Tag Archives: lapd

Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming March 17, 2026

Posted on March 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The third session of the Black Dahlia Book Club will meet March 17 at 10 a.m. on YouTube. This time I’ll look at a two-part retrospective on the case, published in 1949 in the Los Angeles Mirror in its “Someone Knows! series, and the radio show “Somebody Knows” from 1950. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1948, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged 1947, 1948, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, lapd, Leslie Dillon, True Detective | Leave a comment

March 10, 1914: LAPD Cracks Down on Non-Asian Women Working in ‘Oriental Cafes’

Posted on March 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 10, 1914: The LAPD cracks down on non-Asian women working in ‘Oriental cafes.’ Continue reading →

Posted in 1914, LAPD | Tagged 1914, Asian Americans, lapd | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, March 2026

Posted on March 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case includes a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a possible appearance on Michael Connelly’s podcast. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged Alex Baber, Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short, lapd, Marvin Margolis, Michael Connelly | Leave a comment

February 29, 1932: Body Found in Closet of Vacant Home

Posted on March 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 29, 1932: Nailed up in the closet of an unoccupied house at 2318 Pontius Ave.., West Los Angeles, the body of Tomas Moreno (or Towas Morino), 43-year-old Japanese, was discovered yesterday by friends. Continue reading →

Posted in 1932, Cold Cases, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged 1932, Cold Cases, crime and courts, homicide, lapd | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia Book Club for February 2026

Posted on February 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

The second session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. This time, I discussed books by four journalists involved in the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1948, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, books, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged #Jim Richardson, 1947, 1948, Aggie Underwood, Black Dahlia, Black Dahlia Book Club, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Jack Smith, lapd, Will Fowler | Comments Off

Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming February 17, 2026

Posted on February 10, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The second session of the Black Dahlia Book Club will meet February 17 at 10 a.m. on YouTube. This time I’ll look at the memoirs of four journalists who covered the case. Continue reading →

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, February 2026

Posted on February 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case includes a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a brief introduction to the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged Alex Baber, Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short, lapd, Marvin Margolis, Michael Connelly | Comments Off

Black Dahlia Book Club for January 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

The first session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch. This time, I discussed the October 1948 issue of True Detective, which led to the Leslie Dillon debacle. Continue reading →

Black Dahlia: Trim Your Roses on January 15 to Remember Elizabeth Short

Posted on January 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 15: Today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death. As is the custom, the Daily Mirror will be dark. Trim your roses in her memory. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged . prune your roses, 1947, Black Dahlia, crime and courts, homicide, lapd | Comments Off

Black Dahlia Book Club–Coming Next Week

Posted on January 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

Three quick reminders: The anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder is Thursday — be respectful. The Black Dahlia case is not solved, regardless of what you may hear elsewhere. And the Black Dahlia Book Club begins a week from today at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

Black L.A., January 9, 1947: LAPD Detectives Cleared of Brutality Against Drunk Woman

Posted on January 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 9, 1947: Two officers are exonerated in the beating of Edythe Galloway. a story from the Los Angeles Sentinel and Police Commission minutes. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, City Hall, LAPD | Tagged 1947, African Americans, brutality, City Hall, Edythe L. Galloway, lapd, Police Commission | Comments Off

Black Dahlia and … Zodiac?? Ask Me Anything, January 2026

Posted on January 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

This month’s Ask Me Anything was devoted to debunking alleged claims (by an “amateur code breaker”) that the Black Dahlia and Zodiac murders were by the same killer. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged Alex Baber, Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short, lapd, Marvin Margolis, Michael Connelly | 1 Comment

January 5, 1959: LAPD Suspends Officer for – Uh-Oh

Posted on January 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 5, 1959: The LAPD suspends Officer Charles Wolf for 15 days for — no, he didn’t! (Yes, he did). Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Libraries | Tagged 1959, crime and courts, lapd, Police Commission, prostitution, William H. Parker | Comments Off

January 4, 1947: Angry Sailor Sets Fire to Skid Row Hotel After Being Rolled

Posted on January 4, 2026 by lmharnisch

January 4, 1947: 19-year-old mess cook second class Edward Pavlischak is so angry at being rolled for $30 while drunk in a hotel room that he sets fire to the place, killing 1 and injuring 5. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, Fires, LAPD | Tagged #Skid Row, 1947, Edward A. Pavlischak, Fires, Harry Fremont, lapd, quote of the day | 1 Comment

December 26, 1947: No Sympathy for Alcoholics!

Posted on December 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 26, 1947: A Los Angeles Times editorial shows no sympathy for alcoholism or alcoholics. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Food and Drink, LAPD | Tagged 1947, alcoholism, food and drink, lapd | Comments Off

Black Dahlia: December 23, 1949 — Jury Finds Dr. George Hodel Not Guilty of Molesting Tamar Hodel

Posted on December 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 23, 1949: A jury of eight women and four men finds Dr. George Hodel not guilty of molesting his daughter Tamar. Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Tagged 1949, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, crime and courts, George Hodel, lapd, Tamar Hodel | Comments Off

December 22, 1907: For I Was Homeless and You Ran Me In — L.A. Prepares for ‘Hobo Season’

Posted on December 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 22, 1907: Los Angeles prepares for ‘Hobo Season’ with posters warning that the city sentenced the homeless to the chain gang. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, chain gang, crime and courts, homelessness, housing, lapd | Comments Off

December 21, 1907: Desperate Girl, Alone and Friendless in L.A., Steals $10

Posted on December 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 21, 1907: Lillian Poelk was new to Los Angeles, with no friends and little more than a job as a waitress that didn’t quite cover the rent of her room at 831 S. Hope. “While other girls were getting pretty things and preparing for a pleasant Christmas, she was shut up in a cheerless room,” The Times said. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Tagged 1907, crime and courts, lapd | Comments Off

George Hodel: Ask Me Anything, December 2025

Posted on December 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 20, 2025: This month’s Ask Me Anything on George Hodel and Steve Hodel, announcing the Black Dahlia Book Club, coming in January, that will take a long look back at the books and articles written about the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

Posted in Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged Ask Me Anything, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Elizabeth Short, homicide, lapd | Comments Off

December 19, 1947: Going Down – City Hall Bans Clever Nicknames for Its Floors

Posted on December 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 19, 1947: The elevator operators at City Hall are having too much fun. The call the floor with the entrance to LAPD headquarters “Flatfoot Alley” and the city attorney’s criminal division “Ball and Chain.” The floor for the divorce courts is “The War Department” and “Alimony Alley.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, City Hall, Comics, LAPD | Tagged 1947, City Hall, comics, lapd | Comments Off