Category Archives: LAPD

The Black Dahlia — Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on January 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

he anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s killing is Jan. 15, so I thought I would try to anticipate the annual rehash of fiction and mistakes with a post commenting on potential sources on the 1947 case.  People often ask me which … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, books, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | 6 Comments

Paul Coates, Jan. 2 1961

Posted on January 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

        Jan. 2, 1961: Paul Coates (yes, he’s a native New Yorker) compiles a list of civic sins – Bloody Christmas and the county grand jury, included – but declares for the new year that he actually … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, LAPD, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul Coates, Jan. 2 1961

Major Crimes Increase in L.A., 1960

Posted on December 31, 2010 by lmharnisch

           Dec. 31, 1960: Most crime, except for drunk driving, increased in 1960, according to Police Chief William H. Parker. The 4.2% decrease in DUI was probably due to longer jail sentences, Parker said. "In other … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Comments Off on Major Crimes Increase in L.A., 1960

Grim Sleeper Photos – Another Look

Posted on December 30, 2010 by lmharnisch

    I thought it would be interesting to visit the LAPD’s website to see how many images had been removed from the Grim Sleeper photos, presumably because the women were identified. I discovered that Nos. 164, 165,  169 and … Continue reading →

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L.A. Crime Rises in 1967

Posted on December 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Jan. 7, 1968: Joel Rubin and Robert Faturechi are reporting that homicides in Los Angeles have fallen to the lowest level since 1967. Interestingly enough, at that time the LAPD reported homicides were up 27.5%. over 1966. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, LAPD | Comments Off on L.A. Crime Rises in 1967

Matt Weinstock, Dec. 23, 1960

Posted on December 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

       Deck us all with Boston Charlie,Walla Walla, Washan' Kalamazoo… Nora's freezin' on the trolleySwaller dollar cauliflowerAlleygaroo! Dec. 23, 1960: One of the ugliest moments in the annals of the LAPD — the "Bloody Christmas" of 1951 — … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Matt Weinstock | 1 Comment

Santa Claus Is No Ordinary Man!

Posted on December 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Dec. 23, 1960: Take that, Sluggo, you gender-stereotyping clod! On the jump, a “legless World War II veteran” is charged with having 250 reels of stag films…. Jack Smith goes Christmas shopping and finds his fellow human beings … Continue reading →

Posted in #games, 1947, 1957, 1960, art and artists, Columnists, Comics, Jack Smith, LAPD, Religion | 1 Comment

Grim Sleeper No. 119, Details

Posted on December 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

A curtain or some type of fabric can be seen in Grim Sleeper No. 119, which has been identified, according to the Daily Beast, as victim Janecia Peters. I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Grim Sleeper, Homicide, LAPD | 1 Comment

Grim Sleeper, Interiors 3

Posted on December 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

Grim Sleeper No. 118 Although some images show a window blocked with tinfoil (Interiors, 2) a few photos show windows blocked with what appears to be a paper bag attached with blue masking tape. ALSO Grim Sleeper, Interiors Grim Sleeper, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Grim Sleeper, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | 3 Comments

Grim Sleeper, Interiors 2

Posted on December 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Grim Sleeper No. 22   The backgrounds in some of the photos show what appears to be a window covered with tinfoil. No. 22, above, is a frame from a video that shows this detail.  Some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Grim Sleeper, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | 1 Comment

Grim Sleeper No. 91

Posted on December 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

        When I first looked at this photo, I thought the item in the background might be a calendar. In fact it’s a page of display ads for a sporting goods store that has been placed over … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Grim Sleeper, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | 1 Comment

Grim Sleeper Nos. 141-142

Posted on December 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Grim Sleeper No. 141 appears to be a Polaroid marked Deborah B. Cleveland, Sept. 18, 2001, although there seems to have been some hesitation about the “18,” as if the writer started with 28 and changed his mind. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Courts, Grim Sleeper, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | 3 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo — Updated

Posted on December 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Los Angeles Times file photo   Update: This is Thelma Todd and Inez Courtney in a photo stamped Nov. 7, 1932.     Jan. 4-11, 1936: If you’re sick of the Thelma Todd case by now, you … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Thelma Todd | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Dec. 9, 1960

Posted on December 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

         Dec. 9, 1960: Paul Coates has a curious tale about an aspiring actor making a sort of debut – in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. On the jump, more about the killing of LAPD Detective Richard Kent.

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Found on EBay – Jean Spangler

Posted on December 8, 2010 by lmharnisch

An Oct. 12, 1949, edition of the Examiner, with a Page 1 story about the disappearance of Jean Spangler – drawing the usual parallels to the 1947 Black Dahlia case – has been listed on EBay. Old issues of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, LAPD | 1 Comment

Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update

Posted on November 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

Roby Heard, 1921-1960. Note: This is a blog post from 2010.  This is something I wrote in 2002 at the request of Det. Rick Jackson of the LAPD’s cold case unit. Jackson said that the “murder book” for 1960 was … Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries | 4 Comments

Bus Strike Begins!

Posted on November 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

          Nov. 16-21, 1960: Another bus strike ends after six days, with MTA mechanics winning a raise of 54 cents an hour to be given in three steps. Officials say that the raises will probably require … Continue reading →

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Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death

Posted on November 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

       Nov. 12, 1960: Here’s the sad story of Roby Heard, a former Mirror rewrite man who was beaten to death with a hammer in a killing that was unsolved for many years.

Posted in Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD | 1 Comment

Victor the Flower Vendor

Posted on October 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Oct. 22, 1910: The LAPD cracks down on sidewalk peddlers and beggars outside the Merchants’ National Bank at 3rd and Spring streets. But what to do with Victor, the poor flower vendor?

Posted in #courts, Downtown, Fashion, LAPD | Comments Off on Victor the Flower Vendor

Tom Bosley and the Black Dahlia

Posted on October 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Beverly Lafayette “Bevo” Means, 1971.   Most people associate the late Tom Bosley with his role as Howard Cunningham in “Happy Days.” But not at the Daily Mirror HQ, where we think of him in his cameo … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries, Television | Comments Off on Tom Bosley and the Black Dahlia