Category Archives: LAPD

October 6, 1949: LAPD Gangster Squad Abolished

Posted on October 6, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 6, 1949: The LAPD’s Gangster Squad is abolished under Police Chief William Worton. Continue reading →

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October 4, 1957: Madness

Posted on October 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 4, 1957: Allene Durston, dying of bone cancer, kidnaps her grandson, Ronald White, 9, kills him and commits suicide. Continue reading →

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

Posted on October 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 3, 1947: Reddest face in town yesterday belonged to Charles Bennett, writer of screen mysteries in which the brilliant detective always catches the crook. While he had a few friends in for a card game, a burglar crawled through a window and stole his wife’s purse and a pair of earrings. Continue reading →

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October 1, 1910: ‘A Terrible Roar’

Posted on October 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 1, 1910: The Los Angeles Times Building is bombed, killing 20 employees. Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Labor, LAPD | Tagged , | 1 Comment

September 30, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on September 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

Sept. 30, 1959: “The body of a San Bernardino Freeway crash victim was hurled into a tree where it hung unnoticed for five hours today” … W.C. Fields vs. Cecil B. DeMille … and Matt Weinstock on some friendly traffic officers. Continue reading →

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

Posted on September 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 28, 1907: Members of the Los Angeles Motorcycle Club have written to officials in support of a measure banning loud exhaust pipes on motorcycles. Continue reading →

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September 27, 1957: Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Posted on September 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 27, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of Edward Gandara, who despite being stabbed by the attacker, saved an 11-year-old girl from being raped. Continue reading →

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

Posted on September 27, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 27, 1907: A child welfare officer cites Ringling Bros. for having underage performers — on the circus’ last day in town. 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, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 21, 1947: Los Angeles leads American cities in burglaries in the first half of 1947. For the first half of 1947, Los Angeles ranked third in the U.S. in homicide at 63, following Chicago (95) and New York (168). Continue reading →

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September 19, 1957: Paul V. Coates–Confidential File

Posted on September 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 19, 1957: Paul Coates has the story of an eccentric old woman pulling a grift, then discovers she cases homes for a burglary gang. And meet Robert Wyatt, who pulled a gun on someone who said he shouldn’t keep his five children on leashes. Continue reading →

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September 19, 1907: Deadlier Than Male

Posted on September 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 19, 1907: “Hidden somewhere in Los Angeles is a daredevil Spanish woman who should be standing with the Mexican revolutionaries when they are arraigned here in the United States Court,” The Times says of Maria Talivera. Continue reading →

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September 18, 1933: Bandit Killed, LAPD Officers Wounded in Burlesque Theater Shootout

Posted on September 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 18, 1933: Jack Keating, 30, and John Melvin Early, 35, had a plan to rob the Girlesque Theater at 510 S. Main St., but when the shooting was over, Keating was dead and Early and two men who helped plan the robbery were in jail. Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, September 2025

Posted on September 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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September 13, 1963: Woman’s Body Found Behind Wall in Highland Park Home

Posted on September 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 13, 1963: Joseph Lewis of Highland Park wasn’t terribly concerned when his wife, Anna, disappeared. It was only when her daughter returned from vacation that police were notified. Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Suicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

September 13, 1942: Retired Police Lt. George H. Williams, Badge 1, Dies at 84

Posted on September 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 13, 1942: Retired Lt. George H. Williams,who held LAPD retirement Badge 1, dies at the age of 84. He retired in 1912 after serving with the department for 23 years and was in charge of the detail that brought bodies out of the Times Building after the 1910 bombing. Continue reading →

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

Posted on September 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 11, 1907: “The woman who gets the proper sort of corset will have the fashionable figure, even if she weighs a ton,” says Elizabeth A.C. White. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: William J. Mann’s ‘Murders, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood’ — Not a Better Answer in the Dahlia Case, Just a Different One

Posted on September 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood, by William J. Mann, Simon & Schuster, 464 pages, January 27, 2026, $31.   Like a game of Clue with an actual cold case to solve, a well-worn list of suspects … Continue reading →

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September 4, 1933: Man Kills Wife and Daughter, Commits Suicide Over Pink Bedroom

Posted on September 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 4, 1933: A man fatally stabs his estranged wife and daughter, then slits his throat after an argument because his wife had the bedroom painted pink. Continue reading →

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September 3, 1941: Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer

Posted on September 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 3, 1941: Maj. George Tucker of Ft. MacArthur, stabbed several times in the abdomen, says the knife slipped. His widow (yes, the wounds were fatal) says they had been drinking heavily and she didn’t remember exactly what happened. Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on September 3, 1941: Widow Accused of Killing Ft. MacArthur Officer

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, September 2025

Posted on September 2, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and look at the “Black Dahlia” edition of “Clue” based on the infamous list of 22 suspects. Continue reading →

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