Craigslist Ad Lures Decoys to Robbery Site
It was like that scene in the 1999 movie The Thomas Crown Affair where dozens of identical bowler-topped, trenchcoat-wearing, briefcase-carrying decoys confuse art museum security guards while the master crook walks out with a priceless painting. Only this time the setting was the small-town streets of Monroe, Washington, just northeast of Seattle. The decoys wore […]
Will Economic Troubles Increase Crime Rate?
Financial desperation often leads to desperate acts. In California, an unemployed money manager lost a fortune and killed his family in a tragic murder-suicide. In Ohio, a 90-year-old widow shot herself as deputies arrived to evict her from her home of 38 years.
The first wave of violent fallout from the current economic crisis seems to be […]
Which Prevents More Drug Crimes, Treatment or Jail?
Incarceration appears to be a more effective deterrent to drug crime than treatment, according to a study of Proposition 36 recently released by UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Programs at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. In 2000, California voters passed Proposition 36, also known as the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act, which offered […]
Drug Abuse May Have Contributed to Fatal Bus Crash
Drugs may have contributed to Sunday’s tragic bus crash that killed 8 people and injured 30 en route to a Sacramento gambling casino. The 52-year-old driver of the charter bus, Quintin Watts, was arrested in his hospital bed earlier this week on the suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs. Watts, who was […]
AG Brown Goes After Prescription Drug Addicts
Prescription drug abuse is reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates that 20% to 30% of California’s drug abusers are addicted to prescription drugs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 48 million Americans have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. Abuse of prescription drugs like […]
Identity Thieves Targeting Children
With the prevalence of identity theft, adults have become wary about providing personal information over the phone, on the internet and at stores. But few worry about someone stealing their children’s identity. Children don’t carry ID or have bank accounts or credit cards or jobs. They seem unlikely victims of identity thieves. But many American […]
Will Criminals Receive Due Process If Marsy’s Law Passes?
Victims’ rights are a hot political issue in California this election. Proponents of California Proposition 9, also called Marsy’s Law and the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights, say it will give crime victims the same rights as accused and convicted criminals (see our Sept. 24 post). But crime victims in California already have most of […]
Marsy’s Law Would Give Crime Victims Equal Rights
Crime victims advocates, law enforcement leaders and numerous politicians have united in support of California Proposition 9, also called Marsy’s Law. If approved by voters on the November ballot, the ”Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008″ will provide crime victims with the same constitutional rights as accused and convicted criminals.
“California’s constitution guarantees rights for […]
Texting May Have Caused L.A. Train Wreck that Killed 25
Authorities now suspect that the train collision that killed 25 Los Angeles commuters last week was caused by the engineer’s inattention while he was using his cell phone to text message friends. Federal investigators have determined that there were no obstructions on the track and that signals were working properly. Metrolink officials have blamed engineer […]
Kayne West Arrested in Wrestling Match with Paparazzi
In an altercation with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport, Kayne West was arrested on a charge of vandalism late last week. According to news reports, West and his manager, Don Crowley, smashed a paparazzo’s camera into the airport floor. Both men were arrested and booked for investigation of felony vandalism.
In video clips on the TMZ […]