Results tagged “security”

Remember how Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took two vacations over the summer? First there was one to Iceland and then another to Africa. That bugged KTLA's Eric Spillman enough to go digging for costs, if any, to taxpayers.

Text messaging appears to be one major caper in the Chatsworth Metrolink train crash last year, which left 25 dead and 135 injured. Investigators found that Metrolink Engineer Robert Sanchez sent a text message 22 seconds before his train slammed head-on into a freight train.

The City of Los Angeles is one step closer to four years ago after yesterday's City Council meeting, when a study concerning the possible adoption of a Google-based e-mail system was approved, reports the Daily News.

The MTA has "revamped its policy" and now the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will assume responsibility for "supervising transit security guards," according to abc7.com. The changes to the transit system's supervisory structure most likely stems from the recent revelation that there have been 11 investigations launched in the past two years by the L.A. County's Sheriff's Department...

William Bratton may be Chief of the LAPD (not for long), but city hall actually has three other totally separate police departments, which may be confusing to some. There's the Port Police, Office of Public Safety--they police city properties like parks and libraries and not city streets like the LAPD--and the Los Angeles World Airports Police who are in charge protecting airport properties like LAX, Van Nuys, Ontario and Palmdale. Although not confirmed, LAWA's Assistant Chief, Erroll Southers, is headed to run to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), according to sources to the Associated Press. Despite funny names like Thousands Standing Around, the agency is one of the few that blogs and really takes their comment section to heart by implementing policy changes based on the public's complaints and suggestions.

Apparently, Los Angeles County Sheriff's have been doing random bag checks for Metro since March, according to Damien Newton at StreetsblogLA. Metro staff emphasized to him that the searches are legal, after he spoke to them when a reader witnessed it happening to commuters entering the Gold Line platform at Union Station. Notes Newton: "When Metrolink announced it was going to begin randomly searching passengers' belongings last summer, there was a firestorm of protest. After the horrific crash last September, the agency came under fire for spending money Keeping Us Safe from Terrorists instead of improving rail safety."

       

Up to a million people were expected to be hanging around the perimeter of Michael Jackson's memorial service this morning at the Staples Center. But walking downtown streets a few blocks away, the scene was relatively normal, save for the heavy police presence, the constant drone of helicopters and a handful of vendors selling Michael Jackson buttons and t-shirts.

Fans hoping to head to Hollywood & Highland to watch a live simulcast of this morning's Michael Jackson memorial service shown at the Mann Chinese movie theatre--steps away from Jackson's Walk of Fame star--will have to make other plans. The venue has just announced that they are canceling the broadcast, according to a press release. The request to cancel this viewing opportunity came by the Los Angeles Police Department, "resulting from the overwhelming demand of individuals in the Los Angeles area to participate in the memorial service." Jonathan Dern, president of Cinedigm Entertainment Group, the company hosting screenings in dozens of US cities said: “The security of those in the Los Angeles area must come first. While we wish we could bring the service to more local fans, the right decision is to remove the Mann from our group of theatres providing this event." Screenings in Buena Park and Monrovia at Krikorian theatres will continue as scheduled.

With the eyes of the world on downtown Los Angeles today, the LAPD took an abundance of caution, more than doubling the amount of officers to work announced yesterday. "Past events including the 1984 Olympics 'pale in comparison to what we have assembled today,'" reported the LA Times, quoting LAPD Deputy Chief Earl Paysinger. The department has two main concerns for today: the "cold zone"--the space immediately outside the security area where large numbers are expected to gather--and the airspace, where the FAA granted a the city a temporary flight ban below 2500 feet.

Last August, a young man sleeping inside Downtown's 7th/Metro Station was roused by an MTA security guard; during the incident the guard delivered a kick to the patron's head, which was not only not part of his job description, but also captured on surveillance cameras inside the station. The footage convinced a jury to find the guard guilty of using excessive force. Cases such as this one happen more frequently than perhaps reported, and today's LA Times offers a look at the the 11 investigations launched in the past two years by the L.A. County's Sheriff's Department into allegations of abuse.

Yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano toured LAX and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with local officials to her side asking to money to upgrade security infrastructure in the area.

High-profile litigator Gloria Allred went on the Today Show this morning to publicly respond to OctoMom Nadya Suleman's recent actions. Allred says the mother of 14 "only cares about her babies when the cameras are rolling," according to the OC Register. Allred also reveals that "there have been two intruders on two different nights at the La Habra home since Nadya moved in only a week ago, raising legitimate fears of baby abductions." She added that Suleman asked one of the nannies to make the 911 call "because she was concerned she had done too many 911 calls,” herself.

San Francisco photographer Thomas Hawk, whose name spread around the internet after a contentious ousting at SFMOMA, was in the Los Angeles area last month taking photos around the Port of Long Beach when security and police got involved. He was not arrested, but patrols asked him to leave, even though he was legally doing nothing wrong, he says.

Ever since 9/11, taking a photo of certain downtown buildings was verboten. Well, that's according to said building's security guards. So last Sunday, a group of photographers went out to take photos of downtown buildings from public sidewalks to protest their rights. Six security guards quickly responded. Drama ensues. Oooohhhh. Aaaahhhh.

Left the house this morning at 6 a.m. (that's 3 a.m. in California). The streets were already teeming with inauguration goers. There was a palpable sense of excitement, as there has been in DC for days. The swarm walked toward the capitol building in heavy anticipation of... something. No one knew exactly where they were going and security wasn't sure what to tell anyone. It was a mad house, a chaotic scene that was calmed by hundreds of red hatted volunteers who wished all a "happy inauguration day" and gave high-fives.

