Rina Palta Crime and Safety Reporter
Rina Palta is a Crime and Safety Reporter for KPCC.
Rina spent the past few years reporting on California's prisons, jails, and law enforcement agencies, focusing on how crime and the criminal justice system impact communities. She comes to Southern California from the Bay Area, where she launched the Informant, a digital collaboration between NPR and KALW. Her reporting there on juvenile justice earned a PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
Palta is a graduate of Haverford College and UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. In her spare time, she's a world-class eater and aspiring surfer.
Stories by Rina Palta
Political battle over the death penalty centered on victims
A November ballot initiative that would end the death penalty is highlighting law enforcement and crime victims at the masthead of the media campaign.
Lawsuit: Pasadena police officer accused of excessive force
In new court filings, a Pasadena police officer is accused of using excessive force against a man at the Rose Bowl in June 2011.
Man shot and killed Friday morning in Boyle Heights
Joe David Lobos, 24, was a block from home, on his way back from work, when he was shot and killed Friday morning at about 1:00.
Police officer deaths drop dramatically in 2012 thus far
According to data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 2012 could be the safest year for police officers in six decades.
Teen charged with killing 1-year-old Watts boy
Donald Ray Dokins, 15, was charged Thursday with murder and attempted murder in a shooting that killed 1-year-old Angel Cortez on June 4.
California expected to spend less on prisons in coming years
According to Corrections Secretary Matt Cate, CDCR will take its portion of the of the general fund down to 7.5 percent in the 2015-16 fiscal year.
Change to juvenile prison time could save state millions
In the state budget, lies a small clause that could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars — and save juveniles years of incarceration.
California 'ahead of schedule' at reducing prison population
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says they're ahead of schedule in reducing the state's prison population.
LA Unified fires teacher accused of giving students pot
Los Angeles Unified announced Tuesday they've fired an employee who allegedly smoked weed to and from a baseball game with 14-16-year-old students.
Boyle Heights car theft binge appears to be winding down
Despite otherwise average-to-low crime rates this year, the Hollenbeck division, which includes Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, and El Sereno, is in the midst of an inexplicable car theft binge.
Why gangs are like both honeybees and lions
UCLA researchers have come up with a way of plotting street gang territories: a "mathematical model used to determine the hunting range of animals in the wild."
Assault charges for men involved in I-5 road rage video
Two men in the famous I-5 road-rage-caught-on-tape incident have been formally charged and a little more info is available from the District Attorney's office.
Sheriff's deputy sentenced in drug burrito jailhouse sting
Henry Marin, a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, was sentenced Monday to two years in jail for trying to smuggle heroin into jail in a burrito.
No automatic life without parole for juveniles
The Supreme Court has ruled that almost all people convicted of crimes as juveniles should be allowed a chance at parole.
LA Sheriff's department looking for a few good women
The goal is to reach 20 percent female staffing levels at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
