A store worker killed in a gunbattle before a suspect took hostages in a crowded supermarket was hit by a police officer's bullet, Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday. We also examine the increase of LA traffic deaths and speed limits; discuss the race for chair of the House Democratic Caucus; and more.
LAPD says Trader Joe’s employee was killed by officer’s bullet. When is it appropriate for police to open fire?
A store worker killed in a gunbattle before a suspect took hostages in a crowded supermarket was hit by a police officer's bullet, Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday.
The employee, Melyda Corado, 27, was leaving the store Saturday as the suspect, Gene Evin Atkins, 28, was going into the store after firing two rounds officers pursuing him, Moore told reporters. The two officers each fired back at Atkins and one of their rounds went through one of Corado's arms and into her body.
In deciding whether to open fire, the officers had to consider whether the suspect in what was already a long-running series of violent events would become an active shooter in a market crowded with weekend shoppers, Moore said.
So how would a police officer decide when and whether to open fire? Did the situation at Trader Joe’s necessitate the response? We discuss the tactical considerations involved.
With files from the Associated Press
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Annie Gilbertson, investigative reporter who covers the criminal justice system in LA
Thomas Aveni, executive director and co-founder, The Police Policy Studies Council, a law enforcement consultant firm based in New Hampshire; former law enforcement officer in New Jersey, Utah, and New Hampshire
John Curnutt, assistant director, The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center, which specializes on training for active shooter situations at Texas State University based in San Marcos, TX; former law enforcement officer with a municipal police department in Central Texas
LA traffic deaths are going up, so are speed limits – why an old CA law may be creating a dangerous loophole
Traffic deaths have been on the rise in Los Angeles and, perhaps counterintuitively, street speed limits have gone up as well, which may have to do with the unintended consequences of an old California law.
As reported by Laura Nelson of the L.A. Times, California requires cities to put up speed limits that reflect the natural flow of traffic, otherwise law enforcement can’t issue speeding tickets. Which is why, for example, the speed limit on a 2-mile stretch of Zelzah Avenue, one of the most dangerous streets for bicyclists and pedestrians, was raised from 40 to 45 mph last December.
The law was created to prevent drivers from falling into speed traps, but some critics say that it’s now contributing to rising traffic deaths.
How did this law get established? How is the city and law enforcement navigating it? And if you’ve seen speed limits get raised on your street, how has it affected you?
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation this information, following the interview:
- By early 2018, with an increase in investment on speed surveys, over 730 miles of speed limits were updated, bringing the total to over 65% of streets citywide that have an enforceable speed limit.
- Since then, another 150 miles of surveys have been updated, which would bring the enforceable total to 82% citywide once approved by City Council.
- Enforcement is not the only tool we have to address traffic fatalities. As mentioned, education and engineering are LADOT's primary tools to make our streets safer.
- As such, in the past 12 months we've designed and installed over 1,100 safety improvements to the City's High Injury Network, the streets with the highest safety needs.
- Overall, fatal traffic collisions were down 6% in 2017, representing 16 fewer lives lost compared to 2016.
- Year to date, we have seen an overall decrease of 9% citywide on collision-related fatalities, with a 20% decrease in vehicle-to-pedestrian collisions, compared to this time last year.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Laura Nelson, transportation reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where her recent story is “As L.A. struggles to reduce traffic deaths, speed limits keep going up”; she tweets
Nader Asmar, principal transportation engineer of vision zero programs for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, where he is in charge of speed surveys which help determine speed limits of streets
One of the most powerful positions in Congress is up for grabs, and two California Democrats want it
There’s an opening for one of the most powerful jobs for congressional Democrats— and two lawmakers from California have eyes for it.
The gig is to run for chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and the job is open after current House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley of New York lost his primary race to progressive upstart Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Norwalk Congresswoman Linda Sanchez said that she’ll run for the seat last week. And now, Oakland congresswoman Barbara Lee is also declaring that she’ll throw her hat in the ring.
KQED’s Scott Shafer has been following the story.
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guest:
Scott Shafer, senior editor for KQED’s politics and government desk; co-host of the California politics podcast, Political Breakdown; he tweets
A look at the implications as North Korea appears to be dismantling key missile facilities
North Korea appears to have started dismantling key facilities at its main satellite launch site in a step toward fulfilling a commitment made by leader Kim Jong Un at his summit with President Donald Trump in June.
While Pyongyang could be trying to build trust with Washington as they engage in talks to resolve the nuclear standoff, analysts say dismantling a few facilities at the site alone wouldn't realistically reduce North Korea's military capability or represent a material step toward denuclearization. And they expressed concern that the work is being done without verification.
