Crime

Every Wednesday promptly at 1:30 p.m., 50 or more cops and some civilian staffers assemble in the meeting room at the Glendale Police Department for the fastest 60 minutes in crime-fighting. They call it the “Week in Crime.” A glimpse inside what Glendale police are doing with high-tech computers in every car, software that connects them to every database, video surveillance systems on the streets and increasingly sophisticated analytical techniques gives a civilian the feeling he has entered a world that resembles crime-of-the-week TV shows like NCIS.

Regional law enforcement agencies performed a sweep of several cities Thursday in response to a recent spike in property crimes, arresting eight people and seizing three weapons. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department joined forces with Glendale police as well as state parole and probation authorities. During the sweep, which began at 7 a.m., deputies and officers checked 44 locations in La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Sunland, Tujunga, Lake View Terrace, Pasadena and Altadena.

CRESCENTA VALLEY — The number of crime-related responses fielded at Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station increased 9% in January, although the station has seen an 8% decrease in crimes over a five-year period, according to recently released figures. Violent and property crimes reported in the Crescenta Valley increased from 14 last year to 22 last month compared with the same period last year, a 57% increase, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Los Angeles police are investigating a hate crime at a West Hills synagogue where suspects spray-painted two swastikas and "Go Home" on the congregation's property, officials said Monday. The graffiti, which also included the numbers "666" within the swastikas, was discovered about 6:30 a.m. Monday spray painted on the corner of temporary offices at the Temple Judea satellite campus in the 6600 block of Valley Circle Boulevard, according to LAPD officials. There was no immediate description of a suspect or suspects, police said.

The Glendale City Council accepted $23,778 in federal funding to pay for equipment that will allow Glendale police detectives to more effectively investigate computer and Internet-related crimes. The U.S. Department of Justice issues grants to local police agencies to improve public safety and reduce crime. Police have used similar grants in the past to purchase “less lethal” weapon technology, training supplies, tactical equipment, digital evidence photography systems and update computer equipment.

$10,000 reward for information after church covered in anti-religious graffiti.LA CRESCENTA -- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors announced a $10,000 reward Tuesday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of vandals who destroyed doors, screens and playground equipment and sprayed "God is Gay" on Gethsemane Lutheran Church. The vandals who defaced the church at 2723 Orange Ave. on Sunday are wanted for committing a hate crime, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Det. Daniel Zumer said.

The Glendale Police Department began the first half of the decade with two homicide investigations they believe were linked. In 1950, the badly beaten body of an 84-year-old woman was found in her home on Monterey Road. The primary suspect in the case was an 80-year-old man who was also reported missing at the same time. The whereabouts of the man - who lived three blocks away and was an old friend of the victim - was not known for years. The case took an even stranger twist when in 1954, the man's remains were found in Dead Horse Canyon.

Gretchen Hoffman Five years ago, Bob Packwood sat down in the Glendale Adventist Medical Center cafeteria with Glendale Police Officer Louie Mazadiego and began to outline what was to become an annual tradition in the city. After four hours, they had enough to set up a committee in charge of Glendale's first National Night Out event. Half a decade later, Packwood is still on the job and has worked for the past five months to expand the reach of the event, which is designed to "give crime and drugs a going-away party," he said.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- Escalating reports of hate crimes against citizens of Middle Eastern descent have prompted the Armenian National Committee Western Region to establish its own hate crime watch program. "The idea behind the program was to first and foremost help law enforcement authorities in identifying hate crimes," said Alex Sardar, executive director of the Glendale-based committee. The program stems from fears that Armenians might be the targets of anti-Middle Eastern or anti-Muslim crimes after the terrorist attacks of Sept.

About 100 local residents circled the Montrose Shopping Park on Thursday night to express their stance against crime and their unity as neighbors as part of the 2008 National Night Out. The nationwide event was started in 1984 by the National Assn. of Town Watch, a nonprofit, crime-prevention organization. The annual neighborhood walk is designed to strengthen the relationship between police and the community, raise awareness about drug and crime prevention efforts, and demonstrate to criminals that law-abiding citizens have a stake in their neighborhoods.

