may 5- may 11

Stalker

A 27 year old man was detained Friday morning after repeatedly attempting to contact actress Milena (Mila) Kunis.

On May 4, 2012, around 11 a.m., LAPD Wilshire Area officers responded to a radio call of a disturbance at a local Los Angeles gym.  When the officers arrived, they discovered a man that fit the description of the call still at the scene.  

The man, identified as Stuart Dunn, was detained at the facility.  Police also discovered that he had been at the location for the third consecutive day seeking to make contact with Actress Mila Kunis.

Dunn had been arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in January 2012, after breaking in to Kunis’ unoccupied West Hollywood home in an attempt to meet her.   Based upon that arrest, Dunn is under the terms of a protective order restricting him from any attempts to contact Kunis.  Dunn was detained and subsequently hospitalized for evaluation.

Fire Department

This Saturday, May 12, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. the Fire Chief Brian L. Cummings and members of the Los Angeles Fire Department will gather for the opening ceremonies of Fire Service Recognition Day at Fire Station 27 in Hollywood. The Fire Chief will then visit Fire Station 88 for the North Division Ceremony in Encino. At 2 p.m. the Fire Chief will visit Fire Station 65 for the South Division Ceremony. 

Fire Service Recognition Day welcomes the public to neighborhood fire stations, as they hold an annual “Open House” in observance of National Fire Service Recognition Day. All Los Angeles Fire Stations will have “Open House” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The theme for Fire Service Recognition Day 2012 is “PREPARE, RESPOND, RECOVER”. 

Guns

The Mid City Council wants to spread the word to all  networks about the incredibly important City of Los Angeles anonymous Gun Buyback program taking place on Saturday, May 12, 2012 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm.  The Gun Buyback program aims to reduce the firearms in the community.  No community is immune to the proliferation of guns and the threats that it can pose. We could be saving some one's life.

Here are some additional details of the program:

The Gun Buyback will allow individuals to surrender their firearms anonymously to law enforcement at 6 locations throughout the city. In exchange, an individual may receive a Ralphs or VISA pre-paid gift card. Depending on the type of firearm surrendered, an individual may receive up to $100 for a handgun, shotgun or rifle, and up to $200 for assault weapons as classified in the State of California.

April 28-May 4

Speaker 

MCWCC Chair Sheryl Turner will be the keynote speaker at the monthly meeting of the Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce May 10, at 11:30 am.  The meeting will be held at City Villa, 515 North La Cienega and valet parking will be provided.  The cost is $20 for members, $30 for nonmembers. Members of the community are encouraged to attend. 


News Letter

The following crime trends are from 04/22/12-04/28/12, which included a total of 13 reported crimes. There were three burglaries, the first occurring on 04/24/12 between the hours of 9:00 a.m.-1:45 p.m. on the 400 block of N. Stanley Ave. Suspect punctured hole next to the door knob and reached inside unlocking door. Once inside location, Suspect selected and removed property then fled location. The second burglary occurred on 04/25/12-04/26/12 between the hours of 10:30 p.m.-12:00 p.m.on the 500 block of N. Edinburgh Ave. The last burglary to report occurred on 04/25/12-04/26/12 between the hours of 1:30 a.m.-8:15 a.m on the 7500 block of Melrose Ave. The suspect smashed the front window with an umbrella stand and removed money from the register. There are no Suspect descriptions for the above-mentioned crimes.

Another increase on burglary from motor vehicles this past week, with a total of 6 reported in the area. The following BFMV's occurred on the 600 block of N. Hayworth Ave, Laurel Ave/Melrose Ave, Clinton St / Luarel Ave, 700 block of N. Martel Ave, Alta Vista Ave / Melrose Ave. 400 block of N. Poinsettia Place. The remaining crimes were thefts that were reported.


Police Recognition 


On the occasion of April being National Volunteer Appreciation Month.  The Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire Area Station along with Campanile Restaurant are hosting a luncheon for our volunteers.  We would like to acknowledge the dedication and commitment to service to the Wilshire community.  The volunteers perform a vital role and help accomplish our goal to best serve our community.  The men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department would like to thank you for your time and service you have given to the community.

Volunteers are people who donate their time and talents to a group or a cause without compensation or expectation of compensation.

april 21- april 27

Drunk Driving


Checkpoints are placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving arrest and provide the greatest safety for officers and the public.  Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment.  Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, court probation and other expenses.

