Law Enforcement

In response to Greg Hiscott (“Enforce the noise laws,” April 7), you would think the Glendale police would cite violations of the vehicle codes, but it seems that doesn’t happen unless there is a special grant allowed for them to actually enforce the law (i.e. cell phone violations). Noise is a large issue that should be addressed, but it goes unheeded by police. Unfortunately, I live on Fern Lane, where the regional Sports Complex is located. We have a situation here that we have been trying to live with since the complex’s opening: the 300% increase in traffic noise, with loud stereos and mufflers, speeding and litter.

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.

La Crescenta Woman’s Club received a visit from public safety representatives at the May 11 meeting. Special guests were members of the La Crescenta Fire Station #63, the Sheriff's Station on Briggs Avenue, and the Glendale Police K-9 Unit. Carol Benedetti and Dea McCrory were co-chairwomen of a fashion show on March 26 that provided proceeds to make donations of equipment for both La Crescenta Fire Station # 63 and the Detective Unit of the Sheriff’s Station. Firefighters Nate De Luca, Matt Ramirez, Capt.

GLENDALE — The Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station has nabbed a third place international award for using some of the best law enforcement practices in the United States, officials said. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials announced on Saturday that three stations — Palmdale, South Los Angeles and Crescenta Valley — earned top honors from the Altus Global Alliance, a group made up of six non-governmental organizations and academic centers throughout the world.

During this series, law enforcement officials have agreed that although drugs may not be a huge problem in the Crescenta Valley area, the dangers are out there and they are real. ?Drugs do exist up here,? confirmed Det. Chris Seitz, with Crescenta Valley Sheriff?s Station narcotics division. He added that the drug of choice seems to be heroin, although methedrine is still very popular. Lt. Bruce Fox of Glendale Narcotics said that heroin is usually one of the last drugs kids move to. ?

For Glendale Police Officer Patrick Hamblin, God and law enforcement go hand-in-hand. His passion for both topics recently led him to Uganda, Africa, where he learned about the country and shared his knowledge of law enforcement. Hamblin, 32, visited the country in east Africa from May 24 to June 3 to speak at a two-day conference titled “God, Law and Justice” at the Uganda Christian University in Mukono. The conference was designed to teach people how to combine religion and their career in law enforcement in the pursuit of justice, he said.

We don't have our own police force. As an unincorporated area, we are served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Furthermore, we're under the rule of the Crescenta Valley sheriff's station. This means that our local captain answers to a commander at Crescenta Valley and 911 calls for service are routed there first. Still, most residents are very supportive of law enforcement: There's a Sheriff's Support Group that raises funds for equipment, a community advisory committee, a clergy council, a volunteer mounted patrol and a Volunteers on Patrol program of unarmed civilians who act as extra eyes and ears for the deputies.

Don Short and Tamara Mark's encounter with law enforcement hasn't always been positive, especially when they have been trying to care for their two autistic sons. During a family trip in Hawaii, Short had to restrain one of the couple's son's - 10-year-old Harry, who is nonverbal and prone to injuring himself - because he became extremely agitated at a Honolulu airport. But to the public, his actions looked like child abuse. He was reported to airport police. As Short tried to calm his son, police warned him to let go of his son. He reluctantly complied.

Glendale and Burbank police departments finished in the top 10 in a two-day relay race against other similarly sized law enforcement agencies this weekend. Glendale police came in sixth among other law enforcement agencies with fewer than 300 sworn personnel during the two-day Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, which is meant to increase fitness, team work, camaraderie and pride between officers. The Torrance Police Department finished first in the same category. Burbank officers came in ninth place alongside agencies with fewer than 500 sworn and non-sworn staffers working in law enforcement.

Rep. Dennis Mountjoy (R-La Crescenta) has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would place more rigorous reporting requirements on healthcare professionals. Dubbed the Sexual Abuse of Children Reporting Act, the bill would require health-care providers to report to law enforcement any knowledge that a minor has a sexually transmitted disease or is pregnant. Law enforcement could investigate for abuse of the child. If abuse was found, the investigating agency would put the child in protective custody.

