to last year's May and June protests against racism and police brutality. The department's proposed recommendations include purchasing technology to analyze social media profiles to be used as intelligence and encrypted radios for officers to communicate privately. The recommendations were met with opposition from the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, which opposes the department gathering intelligence on protesters and the public....

Local Leaders Laud CA Supreme Court’s Ruling on Bail in Criminal Cases

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón joined County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia in lauding a California Supreme Court decision today that requires judges to consider a criminal defendant's ability to post bail alongside less restrictive alternatives and to undertake an individualized consideration of the relevant factors when setting bail in a case. "Today's California Supreme Court ruling ends an unjust practice that favors the wealthy and punishes those with limited means," Gascón said in a written statement. "We cannot have equal protection under the law when fundamental aspects of our criminal justice system hinge so...

LA County Seeks to Move Mentally Ill Misdemeanor Offenders to Community Care

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took the first steps today to move all jail inmates charged with misdemeanors but judged incompetent to stand trial out of jail and into community-based treatment. Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Holly Mitchell co-authored a motion recommending the shift to community care, directing county lawyers to report back on the process required to rescind approval for the county jail system to treat the "MIST" population. "The people who will benefit from today's motion are individuals accused of minor crimes," Kuehl said. "If they did not have serious mental illness, chances are...

Robert Durst’s Murder Trial Set to Resume in May

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Real estate scion Robert Durst's Los Angeles murder trial -- which has been sidelined for a year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic -- is set to resume May 17, a judge announced today. Jurors are expected to hear a new round of opening statements from attorneys, with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham saying that the lawyers should focus on what the panel has already heard and will hear during the balance of the trial. The jury heard opening statements and two days of testimony before the case was put on hold in...

LA County DA Marks 100 Days in Office, Touts Policies Despite Critics

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón today defended the policies he has set in place during his first 100 days as the county's top prosecutor amid backlash over his directives against seeking the death penalty and keeping cases involving juveniles out of adult courts. In a Zoom call, Gascón said his changes were "based on data and science that will enhance the safety for our community while reducing racial disparities and the misuse of incarceration," and he vowed that the efforts are "just beginning." The district attorney -- who is facing a potential recall effort --...

City Council-Commissioned Report Finds LAPD Mishandled George Floyd Protests

By Margaret Shuttleworth, City News Service LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A report commissioned by the City Council found that the Los Angeles Police Department mishandled various aspects of last spring's mass demonstrations sparked by the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The 101-page report found that many officers were not properly trained in crowd control tactics, illegally detained people who committed infractions, used "less lethal weapons" on peaceful protesters and created chaos through conflicting orders. The report was commissioned by the council following the widespread anti-racism and police brutality protests in Los Angeles and throughout the nation in May...