CLick On the pictures to see full size versions. Long ago there was a young lady I had the hots for in a big way (Yes, I know that hots is not a word). She was pretty, incredibly bright, and had some real elegance about her. She had a love for children and basic kindness that you don’t often see in someone her age. I met her parents and could understand she came from a much more stable home than mine. I was raised by a single, welfare mom and suddenly found myself way out-classed. For whatever reasons things did not workout they way I had hoped. Sadly for me, we went on our separate ways. From time to time I’d run into this lady in various places where our job had taken us. Whenever this happened my heart would skip a beat or two. I left my hometown Chicago, and moved to Arizona where I founded my detective agency. As a private eye and soon a TV news producer too, my career took me to the highest profile criminal events in Arizona and throughout the country. There’s no question that ...

There's a video link at the bottom of this story... At the request of Phoenix Gazette reporter, J.W. Brown, I reluctantly agreed to examine a court file of a murder case she covered where a jury just convicted a young man. She told me that there was a lot more to the story and that she felt things were very wrong. She also told me self-defense was the defense. In case you don’t know, I’m a licensed private detective. The following day, I requested the file from the court clerk and expected to get a typical murder case file that would be several volumes thick. To my surprise they handed over the thinnest murder file I’ve yet to see. It had only contained 20 or so pages! That was a clear sign that the assigned public defender had not challenged much of anything throughout the two-day trial. I would learn later that she thought that an acquittal was a sure thing. It should have been. Based on the conviction, if this defendant got the lightest sentence that Judge Ron Reinstein coul...

Yes I was trying to buy a little shack to call home. I had to pass this one though because there was no plumbing or electricity in the whole place. I found out this was really a tomb! Actually this is the seldom photographed rear of the Taj Mahal from across the river. Be sure to click on all the photos so you can see the big picture! Okay, I confess that I really don't like Indian food. Thank God for TGIF. This was my fine dining. No you can't order any beef here! Here's the maharaja returning to his 80 wives and 200 concubines after a tough battle. My driver has a cell phone! I captured six hours of video with that Canon XL1S camera this trip. This was my second trip to India. There was no question I'd spend a little time with the cops. The good news was that a bail bondsman was close by. The bondsman set me up with the local fixer and they let me go home! Actually these were the railroad cops I met on a train ride from Delhi to Amritsar.

There can be no better place to mine stories and events than The Chicago Police Department. We’ve had so many disappointments come along in that regard. There was the two television seasons of Michael Mann’s Crime Story, written by former Area Six Robbery sergeant, Chuck Adamson that starred former Area Six Burglary dick, Dennis Farina. I loved the series until it became more about Las Vegas and the mob than our city and cops. The truth really was that Las Vegas was controlled by the mob operating out of our old First Ward Democratic organization with the help of too many exempt rank officers. Dennis Farina got his acting start in community theatre on Chicago’s North Side. I’m not sure of all the details of just how it came to be, but two great careers happened. I met Farina when I did a substitute shift, working a security gig for Goldblatt’s Department Store at Lawrence and Broadway in the mid 1970’s. Other than that I never worked with him again. I know Farina has a brother who was ...

I’m asleep in my own bed in Marina Del Rey CA., when I hear knocking and pounding on my door. I go to the door and two uniformed sergeants from the Chicago Police Department with drawn guns take me into custody. They demand to know were my uniforms and gun belt are located. I tell them and they escort me to that closet. They order me to put it all on. One grabs my old hat and puts a shield on it. My heart starts pounding. As I button my shirt and find that both my protective vest and shirt along with the pants shrunk a little while hanging in the closet. Next I put on my jacket the other sergeant puts that new ugly design police star on my jacket. Next they take me to an airplane where they have other kidnapped former and retired coppers, there were some on board I used to know. Soon we're standing roll call at 54 West Hubbard, in the old Mass Transit Unit squad room. An inspector is present. He tells us what a sorry bunch we are and the Watch Commander says it’s time to go to work...

This was always acceptable until that awful day on 9/11, when simple box cutters in the wrong hands facilitated the carnage. Were the box cutters responsible or the faulty attitude and policies of the FAA and the airlines? The FAA’s old “plan” was to have the flight crews and passengers always give the hijackers everything they wanted. Personally, I never thought that idea made any sense at all. The responsibility for the administration for security on airplanes has still NEVER been turned over to law enforcement professionals. Instead that duty is that of civilian patronage hacks in the FAA and the new TSA. Two of the four hijacked planes on 9/11 had unarmed, off duty trained police officers on board. They stood by helpless and perished with everyone else. Had these officers their side arms, 9/11 would have been just another day on those two planes. Of course that stupid policy not to interfere with hijackers or their demands should have been replaced by the judgment, training and exp...

Why can't I be 28 again? It's not fair! I want to do those last thirty years over again!

This was shot with my little Rolli 35s camera one Summer day day in 1978 0r 79 during the disturbances in Marquette Park over Frank Colin and the Nazis. Notice the ribbon on the officer's arm that's has this hapless mope by the hair. That's so he's recognized as the police by his counterparts. Be sure to click on the picture and fully expand it.

Oh, to go back when men were men and women were women... Notice how these ladies have paper targets on the floor so they don't get cold or dirty little knees. I'm looking for old photos like these of policewomen. If you can send them to Crimefile you'd be a hero to me. These pictures came from reteired Range Master, Sgt Roy Swanson. Roy's still alive and sharp as ever. An update: Thanks to retired policewoman/police officer, Maggie McCarthy who is pictured here in the class of 18 Feb '74 (she is the 4th policewoman from the right) I can now put names to some of the faces. From right to left, Cindy Kane, Susan Luther and Roseanne Fitzgerald. The other male range officer is the late, Jim Tracy. Be sure to click on the pictures and fully expand them. Update: Sgt. Roy Swanson has passed away.  RIP Swanny.  Your instruction saved lots of lives including mine.

I remember working every Christmas of my life when I was a cop. I never really minded it because it was always an easy day. One such Christmas, We received a disturbance call and responded to a rat hole apartment building on Chicago's Roosevelt Road. We came in expecting trouble but found no disturbance. The problem was that the mom and dad of the house could not operate their brand new Polaroid camera. The apartment was modest, but clean and tidy with fresh cake and cookies on the table. Our mom and dad were both unable to read the camera instruction book. There were five kids with their presents that needed to get their pictures taken next to their Christmas tree. That was a quick fix. Before we left we took pictures of the whole family all smiling and happy. One thing more, there was a cross and the wall with a picture of Jesus Christ. In the middle of poverty there were some lucky children being raised by two parents that had some dignity and pride. That made my Christmas a lit...

This post is somewhat of a response to my brothers at Second City Cop. http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/2005/12/final-thought-on-stupid-stuff.html Some over there have questioned the gathering and posting of the photos of the Southwest Airlines crash at Midway airport. No, the posted pictures are not in any way offensive. However the posting of the pictures with officers posing, on the Internet was a questionable career move. Let's move on to my response here... First of all, humans are curious about monumental events in the lives of people living in our world. It's natural to want to see and learn what went wrong that took or affected people's lives. We created and supported news organizations from the first day the Gutenberg press first rolled over newsprint. That has not changed since. Of course with the changes to technology, still-cameras, radio, film and today video cameras have entered our lives. They are all here to stay, quite simply because society demands their...

Here are a bunch of photos of this accident. There are no victims, no blood just a real view of this accident that took the life of a little boy getting ready to have Christmas. It's sad, it's tragic and it's also news. There is a big controversy over these photos and the Chicago cops that took them. I just don't see why anyone is disturbed about these photos. The accident was disturbing but aren't they always? Here she is getting face time in other tragic events: http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/2006/01/one-month-anniversary.html

Pornography has been around at least as long as the first artisans learned how to replicate man’s sexual activities through various media. Then came governments and their religious influences and such depictions were outlawed. The American Revolution came along and soon after, the First Amendment to our Constitution was enacted. Of course our Constitution never slowed down politicians seeking regulate those rights and save all our souls in the process. Laws against pornography were established in every state. Then one day, Cleveland Heights, Ohio theatre manager, Nico Jacobellis was pinched and later convicted for two counts of possessing and exhibiting an obscene film French film called "Les Amants". Defense lawyers took Jacobellis’ convictions all the way to the United States Supreme Court where they were overturned. Jacobellis’ case was the one where in 1964, the late, Justice Potter Stewart famously tried to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, b...

During the month of October I returned to Chicago to do some filming for a promotional DVD. I had to capture some video for a segment at Cabrni Green. It was fun observing the local, young, male population nervously watching BIG BROTHER.

Stanley “Tookie” Williams, a street thug, convicted mass murderer and Crips street gang founder lies dead. I don’t in any way condone his lifestyle, deeds or reputation. Williams was not a friend of mine and I don’t mourn him. Is he innocent of the four murders that put him in this box? With our broken justice system that’s really possible. I just don’t know. Frankly the track record of overturned death verdicts speaks for itself. My guess is that he’s responsible for some really despicable acts while he roamed the streets of Los Angeles. The problem is that he was convicted of four horrible murders. What he may have done is not the concern of our criminal justice system. The real issue here is can any government be trusted with the power to kill its own people? Sooner or later every government on Earth has or will abuse this kind of maximum authority. The death penalty is a bad idea. I don’t think I will ever be able to convince people that the death penalty is wrong and should be sto...

Monday, December 19, 2005 12:55 A.M. Hollywood. UPDATED JANUARY 20, 2006... Officers from the Hollywood Division of the L.A.P.D arrested 51 year-old taxi driver, Alexander Terminassian for Attempted Murder in connection with the shooting of a, 28 year-old would-be passenger outside the Frolic Room nightclub. According to police the cab driver was attacked by the unnamed man, who spat at, chased and began striking the cab driver who fled for his safety to the back seat of yet another taxi. The cab driver was then dragged out of the taxi and that's when he drew a handgun in an attempt to stop the attack. Despite the presence of the gun the thug continued striking Terminassian who fired his gun wounding the man. The wounded assailant was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment of an upper body gunshot wound. Terminassian fled the scene fearing for his safety and later arrested at his home by police. Police further said that the taxi driver refused the wounde...

