Hate crime is down in Los Angeles County by 6% in 2012, from 2011. According to a report released by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, this is actually LA County's second-lowest level of hate crime activity in the past 23 years, with the most violent year being fairly recent -- in 2011, reports the Los Angeles Times.

While there has been progress, the study reveals that there is still plenty of work to be done. What other important results were reported? Here's a general overview of hate crime in LA.

The Los Angeles Police Department will soon have access to a new smartphone app called "JusticeMobile," reports ABC News.  Developed by Attorney General Kamala Harris, the San Francisco Police Department, and various technology companies, the app is funded by federal, state, and local governments.

According to Harris, about 600 San Francisco police officers have already used the app. In addition, more than 3,600 Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers will soon begin using an updated version of the app.

What is JusticeMobile, exactly? Here's a general overview:

Leaving kids in hot cars can lead to unintended and incredibly tragic consequences.

With temperatures in California soaring into the 90s, a car's interior can heat up to 135 degrees or higher, and prove fatal to a small child .

As the temperature continues to rise, so does the risk of vehicular hyperthermia, or heat stroke -- especially for a child left inside a hot vehicle.

For that very reason, it's illegal in California to leave a child in a hot car.

California allows its prisoners certain privileges that can allow them to love, marry, and start families, all while serving their time.

Here are the laws and policies that allow convicts to keep the fire alive in their marriages and grow their families:

HIV infections have somewhat declined due to the increasing success of medicating those living with HIV and redoubled efforts for sex education, yet Los Angeles is still troubled by new HIV infections every day.

According to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health study published in March, Los Angeles County comprised more than a third of the reported new cases of HIV infection in California in 2011.

Because of this great public health concern, California laws require that HIV infection be reported in some cases, and for intentional exposure to be punished.

California has its fair share of vicious dog attacks, with some incidents claiming the lives of innocent victims.

How have state and local lawmakers attempted to take a bite out of the problem? Here are three dangerous dog laws that all Los Angeles-area dog owners should be aware of:

Parents, it seems, are always two steps behind kids and their vast knowledge of the Interwebs and those computery machine things they're always looking at.

While you may not be able to tell the difference between pins, pokes, tweets, and diggs, your children probably do. And some of them are using your ignorance to do illegal things behind your back.

As an early Mother's Day gift to all the Luddite moms out there, here are five things that tech-savvy kids are getting in trouble for, that you may not even know about:

In an reported “random act” of vandalism, a rash of tire slashings occurred in northwest Glendale on luxury cars and SUVs. The vandalized high-end cars — including BMWs, Lexuses, Cadillacs, Audis, Mercedes-Benzes, and Porsches — were parked in home driveways and on dimly lighted streets, otherwise known as a vandal’s paradise. In a Smokey Bear teachable moment, the police reminded people to always take precautions to protect your car from vandalism and break-ins.

Here are five easy ways to help protect your car from vandalism or a break-in:

Due to their powerful sense of smell and extensive training, drug-sniffing police dogs can smell narcotics from a mile away (figuratively speaking). The invasive nature of their use has raised interesting questions about the right to privacy.

So when and where can drug-sniffing dogs be used? A few recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court have shed light on the subject. Below, you'll find an explanation of those decisions and how they apply to you.

If you've been charged with a crime, it may seem like the end of the world. However, you should know that you are innocent until proven guilty and many people have been charged with crimes only to beat the charges with the help of an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney.

There are many criminal defense attorneys to choose from. And in a major metropolitan area, you may literally be flooded with options.

Before jumping in and hiring an attorney, there are some steps you may want to take. These steps can help you understand your charges better and also give you an idea what to ask a prospective lawyer: