Stolen LAFD Ambulance!**

So someone made off with an LAFD RA from good old Queen of Angels, Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital around 3:45 this afternoon. It's 5:11 and they're still looking for it. I'll recap this when more info comes down the pike!

***UPDATE*** Per a wire story, the stolen ambulance was spotted going northbound on the 101 Freeway in SAN LUIS OBISPO (about 200 miles northwest of LA!!!!!) at about 8 p.m.; five hours after being taken from outside the ER in Hollywood. The CHP managed to use spike strips to stop the rig outside of Paso Robles and arrested the driver.

That's all the info I've got now. Can't wait to hear which RA unit got nabbed.

***UPDATE 2*** Per a kind commenter via ABC7 News, it was RA 27....a dear old friend of mine back in the day.

photo: via Code2High.com

The End of Tennie?

So, Mayor Tony V. the other day signed off on the latest settlement of "victimized" LAFD firefighter Tennie Pierce. I mentioned his case way back in March on this blog. The original $2.7 million settlement was vetoed by the mayor after it was approved by the City Council last fall.

So it looked like all of the messy details (especially those involving Pierce's own behavior) were going to be on full display at trial. Alas, no. Among the media coverage of the new settlement was a very thoughtful piece by columnist Sandy Banks in the LA Times. With the exception of Steve Lopez, I usually approach the LAT's columnists with great disdain (Joel Stein, anyone? Anyone?), but Ms. Banks surprised me in a good way. It makes for good reading and it's a window into Douglas Barry, the now permanent LAFD Chief.

Long Live COPS

I've been a fan of COPS since its debut 20 years ago (and CHiPs, TJ Hooker and Adam 12) before that. Hard to believe it's been on TV for so long, especially in this age of the fickle TV viewer. But in the same way the New York Times wedding announcements are a work in voyeuristic sociology, so too are the 30 minute windows into ordinary people dealing with law enforcement all across the country.

I've gone my fair share of stretches without tuning in, but have recently been putting my DVR to good use taping episodes again. As for me, I hope for another 20 years...and 60 more of reruns on CourtTv!

Talk About The Dog Days....

Something about the record heat and humidity we had here a week or so ago has kept me from the blog...just couldn't muster the energy. Did a bit of scanning over the last two weeks. Nothing too exciting except for some amusement two nights ago in Beverly Hills.

Nearly all of the on-duty patrol units get sent to a house way up near the BH city limit, off Coldwater Canyon Drive. Responding to their equivalent of a "hot prowl," where the caller reported a white male trying to break into her house. As units were hauling ass to get up there, more information came in--now, the suspect hadn't tried to break in per se, more like the woman saw him outside. She got scared. She screamed. He got scared. He ran away.

Units got on scene and it only took about eight minutes to realize the man had been making the first delivery of the family's "nutri-fit" food service. The lady of the house wasn't expecting the drop-off at 11 p.m. Classic.

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Gave Sept. 11 a few minutes of thought yesterday. Hard to believe it's been six years. Back then, I was in public safety full-time and watched the Towers fall on TV before heading into work for about 48 very tense hours. Seems like a lifetime ago.