BRIEFLY SCREENERS AT LAX MISS 41 PERCENT.

Security screeners at Los Angeles International Airport performed dismally during recent tests carried out by federal investigators, it was reported Monday.

In tests the Transportation Security Administration did, LAX screeners failed to discover 41 percent of the fake guns and explosives packed in undercover agents' luggage - the fourth worst performance in the country.

According to USA Today, screeners at Cincinnati, Jacksonville and Las Vegas missed even more potentially dangerous items.

Nancy Castles of Los Angeles World Airports would not comment on the report, saying passenger screening is the TSA's responsibility. Officials with the TSA could not be reached for immediate comment.

- City News Service

Applications open for LAPD chief

The city on Monday began accepting applications for the job of chief of the Los Angeles Police Department to fill the spot left open by former Police Chief Bernard C. Parks.

Bob Murray and Associates, an executive search firm in Roseville, Calif., will be accepting resumes until July 19, and then forwarding the qualified candidates to the Police Commission.

Commissioners will pare down the finalists to a list of three ranked candidates, which they will pass on to the mayor for a decision.

The salary range for the position is $168,105 to $252,147.

According to a Police Commission statement, the ideal candidate is ``an inspirational leader and an astute manager. He/she must have proven track record in organizational change and development, considerable experience working with diverse communities, and knowledge and expertise in developing crime reduction strategies.''

A Police Commission spokeswoman said the goal is to hire a new chief by September.

- Daily News

Driver of agent's stolen car caught

The day after a former INS agent was tortured and killed, authorities arrested a man found driving the victim's car - after a two-hour chase and a 20-minute standoff, officers said.

Gregory Michael Pisarcik, 25, a transient with a record of theft and narcotics violations, was arrested in Ventura County on Sunday. He was arrested on suspicion of felony evading in a vehicle, said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

He was not charged in the death of Narcisco P. Leggs Jr., 53, a retired Immigration and Naturalization Service special agent, Amormino said.

- Associated Press

Woman arrested for cockpit entry

A woman passenger tried to enter the cockpit of a Southwest Airlines jet in flight Monday but she was seized and turned over to local authorities for a mental evaluation, the FBI said.

Sacramento-bound Flight 2060 turned around shortly after a 10:30 a.m. takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport because a woman ``began interfering with the flight crew,'' which is a federal violation, said Laura Bosley, an FBI spokeswoman.

``She tried to gain access to the cockpit and had to be physically restrained,'' she said. ``It did not appear to be terrorist-related.''

- Associated Press