Category Archives: LAPD

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.

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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New Chief Shakes Up Police Department

Posted on February 24, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 24, 1910: This was one of those days when it was impossible to pick  one story over the others. New Police Chief Alexander Galloway orders a cleanup of the notoriously filthy City Jail … officials report a new … Continue reading →

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Police Urge Ban on Women Drivers

Posted on February 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

“The Saddest Scene,” by Clare Briggs.     Feb. 23, 1920: Los Angeles is the deadliest city in the nation for pedestrians, The Times says. Solution? Ban women drivers because women account for more than 30 percent of the fatalities, says … Continue reading →

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Hearing on the Gas House, Part 2

Posted on February 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Sept. 8, 1959: This is the second 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 … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Feb. 20, 1960

Posted on February 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Legal Revenge Not Dead Yet     I read Gov. Brown's reasons for giving Caryl Chessman a 60-day reprieve yesterday, but I'm not sure that I believe them.     He indicated that he felt  the climate in California had changed … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Feb. 17, 1960

Posted on February 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

It's Machiavellian in a Simple Way     Until last week, Al Linenberger was just like you.  He was a hard-working family man, active in community affairs.  A model citizen.     At least, he thought he was.  Certainly, he didn't suspect … Continue reading →

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Crackdown on Gambling in Chinatown

Posted on February 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Feb. 17, 1910: The legal fight escalates between police and business owners over gambling in Chinatown. Note the reference to Sgt. Charles Sebastian, who became police chief in 1911 and mayor in 1915.

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New LAPD Chief Takes Office

Posted on February 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

   Feb. 16, 1910: Police Chief Alexander Galloway receives his badge and is told that it will allow him free passage on all the streetcars. The chief says that if a conductor insists, he’ll pay rather than risk getting into … Continue reading →

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