The Disgraceful NFL
Did anyone see that vicious assault last week in the NFL? The one that should have resulted in an arrest and prosecution, but won’t even get the player banned from the NFL?
The Murder Memo Anniversary Blog
We’ve just passed the two-year anniversary of The Murder Memo. Origin of the Name A murder memo is a document used at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. It contains the particulars of a case: identification of the victim, the date, time, and location of occurrence, and suspect information if there is any. The team…
The Murder of Deputy Michael Hoenig
During the early morning hours of October 30, 1997, Deputy Michael Hoenig was killed by gunfire as he attempted to stop a suspicious man on a bicycle in the City of Lynwood. Last week, I received a message from a colleague who had been reading the reflections posted on the Officer Down Memorial Page of…
The Plymouth Speech
“The Plymouth Speech” came about one night in Chinatown over gin and tonics while I sat with two of my best friends, Mac and Johnny B., lamenting a failed weekend with a high school sweetheart I’ll call Linda. “Sweetheart” might be a bit of an exaggeration, but there were obvious feelings each of us had…
Open Carry
I’m no fan of open carry, much to the dismay of some of my gun-loving brethren. Although I am an ardent supporter of the second amendment, and a lifetime member of the NRA, I believe this is one of those topics that should be carefully examined by all gun rights advocates. For me, this comes…
The Day America Changed
By September 11, 2001, I had become accustomed to my phone ringing at all hours of the day and night. But on that Tuesday morning, it was my wife’s phone that rang at 5:50 a.m., not mine. It wasn’t the office calling. It wasn’t my partner, nor my lieutenant, nor an informant, witness, or a…
The Deterioration of Law Enforcement: A Guest Post by Robert Harris
Robert Lee “Bobby” Harris has been a close friend since 1984. We worked together at several assignments on the sheriff’s department, including Firestone patrol and Homicide Bureau. We’ve been roommates, radio car partners, riding (motorcycles) partners, and drinking buddies.
Ghettoside: Part II
Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America As they walked him out of the building, Devin was back to whining. He wanted something—a soda. Skaggs turned, and for an instant, the calm, imperturbable patina he had maintained for two decades of working homicides slipped. Farell caught his look, surprised; he had never known Skaggs…
Ghettoside: An Interview with Author Jill Leovy
I just finished reading New York Times Bestseller Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America, by former Los Angeles Times reporter Jill Leovy. It is the story of homicide in South Los Angeles, more specifically the seemingly endless epidemic of blacks murdering blacks. It is provocative, brutally honest, a story I believe should be…
Off-Duty LAPD Officer Killed by Gunfire
LAPD Officer Gunned Down at a Taco Stand First and foremost, let me offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Officer Juan Jose Diaz, and to all of my brothers and sisters in blue. LAPD Officer Diaz was killed over the weekend in northeastern Los Angeles.