Category Archives: LAPD

LAPD’s Cars Are Useless Wrecks

Posted on May 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 9, 1910: “The first automobile purchased by the Police Department was an electric patrol wagon. This proved to be a failure, was used but little, and is now stored in the basement of the jail. Then a gearless … Continue reading →

Posted in LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off on LAPD’s Cars Are Useless Wrecks

Police Raid Chinatown Gambling Dens

Posted on May 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

May 4, 1910: Police conduct gambling raids in Chinatown in the 300 block of Marchessault Street, at 424 N. Los Angeles St.,  335 1/2 Apablasa and on North Alameda. On the jump, in the final days of the U.S. census, … Continue reading →

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CHESSMAN DIES

Posted on May 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 2, 1960: Don Dwiggins of the Mirror News writes: “At exactly 10:03:25, an unidentified guard tripped a lever that sent cyanide pellets dropping into an acid bucket beneath Chessman's seat. “Chessman seemed to tense noticeably, held his breath, … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 25, 1960

Posted on April 25, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Heartsick Mother's Problem One Which Has No Solution       Steve's mother knows she did wrong.  But she wonders, under the circumstances, what would have been right.       "I don't know," she told me from behind her handkerchief, … Continue reading →

Posted in Caryl Chessman, Columnists, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Music, Obituaries, Paul Coates | 3 Comments

Mark Twain Near Death

Posted on April 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 20, 1910: Samuel Clemens "has been perfectly conscious and in possession of all his faculties throughout his illness and, weak though he is, frequent flashes of the characteristic wit that made him a unique figure when in health, … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 19, 1960

Posted on April 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Let's Look at What Happened in London         With the odd feeling of an outsider looking in, I read the news accounts of what happened in London yesterday.        There was a parade, seven miles long.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, LAPD, Paul Coates | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 19, 1960

Sunday Drunks

Posted on April 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

  The Reduso corset reduces measurements of hips and abdomen from one to five inches. April 18, 1910: Police round up 23 drunks on Sunday and the ones who are too intoxicated to give their names have a number stamped … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Fashion, Food and Drink, LAPD | 1 Comment

Daryl Gates in His Own Words

Posted on April 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by R.L. Oliver / Los Angeles Times March 29, 1978: Sima Gates checks the new badge of her husband, Daryl F. Gates, after he was sworn in as the city's 49th chief of police during ceremonies at the Police … Continue reading →

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Voices: Daryl Gates, 1926 – 2010

Posted on April 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

 March 29, 1978: Daryl F. Gates becomes police chief. ( George Holliday / Courtesy of KTLA via Associated Press ) Four Los Angeles Police Department officers charged in the videotaped beating of Rodney G. King on March 3, 1991, were … Continue reading →

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Headstrong Girl Runs Off With Motorcycle Racer

Posted on April 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Pearl Clark, young runaway …  … who climbed out her bedroom window … … and into the arms of Jake De Rosier, French motorcycle racer. Doctors examine the girl after her brief adventure and confirm certain parts of her … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, LAPD | 1 Comment

Emergency Medical Training for Police, Firefighters

Posted on April 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 11, 1910: Dr. Charles Zerfing, the police surgeon, wants police officers and firefighters to be trained in “first aid to the injured.” Zerfing also wants an automobile ambulance equipped with emergency supplies, The Times says. Zerfing’s actions come … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, health, LAPD | Comments Off on Emergency Medical Training for Police, Firefighters

End of Watch, Danny Galindo

Posted on April 8, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Don Cormier / Los Angeles Times Regular Daily Mirror readers will be familiar with Detective Danny Galindo, who died Tuesday at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. Here he is in 1963, taking the part of Karl Hettinger, center, … Continue reading →

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A Narrow Escape on the Macy Street Bridge

Posted on April 4, 2010 by lmharnisch

April 4, 1910: A teenage girl’s trip to a merry-go-round at the end of the Macy Street bridge nearly ends in a lynching after a “lust-crazed cholo” tries to kidnap her.

Posted in #courts, LAPD | 1 Comment

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