Los Angeles City Council Suggests LAPD to Freeze Hiring

On Monday, the Los Angeles City Council recommended, against the desires of Mayor Villaraigosa, that in order to get to a solution for the recent budget crisis, suspending the hiring of the Los Angeles Police Department, was necessary.

According to the City Council Committee, this stop would reduce a $46.8 million deficit.

The Los Angeles Police Department was told by the Budget and Finance Committee that they should continue with their April training class but shouldn’t hire anymore until July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.

City Administrative Officer, Miguel Santana, told the panel that, “There is no immediate savings, but we believe it will save $170,000 per officer in the long run,” when speaking about the reductions in pension benefits.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants Read more »

LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center Jail

General Information

Metropolitan Detention Center
180 North Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Main: 213-356-3446
Bail Bonds for the Metropolitan Detention Center

Newly opened in early 2011, the LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) has replaced the now closed Parker Center Jail in downtown Los Angeles. Located right off of Highway 101, across from Union Station, the new 512-bed Metro Center Jail in Los Angeles is approximately 179,000 square feet. It is a Type I detention facility which can hold people for no more than 96 hours. 

The new Metro Center Jail is co-located with the Police Administration Building and has a ‘campus setting design’ plan. MDC is the Los Angeles Police Department’s largest jail.

Visiting Regulations for the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Jail: 

Visiting Hours at MDC are 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• Arrestees may have one Read more »

Van Nuys Bail Bondsman Charged With Grand Theft Embezzlement

In another case which separates the wheat from the chaff, a licensed bail bondsman took liberties with the system, and lost.

Ms. Stephanie Diane Johnson, a Van Nuys bail bondsman, is accused of collecting at least $34,000 in gross premiums from several defendants’ she bailed out of custody.  However, she also failed to remit $5,070 in net premiums due to her surety, diverting the funds for her own personal use.

According to records, Ms. Johnson executed 13 American Surety Company’s bail bonds in Los Angeles County, totaling a face value of $390,000.

To really buck the system, she went as far as Read more »

New LAPD MDC Jail Open!

Parker Center Jail to Close

It’s been a long time coming, but the newly opened Los Angeles Police Department Metropolitan Detention Center has started receiving inmates in its cells.

The closing Parker Center jail is over 55 years old and has been cited for health and safety violations having to do with plumbing issues, sprinkler problems, mold, etc. It has the capacity to take in as many as 110 arrestees, but has been known to take in as many as 440 arrestees at once.

LAPD Assistant Police Chief, Michel Moore spoke with city officials Monday, saying that 83 jailers, 88 sworn officers and 5 supervisors were trained to provide 331 civilian officers much needed staff to support the large new Metro facility.

Moore stated, “Parker Center jail will close and we will transition to the new Metropolitan Detention Facility that was completed 18 months ago… We are doing this out of concern for the health and safety of the people in custody and the people who work there.”

The new facility is only 1/2 block away from the Parker Center Jail. It is reported that when transferred, inmates  Read more »

Mayor Villaraigosa Says Crime Drop Due to LAPD Hiring

The crime drop in Los Angeles is a hot subject on Mayor Villaraigosa’s plate. He announced that the number of homicides fell last year to 297, the lowest rate since 1967. He wants it to stay that way, so he’s speaking out about it. 

For nine straight years, crime has dropped in Los Angeles County, and it’s said because LA has kept a major force of officers on the street.  That’s why he’s urging the City Council to back his plan in the continuation of hiring Los Angeles Police officers.

At a news conference with LAPD Police Chief, Charlie Beck and other city officials, Villaraigosa stated, “Make no mistake about it, there is a direct correlation between the drop in crime and the number of cops we have on the street.”  Drops in crime were seen in all of LAPD’s four bureaus.

City Administrative Officer, Miguel Santana claims they may need to reduce the number of police officers. The current amount of officers is authorized at 9,963. With regards to budget, there are talks to drop that number.

Villaraigosa does not Read more »

LAPD Chief: Hire More Officers or Risk Increase In Crime

It’s stated that the number of homicides in the past year have dropped under 300 in Los Angeles. This is a first in nearly four decades. However, LAPD Police Chief, Charlie Beck cautioned that those numbers may change if the City Council turns down hiring new police officers to replace those that retire.

Cheif Beck spoke at a news conference this week asking the City Council to maintain their commitment to keep at least 10,000 officers on the force, stating, “If we go back on that, we’ll go back on these gains… This is the ninth year of crime reduction in Los Angeles — no other big city has that.”

The looming $300 million city budget deficit has some Read more »

LAPD Officers Approved For Metro Center Jailers

A city panel has approved a new plan which would require LAPD officers to be placed in jails as staff for up to six-month periods. In the hopes to get the Los Angeles Police Department Metro Detention Jail Center fully humming by January of 2011, the panel signed off on the new plan. The full City Council will vote on the plan Wednesday.

Some oppose pulling officers off the streets, but a hiring freeze has created what is their only option. City Councilman Greig Smith stated that “other options are even worse.” He chairs the Public Safety Committee and is an LAPD reserve officer.

Staffing shortages also created a problem moving officers from the dilapidated Parker Center to the brand new Metro Center jail in downtown Los Angeles. In fact, the project was completed over 18 months ago, but has still yet to be opened.

In order to staff the new facility, Read more »

LAPD ‘Lock It, Hide It Keep It Campaign’

Beware of the Holiday “Smash and Grab”

The holiday rush is upon us once again.  With work, school, shopping, cooking, family converging on our homes; it’s no wonder our cars can turn into a traveling offices and storage lockers.

Unfortunately, thieves know that’s also a fact.  They know that people become so rushed that they fill their cars with expensive electronic gadgets, such as PDA’s, laptops, DVD equipment, cameras and CD’s or purses, wallets, backpacks, briefcases, and more.

Just recently, a woman returned to her Lexus SUV parked at the Eagle Rock Plaza Mall and found her window smashed. Her handbag and laptop were both gone.

On Monday, a discussion was focused on ‘Burglary Thefts From Motor Vehicles,’ also known as BTMV to police officers. The San Fernando Valley LAPD conference was entitled, “Holiday Reminder — Lock It, Hide It, Keep It – Don’t Let the Grinches Steal Your Holiday Spirit.”

This campaign is focused on encouraging the public to always lock and hide their items.  Stressing to never leave items in plain sight, as it may tempt any would-be holiday thief.

LAPD’s San Fernando Valley deputy chief of operations, Kirk Albanese explained, crime increased 12% last year between Thanksgiving and January 5th. “The message is universal, and very simply, it is that with the holiday season approaching, thefts and burglaries are significantly higher.”

During the conference, they discussed and demonstrated how it only takes just a few seconds to break a window and grab the items in sight. Albanese said, “It happens like that — and even if police are around the corner it doesn’t matter.” And there’s a greater likelihood of the thefts happening near mall locations.

The following theft prevention tips were offered by the LAPD:

1. Always Read more »

New LAPD Metro Center Jail to Open February 2011

After much debate, a plan devised by the LAPD will allow the $74-million Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) jail to open in February 2011.

The 172,000 square foot structure has been unattended and unused since May of 2009. The new structure hasn’t opened, due to staffing shortages and a hiring freeze, but is now being planned to open in February in order to close the old dilapidated jail.

The plan will require Read more »

California Police Officers Receive National Honors

Tonya Page Bail Bonds would like to congratulate the three California law enforcement officers who were recognized by Parade Magazine‘s Officer of the Year. The annual award ceremony is dedicating three of its awards to the following law enforcement officers from California: Thi Huynh of the Garden Grove Police Department, John Young of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and  William B. Hout of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.

Huynh is 29 years old and a native Vietnamese. He has been serving with the Garden Grove Police Department since 2007. Two of his recognitions are for saving a 15-year old boy who had gone into cardiac arrest and for resuscitating an inmate who had stopped breathing. Furthermore, he is being recognized for an extreme act of random kindness.

On November 28, Huynh was called to the scene of a fatality. A father had been found in his driveway after dying from a heart attack. When Huynh showed up, the man’s six children and wife was standing there is dismay. Huynh ultimately felt obligated to figure out how this large family with a recently deceased father would survive for Christmas.

Huynh stated, “I wanted people to know Read more »