Comedian Johnny Knoxville, legally known as John Philip Clapp, was detained this morning at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as he went through security. "Clapp was processing through passenger security screening when a Transportation Security Administration officer saw the image of a hand-grenade in his carry-on bag," an LAX statement read. "Airport Police and the Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Squad were called, and it was determined the hand-grenade had no explosives or firing pin." It ended up being a prop from one of his photo shoots that he forgot was in his bag, he said. He was released but could be later charged with a misdemeanor, for possession of a prohibited item within the sterile area of an airport.

A second unrelated incident occurred Saturday morning when a man entered the airport to pick up his wife, according to LAX officials Police searched his vehicle and found two unregistered and unloaded shotguns (12-gauge and 20-gauge) as well as about 220 rounds of ammunition. The man told officers he recently went to a shooting range to fire the guns and forgot they were in his vehicle. The man was not arrested, but the guns were confiscated and he risks possible prosecution down the line. His name could also become part of a federal "watch list" database of sorts.

Los Angeles International Airport officials have updated earlier information regarding this morning's arrest: "A male Hispanic was detained and subsequently taken into custody at 12:20pm today by federal and local law enforcement officers who are investigating his attempt to bring several weapons plus ammunition into LAX. At 10:49 this morning, the man driving a grey 4X4 Silverado was stopped by Airport Police officers for a routine vehicle inspection at the intersection of westbound Century Blvd. and Sepulveda Blvd., one of the main entrances into the passenger terminal area of LAX. Thirty handguns and 7 rifles, plus fully loaded ammunition magazines were found in the same container in the back of his pickup truck. The driver was arrested at 12:20 pm for weapons transportation violations and will be booked at Pacific Division LAPD."

With one TSA Officer and one other security guard stationed on both sides of this "Welcome to Los Angeles" sign in LAX's Terminal 7 right before passengers enter the baggage claim area, how did this small tooth-gapping graffiti happen?

       

After Monday night's Radiohead concert at the Hollywood Bowl, Sean Carlson and a friend were passing out flyers for this weekend's F Yeah Fest while their friend Michael Reich of Videothing.com was filming them for a documentary. An incident with the venue's contract security firm and another patron happened to occur in front of them and security didn't like that it was being filmed ("'What the fuck do you think you're filming?' and grabbed at the camera," said an eyewitness of a security guard from the company CSC).

There's a pretty scary and disappointing, but very thoroughly reported story posted today on LA Weekly by Randall Roberts. If all is true and the alleged video survives to make it to YouTube, the internet is going to go nuts on Hollywood Bowl's contract security firm, CSC.

As the postal worker delivered mail yesterday to businesses along Sunset Blvd., he apologized to Joe Keeper of Bar Keeper for not delivering mail on Saturday. He said that Sunset Junction Street Festival security and staff would not let him inside the festival, even with his USPS issued ID and uniform, to deliver mail to the businesses, according to Keeper.

Well, not so fast, but starting last Friday, two test shoe scanners went into use at Los Angeles International Airport. "The TSA is well aware that the removal of shoes is not our most popular policy," they stated via their blog, which is known for taking complaints and criticism in the comments section to improve services. "Since this is a test to collect data, passengers will still need to remove their shoes prior to walking through the magnetometer. Hey, don’t kill the messenger. I’m just giving you a heads up! :)"

The next step in moving on from the honor system to the gated system in LA's subways and some light rails was announced today. $16.1 million in transit security funding was awarded to Metro by the state towards implementation of the gating system. 379 fare gates will be installed within the next 18 to 24 months. "The gates are expected to reduce the need for civilian fare inspectors and sworn law enforcement will also be freed of fare checking responsibilities at gated stations, allowing them to focus primarily on station security," said a Metro statement released via e-mail.

      

Earlier this month, Clear, the "Fly Through Airport Security fast pass, announced its partnership with Delta Airlines. It's one of those Registered Traveler Programs you can sign up for to speed through security lines after doling out $128. By the end of the month, Terminal 5 at LAX will have this system set up.

About an hour before today's bomb scare at LAX, a man walked into the World Bank in Washington D.C. and went up to a security guard with a suspicious package claiming it was a bomb. The incident prompted nearby streets to close and people inside the bank were not allowed to leave. An hour later, a man walked up to an LA World Airports police officer and said he had a bomb in his backpack, which prompted the roads around LAX's terminal's to close. It was later found, like the incident in DC, that the bag did not have a bomb.

Of all airports in the nation, LAX has earned the number one spot for airports that make the most money when it comes to coins left at security, usually left in the gray buckets and sometimes purposefully left behind if travelers are headed to a foreign country. About $30,000 a year is collected at LAX, according to the Transportation Security Administration, per KNBC. Where does the money go? LAX officials told LAist they don't see a penny as it is collected by the feds. "It all goes to our general operating fund," Nico Melendez of the TSA told us.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa left Wednesday on a week-long trip to Israel (the third time during his political career) to learn and bring back security improvements to Los Angeles International Airport and the city's Harbor. He will also be sharing what the city is doing with its "green" and environmental technologies and initiatives.

Before boarding a flight, a woman claims she was forced by the TSA to remove her nipple rings. They gave her pliers to do it with says her attorney.

Why would Michael Smegal, 42, of Holliston, MA send hundreds of letters to various people around Los Angeles, including Van Nuys Airport informing them of his plans to blow up Van Nuys Airport?