More cops hired; murder study launched

Even as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief William Bratton touted today that they are halfway to their goal of hiring 1,000 new cops by 2010, rising homicides so far this year continue to plague the city. Daily News.

With police puzzled by the brazen killings - from the shooting death of a 17-year-old football star Jamiel Shaw Jr. in Arlington Heights to the death of a 6-year-old in Harbor Gateway - a police commissioner called for an independent examination into what's causing the surge in violence.

"It's horribly senseless and involves a lot of youth," said Anthony Pacheco, president of the civilian Los Angeles Police Commission. "Why after a year of decline are we seeing this uptick, so widespread? It's horribly brutal. I don't want to downplay the department's expertise, but I think we are well-advised to get input from the community."

Gang member arrested in Shaw slaying. Daily News.