UPDATED!!! Is The First Amendment Dead In The Town of Paradise Valley Arizona?

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 ambiguous and vague language. 

Make no mistake; this would criminalize drone use if it were passed.  “Paradise” here is apparently an oxymoron! 

The biggest rub here is that the FAA has exclusive jurisdiction of the skies.  Further those including any government agency or private business like Google would be in violation by capturing or publishing aerial images of the town’s land and structures.

I guess some of the town’s father’s think they can require citizens to purchase permits before they should be able to enjoy the our long established rights in Paradise Valley. 

Perhaps this hastily and poorly thought out draft law needs a little more thought and its author needs some remedial education with respect to our Bill of Rights.

Maybe those interested need to contact these officials:

The Town of Paradise Valley, AZ and it’s Council:

Mayor Michael Collins

Vice Mayor Paul Dembow

Council Members::

Jerry Bien-Willner

Mary Hamway

David Sherf

Mark Stanton

Maria Syms

Town Manager: Kevin Burke

Town Attorney:Andrew Miller

Their e-mail addresses are below:

mcollins@paradisevalleyaz.gov, pdembow@paradisevalleyaz.gov, jbienwillner@paradisevalleyaz.gov, mhamway@paradisevalleyaz.gov, dsherf@paradisevalleyaz.gov, mstanton@paradisevalleyaz.gov, msyms@paradisevalleyaz.gov, kburke@paradisevalleyaz.gov, amiller@paradisevalleyaz.gov,

Below is the town’s draft ordinance along with my video directed to these officials:

 

Paradise Valley Cops Arrest Five Suspects for Shapiro Murders

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 available.

Police have no News of the Shapiro Murders in Paradise Valley

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’s Troubled Police Department is Still a Disappointment.

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 robot cameras. Traffic enforcement is important but here revenue collection is more important than protecting the lives of their residents.

Bennett’s deception here is unforgivable and should not be tolerated by the people of that town.
Now I have to wonder if any arrests made in connection with the Shapiro case will tainted with perjury, evidence and witness tampering that this agency is well known for in past. Cops are expected to always tell the truth and in this town they failed redundantly for decades.

Perhaps it’s long past time to disband this department and contract with the Sherriff’s office or City of Phoenix for police services.

Watch the KPHO-TV CBS5 video below and see Chief John Bennett lie to everyone:

Arrests Made In Paradise Valley Shapiro Murders and Arson

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 transactions. Of course most suspects let loose in the interrogation rooms either through confession or lies to hang themselves.

Calls and e-mails to the town police department have yet to be returned.

I expect they’ll have a formal press conference to announce the arrests. Right now we’re waiting for that to happen.

We can only hope that the officers and investigators of this small department have learned from past disasters along with the expensive litigation that followed. Perhaps this time they will get it right.

Update: It’s 8:00 PM in Arizona and they have not officially announced the arrests. Perhaps there are other outstanding suspects being sought. In any event they must get anyone in custody in front of a judge or let them go.

Click here for the latest and all articles connected to this case.

Horrifying Double Murder Challenges The Paradise Valley Arizona Police Department

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 professional in every respect.

There is a problem though and that is no fault of any current officer, it’s that they just don’t have experience with murder or shooting investigations in this promised land.

Paradise Valley has simply turned their police into a revenue robot traffic camera extortion racket that rakes in the cash. The first and foremost purpose of the department is generating revenue.

This agency also monitors resident’s burglar alarms and provides a vacation watch. Of course they do have burglaries and occasional vandalism. The clear up rate for these crimes is low in every community.

Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro was a lovely couple enjoying their golden years doting on their children and grand children. The couple have been married forever and shared their good fortune and wealth with several charities. All good things come from better education and Stanford’s School of Medicine did not fail Lawrence in that regard.

A follow-up investigation to a torched automobile belonging to the Shapiro’s led police to the couple’s Paradise Valley Home. The home was on fire and the couple was found bound and burned beyond recognition.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner has not formally identified the bodies and has been diligently trying to determine the exact cause of death.

There’s little doubt that last moments of the Shapiro’s lives was as frightening as it gets. The sadistic animals responsible for this need to be removed from the streets or this will not be their last crime.

Paradise Valley Police reportedly have obtained the help of the FBI, Secret Service and US Marshall’s service. That’s not enough. What’s needed is a crack team of big city homicide detectives where there are a lot of homicides.

There is another problem with this case and that is wealthy people have different issues than the residents of a large crime ridden city where the homicide victims tend to be poor.

Investigation of the Shapiro murders is going to require a massive paper investigation to determine just how and why this couple was targeted. Somehow I doubt seriously this was a random crime.

It will prove interesting if the killer/s used any of the couple’s credit cards. Many savvy criminals dump cards in places, were they can be found and used by petty crooks to throw investigators off their scent. The fact that the Secret Service is involved is a sure sign the cards were believed to be used after the couple was murdered since this organization is well known for their prowess at investigation of credit card fraud. Bringing in the US Marshall's Service suggests to me that someone thinks a federal fugitive is somehow involved.

I have to say that I can’t imagine the heartbreak this crime has brought a lovely family.

This crime is solvable.

Anyone with information should contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (948-6377), 1-800-343-TIPS (8477) or 480-TESTIGO (837-8446). So far the reward stands at $5,000.00.

I’m also willing to accept information on this case and to pass it on to police investigators.

Udate: I was in Beverly Hills on assignment when KPHO-TV CBS 5 requested a Skype interview. http://www.kpho.com/story/16667248/pi

Surviving A Shooting Only Was Half The Battle

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 mine into him. He never fell or dropped his gun although he was critically wounded.

The shooting investigation proved far too big a challenge for a corrupt, inept and incredibly stupid detective of the 23 man, Paradise Valley Police department. That cop had been fired from no less than four police departments and also had a criminal record!

After 18 months the case was resolved when the man I had to shoot and his daughter plead guilty to Perjury, Evidence and Witness Tampering.

This event made me an even stronger gun rights advocate. It also reinforced my own advice to others to never tell police anything beyond asking for a lawyer.