Gun vs. Knife

So you think because you carry and know how to use a gun that you will be able to protect yourself from a knife or cutting instrument attack with ease?

For those people that think guns are more dangerous than knives, think again. More than 60% of all people shot with firearms even multiple times survive the attack. Cutting and stabbing victims don’t do nearly as well. Bullet wounds self-seal because of the elastic nature of human tissue. Knife cuts lay open and bleed profusely as the veins and arteries are opened wide.

Then there are those laughably ignorant people (too many are politicians) who want cops or civilians confronted by knife wielding criminals to either shoot the knife out of someone’s hand or just shoot to wound. You’re about to see that such an effort will get you killed.

Watch this video and you will see the knife can easily beat a gun in any contest.

Bring back the CPD policewoman uniform please!

The late Ann Leybourne Biebel, seen here was a fine example of an officer that did great work in both uniforms. I admit I had a difficult time adjusting to this petite and feminine woman’s change to wearing pants, and replacing her cute little beret with the O.W. Wilson, checkerboard hat.

There was a time when men were men and women were women. That’s all changed now and I was sorry to see that concept go away. Women were belatedly integrated with men for regular police work. I have no problem with this other than for too many women a loss of their femininity. Women have proven themselves up to the task for the most part.

Not all female officers are in patrol. Many work desk duties, or are involved with academy training. These gals don’t need to cross-dress as men to perform their duties like what’s required in patrol.

I say it’s time to bring back those policewomen uniforms for those ladies who are assigned to wear uniforms outside of patrol.

Roseanne Fitzgerald, Cindy Kane, Sue Luther and Marie Murphy are some of the ladies pictured here.

16 Blocks—The Official Crimefile Movie Review…

I’m blessed to have a wonderful voice coach. She’s the world-class soprano and Emmy Award winning, Sue Ann Pinner. Sue Ann enjoys cop themed films and told me that 16 Blocks is a must see film. I wisely took Sue Ann’s advice.

I’m not sure how it happens but I never saw a Bruce Willis film I didn’t like. Willis nearly always plays the unlikely hero of a heavy action film with an improbable script that he somehow makes believable. Willis predictably didn’t disappoint me. The film also stars two fine actors, Mos Def, and David Morse. I have to confess as a SAG actor, I’d die and go to heaven for a part in any Willis film. (Hey Bruce! Did you hear that!)

Willis plays aging and alcoholic cop who gets assigned the task of escorting a motor-mouth witness (Def) from a jail cell to a Grand Jury. The witness turns out to be involved in a nasty corruption case and nearly everyone wants him (the witness) dead. It’s a long 16 blocks to the courthouse. I give 16 Blocks 16 thumbs up!

See the trailer…

Cops moonlighting as private eyes…

There’s been some recent controversy about cops working as private investigators. All because a couple of cops were giving criminal history and motor vehicle information to a disgraced former Hollywood private investigator, and convicted felon, Anthony Pellicano.

I argue that most of the National Crime Information Center’s records should be made public and placed on the Internet for all to see. Certainly the records involving the criminal conviction and stolen property databases can be opened. The truth here is politicians and bureaucrats that make the NCIC policy and I have never agreed on much of anything. They’ve managed to maintain a secret government just like the old Soviet Union’s KGB. It’s an expensive pain in the butt but we private eyes can still get subpoenas to get the NCIC protected information.

The silly “Maxwell Smart” NCIC policy opens the door to corruption as some clerks, data processors and law enforcement personnel have turned the policy into a cottage industry. Modern safeguards have ended most of the abuses.

Most private eyes view having cops in the business is unfair competition. The PI’s that complain the most have no law enforcement training or experience and are generally lousy investigators. I disagree with that because I view experience and training of cops as a real asset. It’s wrong to assume that cops will abuse their NCIC peeking privileges if they work for as a PI.

These days, there are solid safeguards in place to discover record snooping by cops in material that’s not germane to their ongoing law enforcement work. If in doubt simply ask the two “Pellicano” cops facing being fired, losing pension rights, disgrace and prison.

The only conflict I see is moonlighting cops doing criminal defense work. Bodyguard, civil case investigations and insurance fraud matters should be wide open for off duty officers.

The LAPD is now reviewing their off-duty police employment rules. I expect, as usual they will do the wrong thing.

