LAPD Blog

Man Missing for Two Weeks

Los Angeles:   Los Angeles Police Department Missing Persons Unit detectives are hoping for public assistance in locating Dennis Paul Dominguez, who hasn’t been seen for two weeks.

Dominguez was last seen on March 23, 2014, around 3:30 a.m. at his residence in the 500 block of North Fries Avenue in LAPD Harbor Area.  He has not been seen or heard from since, and his family is very concerned.

Dominguez is described as a 53-year-old Hispanic male with gray hair and hazel eyes.  He is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 230 pounds.  He was last seen wearing a black shirt, black sweat pants and tan shoes.

Anyone with information about the location or disappearance of Dennis Paul Dominguez is urged to contact Missing Persons Unit Detective Merrill at 213-996-1800.  During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to www.LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.

33-Year-Old Missing Male

Los Angeles:   The family of Kyle Stern Luethge and the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit are asking for the public’s help to locate Luethge, a resident of Los Angeles.

On March 22, 2014, around 2 p.m., Luethge was last seen in the 500 block of East Avenue in the City of Los Angeles. Luethge has not been seen or heard from since, his family is concerned.

Kyle Stern Luethge is described as a 33-year-old White male with blond hair, blue eyes.  He stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds.  Luethge was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

Anyone with information on Kyle Stern Luethge’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Saiza of LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800.  During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts

Notes from the April 1, 2025 Special Police Commission Meeting

This week’s Police Commission meeting was held at the Peck Park Auditorium in San Pedro and was a part of the Commission’s ongoing efforts to hold their weekly meeting in a different council district once a quarter.  Police Commission President Steve Soboroff thanked the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks for allowing the Commission to hold the meeting in the Peck Park Auditorium. He also thanked City Councilman Joe Buscaino for attending the meeting as well.

President Soboroff then proceeded to state the goals for the Police Commission for fiscal year 2014-15.  They are as follows:

Represent all Angelenos: provide independent, visible, and transparent civilian oversight by exercising their authority and responsibilities in accordance with the City Charter.

Strength in Numbers: achieve the goal of 10,000 police officers with the hiring of police recruits who reflect the diversity of the City of Los Angeles.

Have a Better Picture of what Occurred: implement the Police Officer On-Body Camera project in cooperation with all stakeholders. Adopt the necessary policies regarding the use and control of recorders and recordings.

Conflict Resolution: embrace fairness for all employees by supporting and monitoring; develop guidelines and standards for imposition of Conditional Official Reprimands; and implementation of a formal Department Conflict Resolution Program that encourages communication so as to reduce internal complaints and lawsuits involving Department employees.

Financial Priorities: support the Department’s budget proposal and efforts to achieve the incremental reinstatement of cash overtime and pay parity for newly hired police officers with those hired over four years ago.

Save City Funds while Protecting Employees and Residents: support and monitor the Department’s implementation of a global and proactive Risk Management Program and development and implementation of a lessons-learned process after disputes or incidents are litigated or settled.

Buckle Up: ensure the Department implements a program to mandate the wearing of seat belts by all personnel who operate and/or are a passenger in a Department vehicle.

Hit & Stop: mandate the Department implement a traffic education program focused on education, enforcement and engineering to improve pedestrian, automobile and bicycle safety and to reduce the incidence of hit and run traffic collisions.

Kids of All Ages: celebrate and support the various Department programs and encourage Community Policing such as Cadets, Community-Police Advisory Boards, Magnet High Schools, etc.

After the Commission stated their goals for the year the floor was given to Council District 15 representative Joe Buscaino.  Mr. Buscaino welcomed the Commission and Chief to his Council District and reflected on his seven years as a Los Angeles Senior Lead Police Officer.  He informed the Board his area led the City in overall crime reduction and attributed that success to youth programs and partnerships with community organizations and non-profits.  Councilman Buscaino completed his comments by stating his commitment to ensure funding continues for the Department.

Police Chief Charlie Beck thanked Councilman Buscaino for his commitment to maintain the Department budget and said he was familiar with the area from his days working as a Sergeant at Harbor Division in the 1980’s.  He informed the Board he rode with a gang officer in the area for a few hours earlier that day and proceeded to provide the city-wide crime statistics.  Chief Beck completed his comments by saying there are currently 9,914 sworn and 2,796 civilian employees on the Department.