All too often, members of the community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. “Over the course of the past year, DUI-related collisions have claimed twelve lives and injured 825 people in the neighborhood of  Los Angeles,” said Lieutenant Katona, Traffic Coordination Section.


They will be at Hollywood Blvd and  Gower street on may 4th and 5th. 


Cats


Off-Duty LAPD Officers will team up with Voice For The Animals (VFTA) volunteers to rescue more than 50 cats and kittens living on Skid Row.

Members of the Los Angeles Police Department are joining efforts this Saturday morning with a local rescue group Voice For The Animals (VFTA).  The officers will work with the community volunteers from VFTA in an effort to rescue a large group of cats and kittens who were being fed for many years by a church on Skid Row. The church closed this week which means that the more than 50 adult cats and kittens would be forced to fend for themselves on the City streets.

Several of the cats have already been rescued from the location by VFTA but there are still approximately 20-30 adult cats and two mothers with litters who are awaiting rescue. The rescue operation will begin Saturday morning around 5 a.m. in the area of the church located at 7th and San Julian.




Anti- Defamation League


The Anti-Defamation League will releases a Joint Statement of Unity signed by a coalition of 
organizations in commemoration of 20-year anniversary of LA riots.  The initiative brings together the LAPD and civil rights leaders representing the diverse communities of Los Angeles, including Korean American and African American communities, to stand in unity against hatred. it will take place on Sunday April 29 at Robert F. Kennedy School. 

April 14 - April 20

Man arrested

Detectives from the Cold Case Homicide Special Section of Robbery -Homicide Division announced the arrest of a L.A man for an unsolved murder back in 1990. The detectives have been investigating the murder for over 22 years. The cause of death to the victim was by a gunshot would to the head. According to Detectives the motive for the murder was robbery. The murder suspect was identified as Michael Tharrington.

Earth Day 

Celebrate Earth Day at LACMA with a day of programs and activities designed for children and adults. They include artist-led workshops, bike-related films, tours of the collection for families and adults, storytelling, sketching from nature, and a guided walk through the natural art on campus. 

If you are  planning on traveling to LACMA by bike on Earth Day, you are encouraged to go on line and see LAdot Bicycle Maps for a safe route.  

General museum admission is required. Free museum admission will be granted to those with a bike helmet or bike parking receipt, or those who have traveled by alternative transportation.

Shot

Ming Qu, a 23-year-old Asian Male, died Wednesday, April 11, after being shot in the Adams - Normandie area , according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

April 7- April 13

Hit And Run

LAPD detectives are looking for any witnesses who may have seen a fatal hit and run collision. On sunday April 1st at around 1:15 am a vehicle making a right turn on 5th street to normandie avenue collided with a pedestrian who was crossing the street. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver drove away and failed to identify him or herself after the accident. Anyone with information is encouraged to call West traffic division at 213 4730234.

Robbery
LAPD Wilshire Division is asking for the publics help in providing information that can lead them to capturing a suspect who robbed three drug stores in the Mid City area. The first robbery was committed on the 5500 block of Wilshire Blvd. The second was on 5800 block of Pico Blvd and the third was on 5400 block of Wilshire blvd. The suspect used a note that stated he was committing a robbery and wanted the money from the register. The suspect had on a fake beard used to disguise himself. During the third robbery the suspect was seen having a gun on his waistband. He is described as a Black Male about 6 feet and 180 pounds.

LAPD recognition


On the occasion of April being National Volunteer Appreciation Month.  The Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire Area Station along with Campanile Restaurant are hosting a luncheon for volunteers.  They  would like to acknowledge the dedication and commitment to service to the Wilshire community.  The volunteers perform a vital role and help accomplish our goal to best serve our community.  The men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department would like to thank everyone for their time and service they  have given to the community.

march 18 march 24

Robber


LAPD Wilshire detectives are investigating a string of robberies that occurred within a one-hour period through the areas of Wilshire, Pacific and West Los Angeles. The suspect entered a fast food restaurant in the 1900 block of South Crenshaw Blvd and presented a note to the store cashier demanding money. He continued to do that at two other fast food restaurants. The second restaurant was at the 3100 block of Sepulveda Blvd and the third at 11000 block of Pico Blvd. The suspect didnt appear to be armed but the threats made caused employees to give up the money. The suspect is described as being a male White or a light skinned Hispanic, stands between 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs between 140-160 pounds.  The suspect wore a black hooded sweat shirt with a white design. 


