Category Archives: LAPD

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.

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, LAPD, Paul Coates | Comments Off

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 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 missing and … 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 →

Posted in Freeways, LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off

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

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

Luncheon to Celebrate Centennial of LAPD’s First Policewoman

Posted on September 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

Sept. 14, 1910: The Herald reports Alice Stebbins Wells’ appointment as the first policewoman in Los Angeles. The Herald treated her with far more dignity than The Times, which found her to be somewhat amusing. Wells will be honored … Continue reading →

Posted in LAPD | Comments Off

Paul Coates, Aug. 24, 1960

Posted on August 24, 2010 by lmharnisch

Aug. 24, 1960: The Mirror reports a shouting match between Mayor Norris Poulson and Police Chief William H. Parker over a proposed police cadet program. It sounds like a great item, but alas, so many stories and only one Larry … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Columnists, From the Vaults, LAPD, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Striker Sentenced for Violating Picketing Law

Posted on August 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

A woman runs off with a man who has no legs? Somebody at The Times had a grim sense of humor. Aug. 11, 1910: A judge sentences E.P. Kreamer to a $50 [$1,136.94 USD 2009] fine or 50 days in … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1910 L.A. Times bombing, art and artists, LAPD | Comments Off

Police Quash Labor Riot

Posted on August 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

Aug. 9, 1910: Los Angeles Police Capt. Lenhausen leads fellow officers in dispersing a crowd of more than 500 rowdy brewery strikers and sympathizers as demonstrators picketed the Belmont Bar at 5th and Main streets. Although The Times' account … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 L.A. Times bombing, art and artists, LAPD | 1 Comment

L.A. Makes Theater Censor Billboards for Play

Posted on August 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

Aug. 3, 1910: Remember that beer is a health drink – like “liquid bread.” On the jump, the manager of the Grand Operahouse is arrested for violating the city’s billboard laws over posters for “Queen of the Highway.” Accompanied … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, LAPD, Stage | Comments Off

Brave Officer Halts Runaway Horse

Posted on August 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

Aug. 2, 1910: Patrolman R.M. Green was directing traffic at 3rd and Main streets when a runaway horse pulling a light wagon plunged toward the intersection. Green jumped into the back of the wagon and made his way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Downtown, LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off

Earl Rogers and L.A.’s Picketing Ban

Posted on July 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo Attorney Earl Rogers, who drafted L.A.’s ban on picketing and defended Clarence Darrow on charges of attempting to bribe jurors in the trial of the McNamara brothers in The Times bombing. July 16-19, 1910: … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1910 L.A. Times bombing, City Hall, LAPD | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – Brenda Allen

Posted on July 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

Most people have only seen photos of 1940s Los Angeles vice queen Brenda Allen that show her in sunglasses and a hat with a veil, like the photo at right. This unusual photo at left, that shows what she actually … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, LAPD, Photography | Comments Off

Police Detective Alleges Corruption

Posted on June 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

Sept. 26, 1979 June 27, 1980: After more than 1,000 hours of investigation, the district attorney's office closes its inquiry into Det. Donald Wicklund’s charges of misconduct in the Los Angeles Police Department, ending a messy, complicated case involving … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, broadcasting, LAPD, Television | Comments Off

Learn to Operate a Linotype!

Posted on June 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 20, 1910: The Times charges $50 [$1,136.94 USD 2009] for six weeks of Linotype school. Notice the reference to the auxiliary plant, where The Times was published after the Oct. 1, 1910, bombing destroyed the newspaper building at 1st … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 L.A. Times bombing, LAPD | Comments Off

A Blow to Strikers

Posted on June 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1910: The stage is set for the famous anti-picketing ordinance approved by the City Council in July 1910. For further reading, I would recommend Grace Heilman Stimson’s “Rise of the Labor Movement in Los Angeles,” published in … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, LAPD | 1 Comment