UPDATE!!! I'm pleased to report that the town council tabled the drone ban ordinance acknowledging it needed to be studied.  They put off consideration until October at the earliest.   A half-dozen or so people spoke against the ordinance and nobody supported it.   I'm glad the council had second thoughts since this was created out of fear and misunderstanding. Frankly I'm proud of their taking the high road.   As for those of you operating drones in Paradise Valley or for that matter anywhere, please fly safe and be considerate  of others.   Town of Paradise Valley, AZ —In arguably the most expensive real estate in the State of Arizona they are proposing the most draconian camera drone ban ever! The town’s council will be voting on this draft ordinance during their May 28, 2015 meeting.   They want to outlaw any use of a drone without a single use permit and fee.   It further outlaws the publishing of all aerial images in somewhat...

Town of Paradise Valley, AZ – Police Chief John Bennett announced the arrests of five suspects in connection with the gruesome murders of Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro. Bennett identified the suspect as: Michael Lee Crane, 31 Brittnay Beinhauer, 29 Kelly Steward, 29 Shawn Nicloy, 29 Danielle Rossman, 26 Michael Crane is charged with two counts of First Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Robbery, two counts of Kidnapping, one count each for Burglary and Arson. Others are charged with offenses from Hindering Prosecution to or including, Trafficking in Stolen Property Crane is an ex-convict serving time for drugs, weapons violations and promoting prison contraband, Every one of the suspects has a criminal history. Police said they have no evidence that the Shapiro’s were specifically targeted. Police also say they recovered property and the murder weapon. For now we must guess on just who snitched breaking this case. You will find court documents posted here as soon as they become av...

Town of Paradise Valley, AZ —Today's news from the police department on the gruesome Shapiro murders is that there’s no news. Last week a town council official and the mayor spread rumors that two or three arrests had been made in the case. Bringing people in for interviews does not an arrest make. Spreading misinformation is a poor way to put the town’s residents at ease. It became obvious when nobody was brought before a judge for initial appearance the town’s red-faced officials jumped the gun. Today a polite press release suggested that they are making progress with the investigation and will notify the media when it’s appropriate. The reality here is that the cops are not clairvoyant and these days most murders remain unsolved. If they make arrests they must be sure not destroy the life of anyone who is innocent. That’s easier said than done.

Town of Paradise Valley, AZ —I somehow thought the days of police mismanagement and deceit might be buried in this town's past. That was until I discovered that its current Chief of Police has misled the media. With the shocking and sadistic home invasion murders of Glenna and Larry Shapiro I somehow mistakenly expected good things from this department that seemed smart enough to request investigative resources from outside the, 25 member department. KPHO-TV CBS 5 ’s reporter Jason Berry asked Chief John Bennett about similar recent crimes in the community where home invasion robbers tied their victims up. Bennett proved to either be totally incompetent or he outright fibbed to reporters about two other such events in this town with some 14,000 residents. Having three dangerous home invasions in this town reflects very badly upon the department. Apparently they’d rather tie up their cops extorting money from motorists passing through their over-regulated Lincoln Drive with ro...

Town of Paradise Valley, AZ -I called it right when I said last night that the cops avoidance of the media was a sure sign they were moving in on suspects. The cops only go to the media when they need to reach out for tips and information. Of course they need to announce their victorious arrests on high profile cases. Sometime this morning the town’s council members and mayor were buzzing about the developments in this horrific and gruesome crime. It's all very unofficial right now. Reportedly they have at least three unidentified suspects in custody in connection with the murders. That information was passed on to neighbors by the town's mayor and at least one council member. If this is indeed true police would are putting the finishing touches on their investigation in preparation of a Probable Cause Statement for court booking purposes. The evidentry keys here are service of search warrants and the recovery of property taken from the Shapiros along with credit card transa...

Paradise Valley, AZ —In this tranquil and upscale community crime is rare. The people here generally have wealth and in our faltering economy burglaries and home invasions are bound to increase. As bank robber Willie Sutton once answered a reporter asking him why he robbed banks, “It’s where the money is!” Today gold, gems and a simple set of silver flatware will fetch record prices. Most people use banks and credit cards and don’t keep much cash on hand. The police department here is comprised of 25 sworn and certified officers. This department has a history of incompetence and became a place for otherwise unemployable cops fired from other agencies. This was the case in the 70's, 80's and 90's. I don’t want to leave anyone with that impression today because the troubled officers for the most part have faded off into the sunset with their substandard supervisors and chiefs. Commander Alan Laitsch has been around a long time and has proven himself to be contentious and...

Paradise Valley, AZ —Serving court summonses and other documents can be dangerous. Sometimes the people you must serve are drunk, on drugs, angry and of course armed. Even good people don’t like bad news. I had to serve an eviction summons on a man and his wife that had not paid rent on a large expensive home for seven months. The man was a white collar criminal who had just lost two expensive cars to the repo man who was now looking for the man’s new Chevrolet Suburban. Legally drunk and at the end of his rope the man intended to punish me for his troubles. As I served his wife he was out trying to cut the tires of my car. I served the summons and was returning to my car in near total darkness. The angry, drunken man approached me and pistol-whipped me in the head with a .45 semi-automatic. I was cut and bleeding from two head wounds as I drew my own five shot .38 Smith & Wesson Bodyguard and ordered him to drop his gun twice. Instead he pointed his gun at me and I emptied m...