Category Archives: LAPD

Black L.A. 1947: Sentinel Offers $100 for Proof That LAPD has Black Motorcycle Officer

Posted on November 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Nov. 6, 1947: LAPD motorcycle officers received a pay differential, so these were desirable jobs. The photograph is fairly dim, but this looks like a three-wheeled Harley-Davidson Servi-Car.

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Nov. 6, 1947: LAPD Officer Kills Black Suspect in Market Burglary

Posted on November 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project.. The Times did absolutely no follow-up to this incident as to whether Everline was tried in the burglary, nor was there any apparent investigation of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Comics, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: 1949 Letter Proves Nothing About Dr. George Hodel

Posted on November 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Sorry, no. If you are familiar with Steve Hodel’s elevator pitch (“retired LAPD homicide cop discovers evil genius dad was maniacal serial killer”) you can skip all of this in the South Pasadenan. It’s more of the same old exaggerated … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Oct. 28, 1907: Former LAPD Chief Calls It ‘Most Detestable Job Ever Created’

Posted on October 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 28, 1907 Los Angeles You know the song even if you’ve never seen “Pirates of Penzance”: A policeman’s lot is not a happy one” and that is doubly true for one … Continue reading →

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Oct. 26, 1907: Women Clean Clothes With Gasoline, Die After Explosion and Fire

Posted on October 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 26, 1907 Los Angeles Two women in the West Adams District were badly burned and expected to die after a bowl of gasoline they were using to clean a soiled dress … Continue reading →

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Oct. 22, 1907: Mayor’s Son Gives a Lesson in Identifying L.A. County Sheriff’s Badges

Posted on October 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 22, 1907 Los Angeles A trolley conductor at 4th Street and Hill complained to a patrolman that one of the passengers looked like a holdup man. The officer investigated and laughed … Continue reading →

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Oct. 16, 1947: LAPD Issues Guns to Policewomen!

Posted on October 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Sixteen policewomen who will be graduated at 3 p.m. tomorrow from the Police Academy after their training course visited the City Attorney’s office yesterday to receive … Continue reading →

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Oct. 14, 1907: ‘In 9 cases out of 10, Where There Is a Shooting, There Is Also a Woman’

Posted on October 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 14, 1907 Los Angeles “In nine cases out of ten, where there is a shooting, there is also a woman,” said The Times. In this case, there was Oscar E. Otto, … Continue reading →

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Oct. 13, 1907: 2 Die in Tong War

Posted on October 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 13, 1907 Los Angeles Gunmen imported from out of town by the Hop Sing Tong entered the tailor shop of Lem Sing at 806 Juan St. in Chinatown and under the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Education, Food and Drink, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off on Oct. 13, 1907: 2 Die in Tong War

L.A. Noir: Will Someone Please Get the New York Times a Map of Los Angeles?

Posted on October 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

The New York Times has published a “guide” to “Where Noir Lives in the City of Angels.” With text by Gal Beckerman. And take a good look at the graphic by Ross MacDonald (no, not that Ross MacDonald; he’s dead). … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, New York | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Oct. 9. 1907: Trellis, The Confidence Woman

Posted on October 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 9, 1907 Los Angeles She was known as Trellis C. Harris or Trellis Blessing—or Edna Hall. But her method was always the same. She would commit some theft, then fake an … Continue reading →

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1947: LAPD Officers Overcome by Carbon Monoxide While Sitting in Patrol Car

Posted on October 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The point here is the condition of police cars in 1947. Despite the image promoted by films that the LAPD used gleaming new black-and-whites in the … Continue reading →

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Oct. 3, 1947: Full House – Burglar Slips In on Mystery Writer’s Poker Game

Posted on October 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Reddest face in town yesterday belonged to Charles Bennett, writer of screen mysteries in which the brilliant detective always catches the crook. Seems that he had … Continue reading →

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Sept. 28, 1907: L.A. Motorcycle Club Backs Ban on Loud Pipes

Posted on September 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Sept. 28, 1907 Los Angeles Members of the Los Angeles Motorcycle Club have written to officials in support of a measure banning loud exhaust pipes on motorcycles. “The motorcycle club says that … Continue reading →

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Sept. 27, 1907: Child Welfare Officer Cites Ringling Bros. for Underage Performers

Posted on September 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Sept. 27, 1907 Los Angeles Ringling Bros. manager Charles Davis said farewell to Los Angeles, leaving $50 ($1,026.18 USD 2005) and some choice words for local authorities. Child welfare officer Robert W. … Continue reading →

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Sept. 21, 1947: Los Angeles Leads U.S. in Burglaries, Ranks 3rd in Killings After New York, Chicago

Posted on September 21, 2018 by lmharnisch
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Black Dahlia: Annual Halloween Reminder

Posted on September 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Somewhere, somebody is already thinking about a Black Dahlia costume for Halloween, so here is my annual reminder: Dressing up like the victim of a grotesque murder is not the look you want. Please rethink your choices. Thanks.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Brian De Palma’s ‘The Black Dahlia’

Posted on September 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Further note: Rotten Tomatoes, gives this film 32% on the Tomatometer. “The Black Dahlia,” directed by Brian De Palma, screenplay by Josh Friedman based on the novel by James Ellroy. Starring Josh … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sept. 11, 1907: In Praise of the Corset for the ‘Woman Who Weighs a Ton’

Posted on September 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Sept. 11, 1907 Direct Wire From New York Wow! Now this is the kind of quote one simply doesn’t see every day, at least in the 21st century. The Victorians certainly had … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Fashions, LAPD, Streetcars | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: EBay Avenger

Posted on September 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. OK, I’ve had my fun with Ellroy’s copies of the “Avenger” books. The hardback stands at $38 and the paperback at $29. Despite my minimum bids, there is always the risk that … Continue reading →

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