LAPD

The wheels of justice grind slowly and sometimes it's hard to believe that the system is working but a survey of the legal landscape in LA County reveals that there are several cases working that should be of great interest to the cycling community. Danny Jimenez, local cyclist and lawyer, says "victims are often discouraged by the difficulty in obtaining justice but when the system works, it's encouraging to see a Judge and a Prosecutor and a Jury doing their job and doing it well."

The largest and most expensive police building in the United States is about to be dedicated and as the world watches, the LAPD's ignorance of basic Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) standards will be revealed. The new headquarters are located across the street from LA's City Hall and the 10-story, 500,000-square-foot building has a beautiful open plaza featuring drought resistant plants and a zen garden theme that creates a sense of calm in the middle of the busy and congested city center. It also features a bike parking area that violates basic CPTED standards as well as simple bike parking standards.

h/t to reader Jass.

Traffic Enforcement for Bicyclist Safety from Chicago Bicycle Program on Vimeo. This amazing video, via Chicago Bicycle Advocate, was produced for the Chicago Police Department to educate drivers, cyclists and officers on traffic laws pertaining to bikes.  Given that the LAPD is revising its teaching methods for how it enforces traffic laws on cyclists this … Continued

Yesterday, the City announced the details of their outreach strategy to gather public input on the qualities that Angelenos want to see in their next police chief.  In early September, the city will hold four public outreach meetings in the Valley, South L.A., the Westside and, as Zach Behrens notes, near the Eastside.

It may not have drawn the crowds that were expected, but for the second time in three weeks the City of Los Angeles shut down part of its Downtown street grid for an outdoor party and the world didn't end.  If the city is willing to spend $4 million for police presence and to shut down streets for a rock star's memorial; imagine what they should be willing to spend on a weekend car-free party for everyone in the city, not just those people who happen to like Michael Jackson or the Los Angeles Lakers, similar to those we see in San Francisco, New York or, of course, Columbia.

On April 24, a gentleman and his family were driving around Downtown Los Angeles in a hummer when a crazed cyclist rammed the back of the vehicle.  Confused and angry, the downed cyclists' friends surrounded the hummer and threatened the driver.  With only a hummer to protect him and the people he cared for, the driver continued forward, inadvertently striking some of the bikes.  One of the rabid cyclists threw their bike at the vehicle, damaging the mirror.  After he was safely away from the cyclists, the driver pulled over and waited for the police to arrive.

Tomorrow marks the swan song for Wendy Greuel, the outgoing Chair of the City Council Transportation Committee who will move across the street to the Comptroller's Office on July 1st.  The agenda for her last meeting is not an easy one, I'm guessing she was hoping most of these issues would have moved on last week, a plan thwarted by the low attendance from the LAPD and even the other members of the Committee excepting Bill Rosendahl.

Outgoing Transportation Committee Chair Wendy Greuel held what was supposed to be her swan song to the bicycling community at an almost-all-bikes Transportation Committee meeting earlier today.  It's true, there were some low points, such as only Councilman Bill Rosendahl joining Greuel on the dais.  "Bike Friendly" Councilman Tom LaBonge, Bernard Parks and Richard Alarcon all declined to attend the 8:00 A.M. meeting.  But perhaps even more disappointingly, the LAPD didn't bother to show up either.