This was every bit a Chicago institution. It was a wire service for Chicago's news organizations that kept track primarily of cop and fire stories. This outfit was staffed for the most part by young college kids learning the ways of Walter Winchell and Mike Royko. The Trubune shut down this renouned talent incubator for good. I hope some new organization can rise out of the ashes of City News and flourish as another training ground. I remember when the City News, news bunnies would come into my district station and pump me for information about some low rent homicide or stick up. They were cute kids. If I was in Chicago right now, I'd want to start a new cable news program. I'd call it, The Local Wire. It would be only local news, all the time. No weather, business or sports. It would be the Police Blotter on steroids. Only the gritty local scandals, murders and bizzare tales would make air. I'd want to start with 20 three-man crews for all of Cook County. Cop, court, a...

Avenging Angel you say? Some believe she’s a threat to the concept of fair trials for the accused. Underneath the gentle appearance of a TV news reporter/anchor, Nancy Grace is really just an advocate. An advocate for the conviction of anyone and everyone accused of a crime that’s unlucky enough to get the unwanted attention of Grace. Legitimate news media organizations have been fighting to get cameras into our courts as long as cameras have been in existence. The argument for cameras is to insure fairness and an accurate depiction of events in the court. Reporting the facts of a trial is a simple straightforward issue you’d think. It’s not simple anymore. One day O.J. Simpson was involved in a legendary slow speed chase on L.A.’s 405 Freeway. Before that now famous Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowling turned on that Sunset Boulevard exit to Brentwood, new broadcasting careers were being born. Along with the new TV personalities, came the hordes of pundits with wide ranging opinions. Soon...

With the explosion of DVD sets from long gone TV series where I the ones for the shows I liked the best? Where’s that fabulous realistic TV series, Police Story, produced by Joe Wambaugh? How come I can’t get that fun, operatic, TV series, Cop Rock, produced by Steven Bochco? Will I ever see a boxed set of The Fugitive, produced by Quinn Martin? I can’t help but see a sea of lost revenue for the producers and actors of this lost art.

The press is always invited, but not the public. This show is for industry professionals with credentials. February 9-12, 2006 Las Vegas Convention Center • Las Vegas, Nevada www.shotshow.org

The key to this issue is just where are the security measures taking place, in America. That’s right, in the land of the not so free, and the home of the not so brave. Our founding fathers fought and died so they could give us the freedom and liberty that we are so afraid of enjoying. We fought wars so we would not have tyranny and the search checkpoints like the nations we waged war against. In the name of security, we’ve since given up our Liberty. Today millions of Americans line up like sheep when we enter government buildings, airports, bus, train and even mass transit subways. We allow the unlawful invasion of our privacy, papers and body by the likes of rent-a-cops. Instead of the courts protecting our freedoms the judges charged with that duty jumped on the bandwagon to engage in this vile practice themselves in their own courthouses. The airlines and the FAA were and are a danger to Americans. They created unenforceable weapon free zones that facilitated the horrible events of...

I remember the day Chicago Police Superintendent Leroy Martin and three aldermen ordered the arrest of a painting hanging inside The Art Institute of Chicago. That's right, a painting! It seems that the real beauty of this "art" was somehow lost on these Black officials while gazing on the work by, senior student David K. Nelson. The subject of the painting was the late Mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington. Yup, he's the same guy who served 30 days in the Cook County Jail for income Tax Evasion in the 1960s. I think the other candidates for mayor wanted to hang a sign on the jail, "Washington slept here." during the election canpaign. Rumor had it that Harold was Gay and got some unwanted help with his Gay Pride issues from Mr. Nelson. Needless to say the painting pled NOT GUILTY and somehow managed to beat the rap. I think Greylord lawyer, Dean Wolfson somehow fixed the case for the painting. I wonder where that artistic item hangs today. The post script to ...

That 1960’s rock & roll record producer is soon to face a Los Angeles jury for charges that he murdered his evening date, Lana Clarkson. She died from a single gunshot wound to her face. This case has a familiar odor about it. That of cops and prosecutors getting famous by accusing the famous. One thing for sure whatever the prosecutors can’t get into evidence in a court of law they will get to the jury through media reports of every kind. The questions are simple the answers are not. I have several that so far have not been answered. Who owns the gun that made the fatal injury? We know that Spector has a small gun collection and the gun in question came from elsewhere. What was the psychological condition of Ms. Clarkson? We know that she was using illegal drugs and was under the influence of alcohol too. Is this prosecution really about another civil action to follow the criminal case? We know Clarkson's family is standing by ready to loot Spector’s estate with a civil verdic...