“Fatal Vision” Prosecution And Conviction Never Made Sense…

A new trial is on the horizon for Dr. Jeffrey McDonald. I never believed for a moment that the physician, Army Green Beret, husband and father, Jeffrey McDonald killed his wife and two daughters back in 1970. Dr. McDonald did everything right in his life to achieve his wonderful success as an Army surgeon. Murder just does not fit into that picture.

The suggestion that Dr. McDonald strayed from his marriage as all too many young men do, caused him to murder his 26 year-old wife and daughters, ages six and two is beyond weak.

There never was a motive presented that made sense. The case was re-opened years later after Army investigators suspended it for lack of evidence or a tangible suspect. The catalyst for re-opening the case was McDonald's now deceased father-in-law. He went from supporting McDonald to condemning him to every politician, reporter or bureaucrat that he could get to listen.

There is now word of new DNA evidence that gives doubt of McDonald's guilt. You'd never guess from the slanted story ABC put on today's wires. That article talks about a hair from McDonald found in Colette MacDonald's hand. My God! McDonald lived there and his hair would be found everywhere! That's totally meaningless. What's not meaningless is the testing of another hair, under the fingernail of Jeffrey MacDonald's youngest daughter, showed that it came from an unidentified person, someone who did not live in the household.

The resources of the Army to investigate that case in 1970 were primitive at best. When the FBI came along whatever evidence they did have was made unreliable by the Army CID. This became a whodunit where a jury got to guess their way to a conviction.

Prosecutors have ridiculed the idea that Macdonald is innocent. Prosecutors also know that the destruction of a young, handsome rising star physician's life by injustice would cause a civil jury to give McDonald a tremendous cash payout. This in light of brand new allegations made by a deputy U.S. Marshall of witness tampering by a prosecutor during McDonald's trial.

I wish the best for McDonald who has grown old in prison and watched his skills as a physician flushed down the toilet. His life is even more tragic than that of Dr. Sam Shepard who was wrongfully convicted a little more than a decade earlier. McDonald has suffered even more than Shepard.

There is reasonable doubt and that must be the standard to acquit this man

Here is an information web page put out by the McDonald defense. You can argue that it’s self-serving but what choice does he have but to get the information out to the public?

Humane Self-Defense For Women Who Live Alone…

I came across this video that demonstrates a humane method of self-defense for women. This technique came to Crimefile from a progressive thinking Salt Lake City, Utah Company. I especially recommend this method for women who live in cities with out-of-control crime like Washington, DC. New York, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Sit back and learn from this short video…

Scroll down a bit and press the play button I know the screen is black…

A fun video game for my readers…

I’m not a fan of video games but I really like this one despite the fact it promotes those vile handgun magazines that hold more than ten rounds. Enjoy!

http://www.sizor.com/flash/binladen.htm

They Call This A TV News Investigation?

A friend e-mailed me this TV news story and I thought it deserved some attention on my blog. This came from Miami-Fort Lauderdale’s CBS4. It’s a typical “sweeps story” designed to boost their February ratings. I’ve seen this same story done in other TV markets and it always seems to yield the same results.

The deal is they send in some junior producer with the sneaky-cam into a police station and have him ask for a form to make a beef against a cop. Most departments simply ask what happened and forward the preliminary information to internal affairs. For these stories the producers act squirrelly and I’m sure the officers notice suspicious bulges in the producer’s clothing from the hidden camera equipment.

The truth is people with real complaints against officers are seldom afraid to complain and answer any and all questions put to them. This behavior by the producer would not seem right to any experienced officer for someone with a complaint.

The asking for a form is truly bogus since each and every department will initiate an internal investigation on the simplest of written letters. It’s the practice of nearly every police department in America for the officers to collect the information and write all reports instead of the citizens.

This story was a cheap way to hype their investigative prowess and get more viewers. I find that the story is inflammatory and misleading.

Ferrari Enzos, Guns and Do It Yourself Law Enforcement Agencies!

That probe of the Swede ex-convict, Stefan Eriksson the owner of that million-dollar Ferrari Enzo destroyed in that now infamous Malibu crash keeps going and going.

If you want to be a cop and can’t seem to get hired, simply start your own police department!

The L.A. Times has an article about the “law enforcement agency” connected to Eriksson. It’s a good read.

Update 3/9/06 Patt Morrison suggests it may have been more about looting federal funds...