The North Korea-focused 38 North website said commercial satellite images from July 20 to 22 indicate the North began dismantling key facilities at the Sohae launch site. The facilities being razed or disassembled include a rocket engine test stand used to develop liquid-fuel engines for ballistic missiles and space-launch vehicles and a rail-mounted processing building where space launch vehicles were assembled before being moved to the launch pad, according to the report. "Since these facilities are believed to have played an important role in the development of technologies for the North's intercontinental ballistic missile program, these efforts represent a significant confidence building measure on the part of North Korea," analyst Joseph Bermudez wrote in the report.
An official from South Korea's presidential office said Tuesday that Seoul has also been detecting dismantlement activities at the Sohae launch site but did not specify what the North was supposedly taking apart. Other analysts said North Korea is giving up little in dismantling the rocket engine test site when it's clear the country is satisfied with its current design of long-range weapons and could easily build other similar facilities if needed in the future.
Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, said it's also troubling that the North has been apparently allowed to duck verification by unilaterally dismantling parts of its nuclear and missile facilities without the presence of international inspectors. In May, North Korea invited foreign journalists to observe the destruction of tunnels at its nuclear testing ground, but did not invite outside experts capable of certifying what had been destroyed.
With files from the Associated Press
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Gregory Hellman, defense reporter for POLITICO Pro; former national security analyst for the Government Accountability Office where he focused on defense; he tweets
Jim Walsh, international security expert and senior research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program (SSP), a graduate-level research and educational program at MIT; he tweets
Peter Brookes, senior fellow focusing on National Security Affairs at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Foreign Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative public policy think tank; he tweets
Trump wants to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, what’s the impact on California?
The Trump administration on Thursday proposed ending automatic protections for threatened animals and plants and limiting habitat safeguards meant to shield recovering species from harm.
Administration officials said the new rules would advance conservation by simplifying and improving how the landmark Endangered Species Act is used. "These rules will be very protective," said U.S. Interior Department Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt, adding that the changes would reduce the "conflict and uncertainty" associated with many protected species. The proposals drew immediate condemnation from Democrats and some wildlife advocates.
Critics said the moves would speed extinctions in the name of furthering its anti-environment agenda. Species currently under consideration for protections are considered especially at risk, including the North American wolverine and the monarch butterfly, they said. "It essentially turns every listing of a species into a negotiation," said Noah Greenwald with the Center for Biological Diversity. "They could decide that building in a species' habitat or logging in trees where birds nest doesn't constitute harm."
A number of conflicts have arisen in the decades since the 1973 passage of the Endangered Species Act, ranging from disruptions to logging to protect spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest, to attacks on livestock that have accompanied the restoration of gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest. Some species including gray wolves and grizzly retained protection for years after meeting their original recovery goals, often due to court orders resulting from environmentalists' lawsuits.
The proposed changes include potential limits on the designation of "critical habitat" for imperiled plants and animals; an end to a regulatory provision that gives threatened plants and animals the same protections as species at greater risk of extinction; and streamlining inter-agency consultations when federal government actions could jeopardize a species.
The administration's proposals follow longstanding criticism of the Endangered Species Act by business groups and some members of Congress. Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation to enact broad changes to the law, saying it hinders economic activities while doing little to restore species.
With files from the Associated Press
With guest host Libby Denkmann
Guests:
Robert Gordon, adjunct fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit free-market think tank that focuses on regulatory issues
Ileene Anderson, an L.A.-based biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy nonprofit, her focus includes protecting endangered species
Kevin Kester, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association and lobbying group for beef producers in the United States; fifth generation California rancher
Shortage of youth sports refs persists as more and more volunteers cry ‘foul’ on poor parental behavior
Youth sports leagues across the country are facing a dire shortage of officials.
It’s a trend that shouldn’t come as surprising, especially if you’re someone who officiates or has officiated. The amount of time and effort it takes as far as prepping and going through the proper channels to get certified pales in comparison to the amount of money most officials make at the amateur level, not to mention the level of verbal (and sometimes even physical) abuse referees are often subject to at the hands of parents and coaches. So drastic is the impact of poor parental behavior towards youth refs that a survey done last year by the National Association of Sports Officials showed more than 70 percent of new officials across all sports quit within three years due to abuse from parents and coaches.
In a recent piece for the New York Times, Bill Pennington looks at one Oklahoma referee who, after being on the receiving end of one too many verbal tirades, created a Facebook page where he posts videos in the hopes of shaming parents and coaches out of their combative habits. But the larger issue of the official shortage persists as many feel the pay-off for being a referee is simply not worth the time and effort it takes to get certified.
If you’re a youth sports official, what has your experience been dealing with parents and coaches at games you referee? Do you find that the time and effort you’ve spent being a referee is worth the payoff? Aside from paying them more, what do you think youth sports organizations could do to incentivize more people to become referees?
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guest:
Barry Mano, president of the National Association of Sports Officials, creator and founder of Referee Magazine and a former NCAA Division I basketball referee