Results tagged “Los Angeles Police Protective League” from Crime & Courts

From the Los Angeles Police Protective League:

LAPPL Directors and other public safety experts will be regularly posting items at http://www.lapd.com/blog/ and invite their members and those interested in policing issues to join the dialogue. Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged as the LAPPL broadens its communications efforts with both its membership and the public.

"The goal of the blog is to provide insight into law enforcement from a police officer's perspective," said Paul M. Weber, LAPPL President. "As officers, we want Los Angeles residents to know the challenges we face in policing the city.  At the same time, we want residents to share their perspective on public safety issues with us, hopefully resulting in a lively and constructive forum."

The LAPPL blog will also follow a number of other law enforcement-related blogs, serving as a one-stop resource for relevant news and commentary.  Additionally, the League is preparing to integrate Twitter into the blog, according to Weber

Los Angeles, December 29, 2008 - Los Angeles police officers continued to be the targets of violence in 2008 as officers were reported to be attacked in 527 instances during the past 12 months.

Included in that figure is the first murder of a SWAT officer in the department's history. Officers were shot at a total of 14 times during the year.

"There are not exchanges of gunfire between criminals and officers," said Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. "These are cold-blooded attempts to murder unsuspecting officers without any warning."

Los Angeles SWAT Officer Randal David Simmons, a 27-year veteran of the department, was shot and killed when he entered the home of an armed man during a standoff in February.

In addition to the shootings, LAPD officers were also assaulted by suspects wielding deadly weapons in 168 cases and were the victims of battery (physical altercation) 358 times in 2008.

"Los Angeles is a city protected by dedicated LAPD officers, who deserve all the tools and all the support the community can possibly provide," Weber said. "The LAPPL asks the public and our community leaders to continue to support our officers and make sure that criminals do not deter them from doing their work to make Los Angeles the safest big city in America."

"Public safety requires a strong two-way partnership. We need to make it clear that Los Angeles is a city in which violence on law enforcement is never tolerated, and that those who threaten our police officers threaten our own communities," Weber said.