Authorities are looking for help with identifying an alleged carjacker who is responsible for more than a dozen thefts and robberies in Glendale, Burbank and the Los Angeles region. The man, who police have dubbed the “Opportunistic bandit,” allegedly started targeting lone women April 14, physically assaulting them before taking their purses and sometimes their vehicles, Los Angeles Police Department detectives said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Intimidation is a big part of this,” said Glendale Police Sgt. Jeff Newton, who is working on the robbery investigation.

The Glendale City Council accepted $23,778 in federal funding to pay for equipment that will allow Glendale police detectives to more effectively investigate computer and Internet-related crimes. The U.S. Department of Justice issues grants to local police agencies to improve public safety and reduce crime. Police have used similar grants in the past to purchase “less lethal” weapon technology, training supplies, tactical equipment, digital evidence photography systems and update computer equipment.

A new long-awaited regional crime laboratory could begin processing vital ballistic analysis and DNA evidence for hundreds of unsolved property crimes as early as May, police said Thursday. Local police and city officials on Thursday introduced the Verdugo Regional Crime Laboratory that authorities said will allow quicker processing of crime scene evidence in Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena. “We could use DNA early on to intercede as rapidly as possible,” Glendale Police Ron De Pompa said at the news conference.

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 11 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database . Five neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Toluca Lake (A) was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.3 over the last three months. Studio City (C) topped the list of eight neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 34 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 19.9 over the last three months.

The Glendale Police Department has redirected $650,000 to deal with parolees and individuals on probation since the state-mandated release of some prison inmates began two years ago, officials said this week. The department's Special Enforcement Detail has been fully dedicated to monitoring former inmates and identifying related crime trends. That's a far cry from the detail's original duties of preventive patrolling, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. At Tuesday's Glendale City Council meeting, Glendale Police Chief Ron De Pompa attributed the move to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's release of low-risk offenders without parole supervision and the state's realignment of its prison system.

Prosecutors on Monday filed charges against three burglary suspects who police say are connected to a network of thieves targeting affluent neighborhoods. Billie Bell, 24, of Inglewood, Andre Piolet, 26, of Ladera Heights and Lanay Pennel, 19, of Los Angeles were charged with felony first-degree residential burglary and felony evading an officer, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court complaint. The trio were arrested Thursday after witnesses spotted them fleeing from a home on the 800 block of Cumberland Road, police said.

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 12 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database . Nine neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Toluca Lake (A) was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.3 over the last three months. Continue reading > >   - Ben Welsh and Thomas Suh Lauder, Los Angeles Times

Authorities on Thursday said the four alleged burglars arrested Tuesday during a seven-hour search in Glendale are part of a larger network of thieves, mostly members of South Los Angeles gangs that target affluent communities. Along with the four men arrested Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 18 suspects in connection with a rash of door-knock burglaries, officials said at a joint news conference with Glendale police in Panorama City. “Sometimes you'll see us, sometimes you won't, but we'll always be there,” LAPD Lt. Alan Hamilton said, referring to the department's undercover and plain-clothes surveillance operations.

Police reinforced the need for community involvement Tuesday night to dozens of residents following a spate of vehicle thefts in the South Glendale area. The spike in vehicle thefts was partly due to residents leaving their keys inside the ignition while they run inside their homes for a few seconds, said the area's lieutenant, Todd Anderson. While police arrested two men who allegedly were responsible for some of the thefts, police still warned residents at a town hall meeting at the retirement community, Windsor Manor, to protect their belongings and to be vigilant.

I have a pet peeve: I am dumbfounded by people who steal the little packets of Splenda from coffee houses and restaurants. You all know who you are. And I'm willing to bet that many of you are acquainted with one or two of society's greatest slight-of-hand artists. They are the ones who get a cup of coffee and then, when no one is watching, will grab 20 or 30 little yellow packets and drop them in their bag or stuff them in a pocket. The more creative ones will gingerly wrap them in a napkin before exiting stage right.