On Monday, the LAPD rolls out the first batch of its brand new officer body cameras. Also, rents here are the most unaffordable in the nation and there are tens of thousands of homeless. There is a program out there that’s supposed to help people who can’t afford homes - Section 8. Then, for us mere mortals, there are four seasons in the year. For Hollywood, there’s a fifth -- Awards Season.
Los Angeles launches the biggest deployment of body cams in the US on Monday
On Monday, the LAPD rolls out the first batch of its brand new officer body cameras.
Mission Division in the northeast San Fernando Valley gets the first batch. Newton division in South LA follows in a couple of weeks.
Ultimately, the department's planning on more than 7,000 devices, which will make the city the largest user of the devices in the country.
Though there's a lot of support for body cams, there's a lot of disagreement over how the recordings will be handled. LAPD has said that it will not release footage to the public unless it’s part of a criminal or civil court proceeding. As of now, Los Angeles police officers can review their body-worn video before writing reports or giving statements to internal investigators. That’s where some concerns kick in.
Could the recordings be tampered with? In Seattle, their philosophy towards body-worn video is quite open. Greg Russell, Seattle Police Department’s Chief Information Officers says he hopes that in the future, the video might be live-streamed, automatically redacted (blurred and/or x), and put on a public website all in one process.
Would LAPD ever consider such transparency? How are other cities handling the policy of their body-worn video? Under what circumstances can the police record? What happens when officers forget to turn on camera or it malfunctions?
Guests:
Greg Meyer, member of the advisory board of Police Magazine and former police captain of the LAPD
Peter Bibring, director of police practices for the ACLU of California
Dan Simon, professor of law and psychology at USC; He wrote a recent Op-Ed in the LA Times supporting officers' right to view body cam footage before making a report
Dan Gomez, sergeant and officer in charge of tactical technology section at the Los Angeles Police Department.
Inside the conundrum of LA’s Section 8 housing
Southern California is in a housing crisis. Rents here are the most unaffordable in the nation and there are tens of thousands of homeless.
There is a program out there that’s supposed to help people who can’t afford homes - Section 8. Through a public system of vouchers, participants in the Section 8 program are afforded the opportunity to gain subsidized access to rental housing.
Yet the system has a number of systemic issues. For the recipients of the vouchers, finding a place that will accept the voucher has become increasingly hard to find as vacancy rates are at a low. For landlords, accepting a resident through Section 8 can be a risky proposition.
Read the full story.
Guests:
Rina Palta, KPCC reporter covering southern California’s social safety net
Dan Faller, founder and president of the Apartment Owners Association of Southern California, one of the largest, independently run groups of landlords in the state, with over 20,000 members
Carlos VanNatter, director of the Section 8 program at the Housing Authority of Los Angeles
Filmweek: ‘No Escape’, ‘We Are Your Friends,’ ‘Z for Zachariah,’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Wade Major, and Amy Nicholson review this week’s releases, including the thriller “No Escape;” a tale of LA’s DJ scene in “We Are Your Friends;” an adaptation of a celebrated novel with “Z is for Zachariah;” and more. TGI-Filmweek!
Guests:
Wade Major, Film Critic for KPCC and IGN’s DigiGods.com
Lael Loewenstein, Film Critic for KPCC and “Variety”
Amy Nicholson, Film Critic for KPCC and Chief Film Critic for “LA Weekly”
August 28, 2015 films reviewed:
No Escape
We Are Your Friends
Z for Zachariah
Zipper
Turbo Kid
Guidance
Forbidden Games (1952)
The Second Mother
When Animals dream
Rosenwald
Butterfly Girl
Which Filmweek New Release Has the Best Plot
As summer ticks away, Hollywood counts down to start of awards season
For us mere mortals, there are four seasons in the year. For Hollywood, there’s a fifth -- Awards Season -- which is about to kick off with the start of the Toronto Film Festival in September.
What are the buzziest films coming out in the remaining months of the 2015? What are some of the strongest contenders out there now?
Guests:
Steve Pond, Awards editor at the entertainment and Hollywood news site, The Wrap. He tweets
Wade Major, Film Critic for KPCC and IGN’s DigiGods.com
Lael Loewenstein, Film Critic for KPCC and Variety