BRIEFLY ALARM CALLS DOWN, BUT MOST STILL FALSE.

Burglar alarm calls to Los Angeles police continued their downward trend in March, but the vast majority of calls remained false, according to a report presented to the police commission Tuesday.

The LAPD responded to 6,873 alarm calls in March, down 31 percent from March 2003. But the proportion of alarm calls that were false increased from 96 percent to 97 percent.

LAPD officials attributed the drop in alarm calls to the city's controversial policy of not responding to unverified alarms at addresses with two or more false alarms in a year.

- Daily News

Police panel OKs replacing doctors

Los Angeles police commissioners Tuesday endorsed a move to replace doctors at city-run jails with nurses.

The change was worked out in principle Monday between representatives of the city and the union representing the 10 doctors in city jails. Two City Council committees are scheduled to discuss the pact next month.

City officials say they would save hundreds of thousands of dollars by phasing out doctors at city jails in downtown Los Angeles, Van Nuys and South Los Angeles and replacing them with nurse practitioners.

- Daily News

Jury convicts man after murder trial

A Studio City man was convicted Tuesday of the murders of a business rival and three of her family members at a Hollywood Hills home just over two years ago.

Now the jury must recommend whether Victor Govin, 37, should be executed or sent to prison for the rest of his life without possibility of parole.

Jurors are due back in court Thursday for the start of the trial's penalty phase. Judge Kathleen Kennedy-Powell declared a mistrial on murder and other charges against Govin's 34-year-old brother, Pravin Govin of Cypress, after jurors said they were deadlocked hopelessly.

- City News Service

Councilman's son nabbed in pot bust

BURBANK - The son of City Councilman Jef Vander Borght was arrested near the Porter Ranch Town Center on suspicion of selling marijuana, a Burbank police sergeant said Tuesday.

Kyle Vander Borght, 20, of Burbank was arrested by Burbank police along with two other men Thursday evening in a parking lot in the 11400 block of Porter Ranch Drive, said Sgt. Jay Jette.

The three men were booked on suspicion of selling marijuana. Kyle Vander Borght was released on $25,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Burbank Superior Court on June 25.

- Daily News

No injuries after plane loses power

CAMARILLO - An experimental aircraft lost power on takeoff Tuesday morning, causing it to land in the dirt at the west end of Camarillo Airport.

The accident was minor and the pilot, Robert Flippo, 76, of Camarillo, was uninjured.

The only damage sustained was to the landing gear, according to Tad Dogherty, the airport manager.

- Daily News

False hijack alert will benefit LAX

Mayor James Hahn Tuesday said a review of security procedures in the wake of a false hijacking alert from a plane landing at LAX will enhance law enforcement response to any future hijack alert.

The local head of the federal Transportation Security Administration agreed, saying confusion over law enforcement response to the May 4 Singapore Airlines false hijacking report resulted in agencies working together to come up with new procedures.

That made the Singapore Airlines incident a ``blessing in disguise,'' said Larry Fetters, federal security director of the TSA at LAX. Hahn, at a Parker Center police headquarters news conference, was joined by representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department, TSA, Federal Aviation Administration, FBI, Airport Police at LAX and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

- City News Service