Harbor Area Captain Gerarld Woodyard introduced new patrol Captain Jennifer Thomas to the community members in attendance and informed the Board crime is currently down 18.5% in the area.  The C-PAB chair and Teen C-PAB chair give brief remarks relating to their on-going community outreach efforts.  South Bureau Deputy Chief Bob Green then gave brief remarks reaffirming his commitment to the area community.  

The final portion of the meeting was the public comment period.  The members of the community who spoke expressed concerns over issues affecting their quality of life and also thanked the officers in the area for their service. More than 10 people took advantage of the opportunity to address the Board.

The Board of Police Commissioners as well as the Chief of Police look forward to these special meetings as they serve as an opportunity for community members to attend who might otherwise not be able to attend the regular meetings of the Board in Downtown Los Angeles.  The Commission plans to hold these special meetings in each Council District in the upcoming months.    

Los Angeles Police Department Joins Crackdown on Texting and Handheld Cell Use behind the Wheel

Los Angeles: As part of April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will be joining with over 200 other local law enforcement agencies and the California Highway Patrol in a month long “zero tolerance” enforcement and education campaign.  The purpose of the campaign is to curb those texting or operating hand-held cell phones while driving.  Officers will be on alert throughout the month for those who break the cell phone laws and place themselves and others in danger.  Special high visibility enforcement operations to cite cell phone violators will take place on April 3rd, 8th, 17th and 22th.

The increased enforcement and education aims to persuade drivers to recognize the dangers of distracted driving and reduce the number of people impacted by this perilous behavior.  The “It’s Not Worth It!” theme emphasizes that a phone call or text isn’t worth a hefty fine or a collision. The current minimum ticket cost is $161, with subsequent tickets costing at least $281.

“We take the issue of distracted driving very seriously,” said Sergeant Karmody, Traffic Coordination Section.  “We see the aftermath of these preventable crashes.  Is that text message or cell phone call really worth $161, or worse, someone’s life?”

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.  In addition, studies show that texting while driving can delay a driver’s reaction time just as severely as having a blood alcohol content of a legally drunk driver.  According to research, sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds.  Even a three second glance at freeway speeds means a driver has traveled the distance of a football field.

Research shows that there is no difference in the risks between hands-free and hand-held cell phone conversations, both of which can result in “inattention blindness” which occurs when the brain isn’t seeing what is clearly visible because the drivers’ focus is on the phone conversation and not on the road.  When over one third of your brain’s functioning that should be on your driving moves over to cell phone talking, you can become a cell phone “zombie.”

If you have any questions regarding the LAPD’s involvement in the Distracted Driving Awareness Month, please contact Officer Don Inman, Traffic Coordination Section, at (213) 486-0703.

 

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Man Killed in the Hollywood Area

Hollywood:  Los Angeles Police Department West Bureau Homicide detectives are asking for the public’s help in providing any information that would lead to the arrest of the suspects who killed a 38-year-old male Black outside of a night club in Hollywood. On March 30, 2014, around 1:58 a.m., Hollywood officers responded to a radio call of a “shooting,” at Las Palmas Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. When officers arrived they saw the victim on the ground in the street near a black Dodge Charger. Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital, where he died a short time later from his injuries. The victim has not been identified, pending notification to next of kin. The suspects are described as 3 to 4 male Blacks driving a black four door sedan.  The vehicle was last seen traveling southbound on Las Palmas Avenue. Detectives believe that the altercation was gang related. Anyone with information is urged to contact West Bureau Homicide Detectives at (213) 382-9470.  During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to www.lapdonline.org, and click on "Anonymous Web Tips.”

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37-Year-Old in Wheelchair Shot and Killed

Los Angeles:  Los Angeles Police Department 77th Division detectives are asking for the public’s help in providing information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect(s) responsible for the murder of 37-year-old Damon Leroy. On Thursday, March 27, 2014, around 1:44 p.m., the victim was sitting in his wheelchair in the 6800 block of 11th Avenue, in the South Los Angeles area, when he was approached by a male Black in his 30’s.  After a five minute verbal conversation the suspect produced a handgun and shot the victim multiple times in the torso. Los Angeles City Fire Department paramedics responded to the location and transported the victim to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment.  Despite life-saving efforts, the victim died as a result of his injuries a short time later. The motive for the shooting is believed to be gang related. Anyone with information is asked to call Criminal Gang Homicide Division, Detectives Eddie Amaral or Miguel Gutierrez at (213) 485-1383.  During non-business hours or weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800)-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most key pads) using a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters can also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “web tips” and follow the prompts.

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