Dna

President Obama on Thursday signed into law legislation sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) that would help fund a DNA database of people arrested on suspicion of committing violent felonies. In a statement, Schiff said the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act would provide a “vital tool for law enforcement to help save lives and prevent future crimes.” “By improving our DNA system, we will make sure that more violent and serious crimes are solved,” he said.

House committee OKs funds for lab The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved $1 million for a forensic DNA laboratory at the Glendale Police Department. Funding for the laboratory was approved as part of a Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill that was created to help law enforcement agencies, such as the Glendale Police Department, get equipment to conduct DNA investigations. The bill will be sent to the House floor for a vote.

Jacqueline K. Barton, a chemistry professor at Caltech, has been awarded the prestigious National Medal of Science, becoming the first woman at the Pasadena campus to receive what is considered the federal government's highest honor to scientists. According to an announcement Tuesday, the White House cited Barton for her discovery of a new property of the DNA helix and her experiments about long-range electron transfers in DNA. She has built electrical sensors capable of detecting DNA mutations and proteins that can distort DNA, experiments that may aid research in such diseases as colon and breast cancer, officials said.

On Nov. 2, the community faces some serious and important choices at the ballot box. First of all, the three strikes law has done more to remove serious, habitual career criminals from our community than any other law I am aware of during my 32 years of law enforcement service. Proposition 66 will dilute the three strikes law and cause the release of up to 26,000 career criminals back on to our California streets. If this happens, I guarantee we will see a rise in crime.

Jackson Bell Opponents of Proposition 69 say it's not fair that the government will collect DNA information from suspected felons before they face conviction, while supporters in law enforcement call it a useful tool similar to taking fingerprints. Proposition 69, an initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot, would require the state to take DNA samples from adults and juveniles who are arrested on felony cases, even if they are not charged. DNA is now collected only on certain convicted felons.

“I think I can, I think I can....” were the words that empowered the “Little Engine that Could” up that arduous hill. Mantras, affirmations, positive attitude training - as the world becomes busier and more complicated, it seems we humans are trying myriad techniques to keep ourselves calm, and to keep anxiety and depression at bay. Speakers, authors and life coaches everywhere are teaching us that much like “I think I can,” our thoughts...

Jacqui Brown If you ever wanted to know how far the apple really falls from the tree, spend some time at the Southern California Genealogical Society's Weekend Jamboree Friday and Saturday in Burbank. Family history and DNA experts from across the country will convene at the Burbank Airport Hilton Convention Center to help genealogists learn how to research, organize and preserve their family's history as well as how to overcome dead ends. For many family historians, this search for ancestral links is a shot in the dark, looking for skeletons of interest, but for others, like June Mueller, an only child, it became an addiction.

CITY HALL — Glendale Police and Fire departments stand to get more than $2.7 million in federal funding to help pay for terrorism training, new equipment and a regional DNA laboratory. The City Council tonight is expected to officially accept the money at a time when officials say the city needs it most. “Obviously with budget reduction over the years, the grant funding becomes imperative for us to add any new items that typically would have been paid for through our capital outlay budget, so it’s very important for us in order to get the support equipment that we need,” Police Chief Ron De Pompa said.

Man arrested on suspicion of burglary SOUTHWEST GLENDALE -- A Los Angeles man was arrested on suspicion of burglary after trying to run away from police officers chasing him, according to police reports. Police were sent at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday to the 1000 block of East Garfield Avenue after a resident reported that Carlos Perona, 18, and two alleged accomplices were suspiciously wandering around, police said. When officers arrived, they noticed one of the men peering around the corner of an apartment building, police said.

CITY HALL — Apparently convinced that a better deal might be found elsewhere, the City Council on Tuesday voted narrowly to explore hiring a new federal lobbyist after some members on the dais said they wanted to explore other options. The City Council voted 3 to 2 to solicit bids for federal lobbying services after denying a recommendation from city managers to renew the city’s one-year, $88,000 contract with David Turch and Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that has petitioned the federal government on the city’s behalf since 2003.

The Glendale Police Foundation recently donated a vital piece of DNA sterilization equipment to the Police Department's regional crime laboratory, officials said. The sterilizing hood will allow forensic specialists to work with DNA evidence without having to worry about contamination. Ultraviolet light inside in a hood, which is enclosed by Plexiglas, sterilizes evidence. The hood costs about $5,000, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. The Verdugo Regional Crime Laboratory will serve Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena, allowing for faster processing of crime-scene evidence.

President Obama on Thursday signed into law legislation sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) that would help fund a DNA database of people arrested on suspicion of committing violent felonies. In a statement, Schiff said the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act would provide a “vital tool for law enforcement to help save lives and prevent future crimes.” “By improving our DNA system, we will make sure that more violent and serious crimes are solved,” he said.

A former Tournament of Roses official arrested Wednesday as the suspected killer in a 2004 cold case was again a free man Friday as prosecutors found the evidence against him lacking. Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office officials said Sheriff's Department detectives presented insufficient evidence to charge Richard Allan Munnecke, 71, in the death of Donna Lee Kelly, who was 59 at the time of her death. “There are other potential suspects. Insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt,” Deputy District Attorney Patricia Wilkinson wrote in paperwork declining to file charges.

A bill recently introduced by Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) would make it easier for police departments to use DNA technology to solve cold cases. Schiff pointed to last year's break in the 25-year-old so called “Grim Sleeper” serial murder case, where the Los Angeles Police Department used DNA from a suspect to conduct a check of California's DNA database to see if there were any leads within his family. Investigators started focusing on, and eventually arrested, the suspect's father, Lonnie David Franklin Jr., after getting a DNA sample from him that resulted in a perfect match.

Mexican police on Wednesday described in gruesome detail discovering body parts in three separate trash bags that were later tied to a Glendale woman who was reported missing in 1996. The discovery was detailed during the first day of testimony in a preliminary hearing for 52-year-old Aurangzeb “Simon” Manjra, who is charged with killing two women, including Esperanza Torio of Glendale. Her remains were discovered on a Rosarito roadside on Aug. 18, 1996, among three black trash bags - her head and feet missing.

Jacqueline K. Barton, a chemistry professor at Caltech, has been awarded the prestigious National Medal of Science, becoming the first woman at the Pasadena campus to receive what is considered the federal government's highest honor to scientists. According to an announcement Tuesday, the White House cited Barton for her discovery of a new property of the DNA helix and her experiments about long-range electron transfers in DNA. She has built electrical sensors capable of detecting DNA mutations and proteins that can distort DNA, experiments that may aid research in such diseases as colon and breast cancer, officials said.

Police Department officials can begin purchasing the high-tech equipment required to establish a long-awaited regional DNA testing laboratory after the Glendale City Council this week signed off on the move. The City Council voted to allow police officials to use grant funding to purchase vital DNA equipment, including a $175,000 genetic analyzer, a $55,000 DNA extraction robot, general lab supplies, computers, and water purification and temperature monitoring systems. The laboratory must also be accredited to acquire access to a national DNA database by using specific vendors and equipment, said Jay Kreitz, the department's police business administrator.

“I think I can, I think I can....” were the words that empowered the “Little Engine that Could” up that arduous hill. Mantras, affirmations, positive attitude training - as the world becomes busier and more complicated, it seems we humans are trying myriad techniques to keep ourselves calm, and to keep anxiety and depression at bay. Speakers, authors and life coaches everywhere are teaching us that much like “I think I can,” our thoughts...