Homicide detectives who have reopened an investigation into the death of Natalie Wood after three decades said on Friday that the film star's husband, actor Robert Wagner, was not considered a suspect. [more inside]
posted by Trurl on Nov 18, 2011 - 48 comments

Fans of "The Shield" should learn more about the LAPD's Rampart scandal. Rafael Perez and his cronies were the inspiration for Vic Mackey and the Strike Team. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Sep 7, 2011 - 13 comments

Police scanner + Ambient instrumental music = You are listening to Los Angeles [via mefi projects]
posted by carsonb on Mar 7, 2011 - 108 comments

On January 19, 2011, a police officer was shot in front of El Camino High School in the LA Unified School District. First the school was locked down, then half the city, as police performed a car-by-car search for a white male in his 40's in a bomber jacket. Several people were detained. The intense manhunt lasted more than a day.

So, it turns out the police officer just kind of accidentally shot himself.
posted by jabberjaw on Jan 28, 2011 - 62 comments

was there just a second ago... Cop Watch LA, a police watchdog group, posted the video on YouTube, said organizer Joaquin Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos said the video was shot by a neighbor of Cardenas with a cell phone camera. The neighbor gave it to Cardenas' family, who then gave it to Cop Watch, according to Cienfuegos.
posted by Bravocharlie on Nov 11, 2006 - 83 comments

Handy tips for those new to the bomb threat call in line. This "FAQ" from the LAPD's website is actually a checklist of things novice police phone operators are instructed to ask anyone calling in to leave a bomb threat. Useful information being collected includes tone of caller's voice (raspy? pleasant?), background noise (party atmosphere?) and important personal data about the soon to be bomber (what is your name? what is your address?). Sleep soundly, Los Angeles, your days of random explosions are a thing of the past.
posted by jonson on Feb 6, 2003 - 11 comments

Man Who Taped Police Beating Arrested in L.A. Conveniently dug-up charges, a bizarre radio talkshow detour, what the heck is going on?
posted by donkeyschlong on Jul 11, 2002 - 65 comments

Actor killed by L.A. police shot in the back & the back of the head -- the wounds appeared to contradict police accounts that Anthony Dwain Lee, who carried a fake .357 Magnum gun as an apparent part of his Halloween costume, pointed the gun at Officer Tarriel Hopper, causing the patrolman to fear for his life and shoot in response.
posted by palegirl on Dec 5, 2000 - 2 comments