New Parking on LaBrea


This week the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) will be replacing older parking meters along La Brea Avenue between Melrose Avenue and West Third Street. No more digging for change. The new parking meters accept credit cards, debit cards, and even gift cards-actually, any card with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express logo. The meters are solar-powered parking meters. They also use wireless communication to report their status and activity to staff, and send text alerts to instantly report jams to parking meter technicians in the field.


Bus Subsides

In these tough times, Metro is offering a helping hand, offering subsides for passes on LADOT buses. The Rider Relief Transportation Program ( RRTP) offers discounts for daily, monthly or weekly Metro passes. The income levels range from $25,900 to $42,900, depending on how many people are in your household. Its intent is to help families save up money to use for more important things that will benefit their families. 

March 3-March 9

Work in L.A

At 11.1%, California has the second highest unemployment rate in the country, far above the national rate of 8.5%. So when anyone announces that they are hiring for new jobs it gets peoples attention fast.

Metro is announcing that they are looking for bus drivers. The Wilshire Metro Worksource-Metro Bridge Program is handling recruiting and training of prospective drivers. It is holding orientation seminars in the area, so if you are looking for work, you might want to attend one of the sessions. No previous experience is required.

Crime is high

The crimes committed in the last week in Mid city has been going up in the last couple weeks. In one day alone March 7th there were five reported crimes most being theft, burglary and grand theft auto. There were eight violent crimes and 23 property crimes. In the seven days between March 1 and March 7, both violent and property crime reports were a little over average. Over the last three months, Mid-City averaged 5.8 violent crimes and 21.4 property crimes per week.

Cars gone missing

A stolen vehicle was reported at 9:30 a.m. on March 6, 2012, in the 4300 block of West Pico Boulevard between mid city and mid wilshire. The report has been classified as grand theft auto.

The report was filed as number 120706848 in the Los Angeles Police Department's 758 reporting district, which is in the Wilshire division. 

Grand theft auto is defined as the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.

Feb 26---March 3

Shooting


On Friday, February 24, 2012, two victims were shot across the street from Los Angeles High School.  The shooting was precipitated from an ongoing incident between two different gang members who attend Los Angeles High School. The incident happened at the end of the school day were an adult suspect with a handgun shot one victim in the back and another victim in the leg. Officers from the  Wilshire Division and Los Angeles School Police located and stopped two individuals who were also involved in the shooting. The victims were taken to a local hospital where one was treated for a gunshot wound to his leg and later released.  The other victim was treated for a gunshot wound to his back and remains in critical condition. Kevin Salazar,18, was arrested for attempt murder.  Salazar’s bail has been set at $500,000.00.

Public Safety Committee Agenda February 28, 2012  

Mid City 

Public Safety is on everyones mind these days especially in the mid city area. The public is encouraged to fill out a Speaker Card to address Mid City West on any item on the agenda. Comments from the public on agenda items will be heard only when that item is being considered. Comments from the public on other concerns, not appearing on the agenda but within the Board’s subject matter jurisdiction, will be heard during the Public Comment period. Public comment is limited to 3 minutes per speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Board or committee chair.

New crime fighting group formed 

There has been a recent increase in crime in the Mid City neighborhood, and many residents have decided they will not stand for it. They have formed a website called  613Watch.com in an effort to alert the community and stop the problem before it gets any bigger. There was an email sent to members in the community referring to the problem. The email goes on to say, "You are receiving this email because you live near the Beverly-LaBrea area and have expressed concern about the recent increase in crime." The email also goes on to say that at the most recent meeting community volunteers met with "representatives from the Los Angeles Police Department,  Mid City Wilshire community council, as well as the head of the Los Angeles Guardian Angels."  They discussed ways in which the community can come together to address the current crime wave.

Feb 19-25

Three Stabbed


On February 19, LAPD patrol officers responded to a radio call regarding a stabbing at the 6500 block of Hollywood Boulevard. They discovered three males had been stabbed. Los Angeles Fire Department rescue personnel responded to the location and treated the males. Two of the victims were taken to a hospital and the third told paramedics that he would seek his own treatment. The man who is suspected of the Stabbing is described as a 35 to 40 year old male with a shaved head and a mustache wearing a flannel jacket. 


