Special Units: Page 391

Feds Charge 147 Los Angeles-Area Gang Members

The charges, part of a massive racketeering case dubbed Operation Knock Out, were outlined in several indictments charging 147 members and associates of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens gang with murder, attempted murder, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and witness intimidation.

Gun Scare at California University Serves as Test for Text-Alert System

Students and teachers at UC Irvine were shaken Wednesday when officials sent out a campus alert saying they were responding to reports of a camouflaged man with a rifle on campus, a report that was later downgraded when police determined that it was probably just a student carrying a paintball gun.

Counterfeit Check Scheme Reportedly Run by San Diego Street Gang

Having a street gang behind a conspiracy that caused a credit union to lose $500,000 could be a first in California history. State and federal law enforcement officials made that announcement yesterday morning with the arrests of 40 people in the check-cashing scheme, including some active members of the military. Twenty more people are being sought.

Officer Said to Have Kicked Suspect Owns Clothing Line Tailored to Gang Life

The police officer who sources inside El Monte, Calif., City Hall say kicked a gang member in the head after a long car chase Wednesday also owns a clothing company that glorifies gang and prison life.

El Monte Street Gang is One of Area’s Largest, Oldest

As cops led a man away who was kicked in the head by an officer and arrested after a long police chase in El Monte, Calif., Wednesday, one big word could be seen tattooed across his neck: FLORES.

Review Finds LAPD Acted Appropriately in 2008 Incident that Killed SWAT Officer

After killing his father and two brothers in their Winnetka home, Edwin Rivera, 20, kept police at bay during an eight-hour standoff that ended with officers killing Rivera. The death of SWAT officer Randall Simmons, who was killed by Rivera during an ill-fated attempt by SWAT officers to apprehend Rivera and rescue any survivors, rocked the tightly-knit unit and the LAPD as a whole.

LAPD Gun Buyback Program Nets 1,700 Weapons

A gun buyback program that trades gift cards for firearms netted nearly 1,700 weapons in Los Angeles, including 40 assault-style weapons and a rifle with a grenade launcher, officials said Monday.

Oakland SWAT Captain Asks to be Reassigned After Team Expresses "No Confidence"

Capt. Ed Tracey made his request after a meeting with the 24-member SWAT team, during which officers said they "weren't confident in him" because of his conduct during the March 21 incident, a law enforcement source said. Two SWAT officers died in the raid.

Center for Domestic Preparedness Offers Toxic Agent Response Training

How long will it take before terrorists have weapons of mass destruction? The answer isn't clear. But preparing emergency response personnel to meet the threat head-on starts at the CDP's COBRATF—the Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological Training Facility in Anniston, Ala.

9/11 Family Leader Rails Against President Obama Over Gitmo Closing, Handling of Terror Prosecutions

The Justice Department's recent plea agreement with Ali Saleh al-Marri should be of grave concern to those who believe the Obama administration will vigorously prosecute terrorists in the federal court system. Al-Marri was sent to the U.S. on Sept. 10, 2001, by KSM to carry out cyanide bomb attacks. He faces up to a 15-year sentence, but will be allowed to argue that the sentence should be satisfied by the seven years he has been in custody.

Former L.A. County Deputy Charged with Attempted Drug Smuggling

A former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was charged Wednesday with attempting to smuggle narcotics into a county jail facility in Castaic where he worked as a jailer, authorities said.

Schemes to Cross Border from Mexico Getting Bolder

In the past few months, officials have intercepted three ultralight aircrafts attempting to smuggle drugs into the U.S. The small planes fly so low they evade radar and have been particularly active on the Arizona-Mexico border.

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