Glendale and Burbank police departments finished in the top 10 in a two-day relay race against other similarly sized law enforcement agencies this weekend. Glendale police came in sixth among other law enforcement agencies with fewer than 300 sworn personnel during the two-day Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, which is meant to increase fitness, team work, camaraderie and pride between officers. The Torrance Police Department finished first in the same category. Burbank officers came in ninth place alongside agencies with fewer than 500 sworn and non-sworn staffers working in law enforcement.

Legislation by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) to beef up enforcement of penalties for hit-and-run offenses unanimously cleared the Public Safety Committee this week. The bill, which passed on a 7-0 vote, now moves on to the Appropriations Committee, where Gatto is chairman. Assembly Bill 184 extends the statute of limitations on hit-and-run crimes to three years after the crime or one year after a suspect is identified by law enforcement, whichever is later. Under current law, a suspect identified after the three-year statue of limitations expired cannot be prosecuted.

Already one of California's highest paid public pensioners, former Bell Police Chief Randy Adams this week asked a state pension panel to double his retirement pay to reflect the huge salary he received during his brief stint as the top cop in the scandal-plagued city. If Adams wins his case, which is being heard in Orange County, his pension would zoom to $510,000 a year, making him the second-highest-paid public pensioner in California. On the witness stand Thursday, Adams invoked his 5th Amendment right to not incriminate himself 20 times, including when asked about his Bell salary, which was among the highest law enforcement paychecks in the nation.

Glendale police plan to conduct a sobriety checkpoint Friday night at an undisclosed location in the city. In addition to checking for motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, officers at the checkpoint, which starts at 8 p.m., also will be looking for those without valid licenses. The grant-funded checkpoint is part of a statewide law enforcement campaign aimed at curbing DUI driving during summer, officials said. Agencies throughout Los Angeles County will be conducting roving patrols and checkpoints starting Friday until Sept.

Susan Shelley, one of three Republicans in an election battle dominated by Democratic Reps. Brad Sherman and Howard Berman, scored a big-name endorsement recently -- that of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. “We believe you will be an excellent representative for taxpayers,”  Jarvis leader Kris Vosburgh wrote in a letter informing Shelley  of backing by the group's political action committee. The association is  named after the late leader of the “taxpayers revolt” that resulted in voters' approving the property levy-slashing Proposition 13 in 1978, and its endorsement is often coveted by candidates describing themselves as fiscally conservative.

Three Burbank police officers were honored last week for their efforts in cracking down on drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The officers, along law enforcement personnel from other agencies, were acknowledged at the Los Angeles County Law Enforcement Recognition ceremony and DUI seminar in Montebello. Mothers Against Drunk Driving recognized the group of Burbank officers for making a collective 103 DUI-related arrests in 2011, according to an announcement. -- Jason Wells, Times Community News Twitter: @JasonBretWells

For all the progress made on the ethnic diversity front, female officers make up just 10% of the Glendale Police Department's sworn staff, records show. Of the 244 sworn officers employed with the Police Department last year, 219 were men and 25 were women. But the ratio here is higher than that of similarly sized law enforcement agencies elsewhere, such as those in Ontario or Modesto. As of 2011, 12 women held sworn positions in the Modesto Police Department, which had 230 officers.

The statute of limitations would no longer apply the crime of rape under legislation introduced by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D - La Cañada Flintridge). Portantino's bill, AB 1682, would abolish the 10-year statute of limitations on rape cases. In a statement, Portantino said he proposed the measure as an alternative to his past efforts to force local law enforcement agencies to more quickly test “rape kits” provided by alleged victims. Portantino's rape kit bill passed the Legislature twice but was vetoed by both Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Jerry Brown , in part because law enforcement agencies did not support it. Continue reading > > -- Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News

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.

Sometimes I think we care more about pets than people, which is really strange when you think about it. I'm sure that couldn't be true of any other species on the planet. We round up stray cats and dogs and put them in cages where we feed and care for them while arranging to find loving homes for as many as we can. People who get in trouble with the law we lock up in cages and throw away the keys. And when we can't afford to provide for their care any longer, we throw them back onto the streets where they are on their own to live or to die - or to continue the same criminal behavior that got them jailed in the first place.