Category Archives: LAPD

Aug. 1, 1907: Swarm of Bees Terrorizes Downtown Los Angeles

Posted on August 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 1, 1907: ‘Naughty’ bees swarm on South Broadway! Continue reading →

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July 31, 1907: After a Day at the Beach, Beer, a Fight and Gunshots

Posted on July 31, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1907: A day at the beach ends in a fight over beer. Evelyn Ferguson is accused of shooting newsboy Charles ‘Winnipeg’ Wilson with a policeman’s gun because Wilson was attacking her friend, who ‘was not in a condition to remember much about how it happened.’ Continue reading →

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July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Posted on July 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1907: Los Angeles seeks to rid itself of outdated laws like hunting rabbits on Spring Street or conductors abandoning their streetcars to go quail hunting at the end of the line. Continue reading →

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Dead Man’s Last Words: ‘Here’s a Good Spot to Shoot, Baby,’ July 25, 1944

Posted on July 25, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 25, 1944: William B. Smith’s last words to his angry girlfriend were “Here’s a good spot to shoot, baby,” after he said he was going back to his wife. Continue reading →

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July 24, 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter, 17, Strangled

Posted on July 24, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1947: Jefferson High honor student Vesta Belle is found strangled in her bedroom. Continue reading →

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July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1907: Police capture a burglar who entered a jewelry store through a skylight. Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, July 2025

Posted on July 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, July 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a summary of the forthcoming book that “solves” the Black Dahlia case, Eli Frankel’s “Sisters in Death.” Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, June 2025

Posted on June 17, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, June 2025

Posted on June 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a summary of the forthcoming book that “solves” the Black Dahlia case, Eli Frankel’s “Sisters in Death.” Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, May 2025

Posted on May 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, May 2025

Posted on May 6, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a summary of the forthcoming book that “solves” the Black Dahlia case, Eli Frankel’s “Sisters in Death.” Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, April 2025

Posted on April 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2025

Posted on April 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and forthcoming books that “solve” the Black Dahlia case by William Mann and Eli Frankel Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, March 2025

Posted on March 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, March 2025

Posted on March 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a forthcoming book on the Black Dahlia case by William Mann. Continue reading →

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End of Watch: Joseph Wambaugh, 1937-2025

Posted on February 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

Remembering author Joseph Wambaugh (1937-2025) with a 2013 video interview for the L.A. Times and articles about the Onion Field, the 1963 kidnapping of two LAPD officers in which one was killed and the other survived. Continue reading →

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George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, February 2025

Posted on February 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, February 2025

Posted on February 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, including a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a forthcoming book on the Black Dahlia case by William Mann. Continue reading →

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Feb. 23, 1938 — Editorial: U.S. Doesn’t Need Anti-Lynching Law

Posted on February 1, 2025 by lmharnisch

Feb. 23, 1938: The Los Angeles Times editorializes that the U.S. doesn’t need a federal anti-lynching law. Backed by New Dealers, it’s merely an appeal to Black voters and lynchings hardly ever happen anyway, The Times says. And a pig test out San Quentin’s new gas chamber. Continue reading →

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