They call it "Operation Boo" and it's been happening since 1994: On Halloween night, California's sex offenders out on parole are "rounded up and kept indoors" from 5 p.m until 5 a.m. November 1. Additionally, while inside, the parolees may not turn on external lights or decorate their residence's exterior for the holiday. more ›

They warned you on Twitter and it starts today. The California Highway Patrol, along with other agencies across Los Angeles County, today are taking a zero-tolerance approach to the state's hands-free mobile laws. You cannot text while driving (basically) or hold a phone to your ear. more ›

There was 9/02/10 day last month and 10/10/10 this Sunday, but today is 10-4 day. more ›

A police officer with just a high school degree is more likely to use force -- verbal threats, grabbing, handcuffing, throwing to the ground, shooting, etc. -- on a suspect than an officer with some college education, a study in Police Quarterly has found. But results also concluded there's no difference when it came to arrests or searches. more ›

Last year, a 911 call prompted, on average, a 4.9 minute response time from L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies. Right after the department suffered a $128 million budget cut six months ago, it rose to 5.5 minutes. And last month, response times hit nearly six minutes, according to the LA Times. more ›

Do extremely loud motorcycles bother you? A solution may now be in the fix. The state senate today approved a bill by Senator Fran Pavley (D - Santa Monica) that would give law enforcement a tool to enforce such bikes. more ›

One ounce of marijuana today is $375. If Californians vote for Prop 19 or if the state legislature and Governor approve AB 2254, the price could drop to $38 per ounce, says the RAND Corporation in a study released today. Called Altered State? Assessing How Marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets, the report examines the likely increase in usage, how much tax revenue could be generated and other issues. more ›

In 2008, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had nine deputy-involved shootings. But for reasons unclear, that number increased to 16 in 2009, despite lower crime trends. For those reasons, Sheriff Lee Baca was expected today to gave a new deadly force guidelines to officers. more ›

When it comes to condom use in the local porn business, Los Angeles County officials are opting to keep their hands to themselves. more ›

The LAPD will announce a new way to make anonymous tips about crime via text message and e-mails tomorrow afternoon in a press conference. From their release: more ›

The Melrose Action Neighborhood Watch reported this weekend that a possible 9th and 10th robbery occurred in the neighborhood, but went unreported to police. For the past two weeks, eight reported robberies have happened around the Melrose shopping district. more ›

I work on Wilshire in the Miracle Mile area. Every day for the past year or so there's been a guy outside our office selling fruit from a cart filled with ice. more ›

An LAPD motorcycle officer was struck and injured late this afternoon near Western Ave. on the westbound 10 Freeway. The LAPD reports that the officer is in fair condition with complaints of back and neck pain. The CHP ordered all lanes to be shut down at 5:03 p.m. but as of 5:09 p.m., only one lane was closed. more ›

At about noon yesterday Drug Enforcement Administration agents showed up at Organica Collective at 13456 Washington Boulveard in Venice and conducted a raid that yielded no arrests, but left a tremendous amount of disarray in their wake. more ›

A situation like this, occurred several times over the past year, according to the LAPD: "In March 2007, a student at California State University Northridge (CSUN) was approached by a suspect who asked the victim to cash a check at his bank. In exchange for his efforts, he would be given several hundred dollars. Unfortunately, the he was unaware the check was forged. Several days later, a hold was placed on his account to cover the bank loss." In many of the cases, victims said handguns were used to intimidate them into taking part in the crimes, which spread to both Valley and Pierce colleges in the past few months. Piecing together clues from the crimes, detectives arrested three suspects in their twenties on Monday, but more are being sought. Police are also still looking for other people who may have been victims of this crime ring. more ›

As Councilman Dennis Zine's paparazzi motion (what we like to call the Britney Spears law) fumbles around in a City Council committee, he's also convening a regional task force on the issue, which will have a public hearing tomorrow morning to "hear testimony from key stakeholders to develop proposals to consider in the legislative process," according to a statement from Zine's office. more ›

An off-duty LAPD Officer was shot early this morning around 12:30 a.m. by Long Beach Police responding to a "person with a gun" call. Few details about what led officers to shoot have come out so far as Long Beach officials are only saying that when officers contacted the suspect, the shooting occurred. more ›

Despite a 40% spike in homicides earlier this year, a slow down in the crime has evened out the numbers. As of Monday night, there were 204 killings overall, compared to 208 this time last year, according to the LA Times who also reports that "overall, violent crime this year was down 7% as of July 12, according to the LAPD. The number of shots fired was down 28%, as was the number of victims hit by gunfire -- from 1041 to 874, a decline of 16% for the same time period." more ›

Shocked by the horrific road raging motorist vs. cyclists incident on Mandeville Canyon Road this past holiday weekend, the cycling community has rallied in the last four days to fight for justice and to ensure that Los Angeles city leadership, law enforcement and the judicial system respond to incidents such as this. more ›

From the Northeast Valley to Northeast Los Angeles, actions against gangs by the city and feds is beefing up. This morning, a federal indictment was initiated and hundreds of gang members from the Drew Estara Click of the Avenues Gang were arrested (If you remember the big shootout in February, these are the guys). Starting at 4 a.m., police and federal officials swept down into Glassell Park and surrounding neighborhoods after a 10-month investigation to serve the warrants for drug trafficking, murder, hate crime and other accusations. more ›

In January, the Los Angeles Police Commission agreed with an LAPD federal consent decree that said officers in specialized units dealing with narcotics and gangs must "disclose all of their sole and jointly owned assets, liabilities and income every two years. Refusal to disclose such information would bar officers from working in those units." more ›

After 11, 12, no 14 murders in Los Angeles County (10 of which that were in the city of Los Angeles) this past weekend, the LAPD blog publishes a post about it: more ›

Special Order 40 is a nearly 30-year-old law in Los Angeles that prohibits Los Angeles police officers from asking people about their immigration status. Part of the intent is to get more community cooperation when investigating a crime. Illegal immigrants who witness or know something about a crime would more likely avoid police because of their status without the order. more ›

Some report that 11 people were murdered over the weekend, some report 12. Whichever the number, it is greater than the normal homicide rate in Los Angeles County, an unfortunate two or three per day. more ›

Back in March, three guys taped themselves scamming Del Taco in order to get free food, which is essentially stealing. They put the whole how-to guide on YouTube, which led to their arrest. more ›

Saturday night's officer involved shooting that led to the death of Roketi Mosesue, 46, has led to much controversy. Both sides tell their story. First, the Long Beach Police via the Mercury News: more ›

The Bike to Work Week celebration came to an abrupt end as Enci rode north on Western, turned left onto Hollywood Boulevard and then had a bus accelerate from behind, crossing her line and pulling to the right, forcing her to the curb as he pulled in to his last scheduled stop of the day. more ›

Earlier this afternoon, boingboing highlighted an incident that occurred involving Keith Garsee last night at a Metro Red Line station. He was taking photos when he was stopped by a Metro employee: "Hey! It's against the 9-11 Law to take pictures down here man!" more ›

Update: View photos from the May 10 Protest here

On March 9, 70-year-old Katan Khaimov went for a walk. He started at his West Hollywood apartment and was later found dead with stab wounds near Poinsetta Park, which is in Los Angeles at the WeHo border. For over an hour, Khaimov cried for help, according to the LA Times. more ›