Category Archives: LAPD

Harvey Glatman Update

Posted on April 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 31, 1958: Harvey Glatman admits killing Judith Ann Dull, Shirley Ann Bridgeford and Ruth Mercado. I was recently contacted by Det. Steve Ainsworth of the Boulder County, Colo., Sheriff’s Office regarding a 1954 Jane Doe who may be … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide, LAPD | 1 Comment

Chauffeur Is Speed Crazy

Posted on April 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

April 2, 1910: "The motorcycle men are after me and they will never get me," he cried. "I'm going to give them a race for their money this time. If they get me they will send me to jail."

Posted in Downtown, LAPD, Transportation | 1 Comment

State of California vs. Edwin Estrada

Posted on March 31, 2010 by lmharnisch

The case of Edwin Estrada never made the news. No one heard about him on the radio or TV and he wasn't even worth a few lines on City News Service, which feeds tips to all the L.A. news outlets … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, LAPD | 1 Comment

Jury Duty

Posted on March 29, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Dan McCormack / Los Angeles Times Nov. 23, 1957: Caryl Chessman appears in court in a hearing to determine whether the state of California owned the manuscript of his unpublished book "The Kid Was a Killer,"  which was … Continue reading →

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Still on Jury Duty

Posted on March 27, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times June 20, 1957: Police chemist Ray Pinker, left, attorney Grant Cooper and Linda Mintz, charged with beating her employer to death with a vacuum cleaner. Note: I’ve spent the week on jury duty so … Continue reading →

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Eight Women Graduate From Police Academy

Posted on March 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 26, 1960: Eight female officers graduate from the Police Academy. In a reflection of the way policewomen were used at the time, four were assigned to the Juvenile Division and the other four were sent to the main … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Brenda Allen

Posted on March 24, 2010 by lmharnisch

This Aug. 9, 1949, AP photo of Hollywood madam Brenda Allen has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $9.99.

Posted in #courts, LAPD | 1 Comment

Car Theft Victim Calls for Crackdown on Joyriding

Posted on March 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 19, 1910: Until recently, about three cars a week were stolen in Los Angeles, The Times says.

Posted in #courts, LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off on Car Theft Victim Calls for Crackdown on Joyriding

Auto Club Offers to Pay for LAPD Detectives

Posted on March 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 17, 1920: This little, nearly illegible item is interesting for several reasons. The Police Department is chronically shorthanded, so the Automobile Club of Southern California volunteers to pay for two detectives if they are assigned exclusively to handle auto … Continue reading →

Posted in LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off on Auto Club Offers to Pay for LAPD Detectives

Drug Addict, Racked by Withdrawal From Morphine, Dies in Jail

Posted on March 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

   March 16, 1910: The Times says that another addict died in police custody because he was denied drugs in jail and went into convulsions.  The pharmacy board official who caught Harry Carson says he’s reluctant to make such arrests … Continue reading →

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Wife Beater Bluffs Police

Posted on March 14, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 14, 1910: Charles Edmondson beats his wife with a vest containing a sack full of coins, then holds off a squad of police by asking to see the officers’ warrant. Upon the advice of a lieutenant, the officers drop … Continue reading →

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Hearing on the Gas House, Part 4

Posted on March 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

Sept. 8, 1959: This is the fourth part of a transcript of testimony by “Holy Barbarians” author Lawrence Lipton before the the Los Angeles Police Commission on the Gas House, the Beat hangout in Venice.  Part 1 is here. Part … Continue reading →

Posted in #Jazz, books, LAPD, Music | Comments Off on Hearing on the Gas House, Part 4

Lawmakers Defeat Attempt to Ban Death Penalty

Posted on March 10, 2010 by lmharnisch

“I’ve Got to Live With Myself!”   March 10, 1960: The Senate Judiciary Committee kills Gov. Pat Brown’s effort to repeal the death penalty. Although Caryl Chessman is the pressing issue in the question of capital punishment, his name is … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Caryl Chessman, Comics, Film, Hollywood, JFK, LAPD, Richard Nixon, Sports | Comments Off on Lawmakers Defeat Attempt to Ban Death Penalty

Black Dahlia on Display

Posted on March 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

  One of many mistakes in the Black Dahlia poster from “Behind-the-Scenes: The LAPD Homicide Experience.” Notice that the location is wrong – the body was actually half a block away. Note: Most of the media’s attention to the LAPD’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD | 5 Comments

Police Kill Unmuzzled Dogs Under New Rabies Law

Posted on March 8, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 8, 1910: In response to concerns about rabies, city officials give police permission to kill any dog that isn’t wearing a muzzle as required by a new law. The Times describes thousands of loose dogs that will soon … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, LAPD | Comments Off on Police Kill Unmuzzled Dogs Under New Rabies Law

Rabies Epidemic

Posted on March 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 7, 1910: Mad dogs roam the streets of Los Angeles, terrifying people until police officers shoot the rabid animals. Remind me again about the past being a kinder, simpler time. The Broadway tunnel used to be just north of … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, LAPD | Comments Off on Rabies Epidemic

LAPD Chief Wants More Officers

Posted on March 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

“The Days of Real Sport,” by Clare Briggs.   March 5, 1920: Police Chief Home appeals to the City Council for 300 more officers because so many have been transferred to the Central Division from more rural areas. Recall the … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, LAPD | Comments Off on LAPD Chief Wants More Officers

Everyone Can Find Prostitutes Except the LAPD

Posted on March 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 3, 1910: Everybody in Los Angeles can find the city’s brothels – except the police, The Times says. Especially that place at 316 1/2 S. Spring St. There’s more on the jump, plus the crazy “Pawnshop Wife” … … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, LAPD | 1 Comment

Higgins Building to Add Two Floors

Posted on March 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 1, 1910:  Thomas Higgins is adding two floors to his building at 2nd and Main streets. A century later, downtown hipsters will thank him! On the jump, police make a terrible blunder in putting officers in Chinatown back … Continue reading →

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Officer’s Shot Saves Partner’s Life

Posted on February 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 26, 1960: Gov. Pat Brown will answer questions about granting a reprieve to Caryl Chessman … and on skid row, Officer V.P. Farmer shoots an ex-convict who is holding a gun to the head of Officer Ernest Searles … Continue reading →

Posted in broadcasting, Caryl Chessman, Downtown, LAPD, Television | Comments Off on Officer’s Shot Saves Partner’s Life