Man Stabbed in Park


On February 21 in the Olympic Area officers were called to a stabbing incident at Normandie Park located at 1550 South Normandie Avenue. Officers arrived and  found one man suffering from multiple stab wounds lying on the grass near the playground area of the park. Children had been playing in the area prior to the fight.  The suspect involved in the stabbing left the area on foot and was eventually  found later hiding in a yard a couple blocks from the park. The victims name has not been released. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. He was a young male Hispanic in his 20's. The suspect is said to be  24-year-old Jesus Molina, has been arrested and booked for murder. police are looking for a motive. 


Homes For closed

Home foreclosures have hit hard in Los Angeles. Last year alone, 12,000 homes were lost to foreclosure.

The forecloser Response Network has added more services for homeowners who are facing foreclosure. Officials say they have one very important message for those in mortgage trouble: Don't pay for loan modifications. Officials say scams have already surfaced. The closest office or place of help to mid city house owners would be West Adams-Baldwin Hills WorkSource Center 5681 W. Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, 90016. People are encouraged to go seek help or if they have any questions. 

Briefs Feb 12-18

Theft and Robbery

On Sunday February 12 there were at least 6 crimes reported in the Mid City area. The reports ranged from theft from auto to home robbery. The latest robbery posted was on the 8500 block of Venice Blvd at around 10:40 pm. Three more crimes were reported to be around the intersection of Pico and LA Brea. The times for most of these crimes seemed to be in between 4 to 6:30 pm. Police encourage people to report crimes in order to have more of an alert around these specific areas.

Ban on Plastic and Paper

The Mid City area as well as the rest of the Los Angeles community is looking to join other cities in the banning of paper and plastic shopping bags from mostly all retail stores. The Bureau of Sanitation which is proposing the plan says that it would "cut down" on the amount of trash that is produced. The cost right now for the Bureau of Sanitation is around 300 million per year. The only option left for customers would have to be using reusable bags. 

Sheriff Arrested

A 10 year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was arrested for Lewd acts upon a child. The arrest came on Thursday February 16th.  The name of the Sheriff is Oscar Rodriguez. The alleged acts by Rodriguez were committed while rodriguez was off- duty. After his arrest his bail was set at $100,000. The L.A Sheriffs department will be conducting their own investigation of this specific case. 

Help to Find

The family of Jose Barcelo are asking for the public’s help in locating a 78-year-old man who recently suffered a stroke and is considered to be in poor mental and physical health. The man has been missing from his home.



Mr. Barcelo was last seen on January 20, 2012, at around 8:00 p.m. He walked away from his home located in the 400 block of South Orange Drive in Los Angeles.
He is described as a male Hispanic, approximately 5’7” tall and weighs 180 pounds. 


anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jose Barcelo, is asked to contact Wilshire Police Station. 

Crimes in Mid City

According to Police crime in Mid City in the last complete week has gone slightly down. In the week  between Jan. 23 and Jan. 29, crime reports dipped and property crime reports were about average. 

The area between La brea and Redondo is the one being watched by Police constantly. Over the last three months, Mid-City averaged around 6 violent crimes and 20 property crimes per week. The idea behind this is that most houses around this area do not have alarms. 

A lot of people in the area have been on vacations when houses have been robbed. 

It seems that houses are on constant watch and the thieves always know when to strike. 

http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/mid-city/crime/

Ghetto Birds

A bill has been proposed to restrict helicopters over Los Angeles. The bill is called the Los Angeles residential helicopter noise relief act.
Most helicopters in the city are news coverage as well privately owned. The most important ones that actually help out would be the police helicopters. Those will not be affected by this bill if passed.
Congress is being urged to help pass this bill and keep the mid city and Los Angeles sky's noise free.
Assemblyman Mike Feue is the one who introduced the idea and is leading it to Sacramento.

who am i?

My name is Arturo Pena I am 26 years old and this is my second year at CSUN. The most important things to me are baseball and music. Baseball has been a positive activity growing up in life. It has kept me out of trouble and given me an opportunity to see places I only dreamed off. My goal in life was to play professional baseball but after suffering an injury I was forced to dedicate my time more to reporting and viewing sports events. My intent is to graduate from CSUN and be able to do play by play for local team weather professional or double A. if not I would love to work for sports center or ESPN talking and discussing sports. I have 2 bothers and a sister. One of my brothers is a sophomore at UCLA the other is transferring to CSUN from Santa Monica College. My sister is still in junior high.