Politicians, Schemes and Concealed Weapons Laws

Why haven’t the Liberal politicians figured out that only the law-abiding folks want the right to get a permit to carry a firearm for self-defense?

Criminals have never cared about gun laws and enjoy the freedom from random police searches because of the Fourth Amendment. Most folks don’t know that felons are not required to register their guns because of rights under the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination. These same criminals don’t care about laws against robbery, rape or murder either.

Unfortunately, punitive laws eliminating the right to possess or carry firearms cause people to look for a back door to regain the rights politicians took away. In California the wealthy can make generous campaign contributions to Sheriff’s re-election campaigns or simply bribe various public officials for the right to carry a firearm for self-defense. Does this sound corrupt? It’s not under California law!

In Illinois, there are no permits to issue so the wealthy visit their local Sheriff or Coroner and simply get deputized again via that simple but legal form of corruption. In Illinois that also provides full police powers to anyone given a deputy’s star.

Other people desperate for a way to lawfully protect themselves and families opt for more creative ways such as forming animal control and law enforcement agencies. They do that just to get around unreasonable laws and regain the right to keep and bear arms. Again the granting of unnecessary police powers is involved.

Nearly the entire nation has adopted simple laws that allow the law-abiding to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense. Forty states have the "shall issue" permit systems and two other states; Vermont and Alaska allow carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.

It’s common knowledge that CCW permit holders have universally demonstrated good behavior. Many politicians warned us of the shootouts at every traffic accident between permit holders that never happened. Too many politicians simply hate guns and gun rights and legislate them away whenever they can.

California Concealed Weapon Permit applications are off the charts when it comes to privacy invasion and nonsense. The 20 page CCW applications are longer than what’s required of applicants seeking employment as a police officer!

Then there is that ugly issue of racism in California’s corrupt CCW permit selling program. The minority citizens are last to be issued permits.

Drive by shooting Video found in L.A. suspect’s possession…

The following video is making it rounds in the Internet. Is it a real crime or a scene from a film? So far nobody has connected this to a real crime. It looks and sounds very real to me but I’ll save my judgment until I know more…

Deputy In Videotaped Shooting To Face Felony Charges.

That January videotaped shooting of an Iraq war vet by a San Bernardino deputy Sheriff, Ivory J. Webb IV, 45 will become task for a jury to decide. Today the San Bernardino San Bernardino County District Attorney, Michael A. Ramos said today that Webb would be charged with Attempted Voluntary Manslaughter.

The videotaped shooting sparked a firestorm of controversy because Iraq war vet, Senior Airman Elio Carrion, 21 was shot three times by Webb. The grainy video seemed to show the unarmed Carrion complying with orders get up by the deputy who then fired the shots.

The confrontation happened after Carrion was a passenger in a Corvette involved in a high-speed police chase. Carrion, who is recovering from his wounds has not been implicated for any crime.

I look for this case to turn into a courtroom battle of the experts. Issues of the physical effects of a police pursuit on the officer and how the confusion during such a conflict may have negated evil intent are sure to be a large part of the defense.

There can be no doubt that police trainers everywhere will examine this case. Video cameras are everywhere quick to provide that instant replay to exonerate or implicate the players of such events.

A Rare Ending To An Armored Truck Hold-Up!

I’ve heard a lot of armored car stick-up stories and most all of them have ugly endings. Yesterday morning this crew in Long Beach, CA followed their training and foiled a deadly heist involving several offenders with shoulder weapons. No guards or bystanders were injured, no money was taken and one offender was sent to life support.

Read the story and watch the video.

Pay Per View Ghettocams Coming Soon?

Why aren’t Chicago's Ghettocam images broadcast on the Internet for all to see? Many people in Chicago’s crappy neighborhoods could watch their own homes, cars and business from anywhere. Knowing that Chicago’s politicians never met a tax they didn’t like, you'd think they’d be smart enough to charge a fee for access.

There’s an interesting story in today’s Chicago Sun Times: "I don't even sell drugs. I got a job ... I just like hanging out," said a construction worker from South Shore who asked to be identified only as Chris. The young black man standing near 71st and Paxton said he fears police retaliation. "They're watching us right now.... The cameras make you miserable, man."

Support Your Local Blogger!

The established American media with its agenda distorted most anything involving politics. The big three networks and major newspapers somehow led Americans to believe that they somehow spoke for everyone when they did not. The most obvious sign was the identical messages from the major media players and their charismatic personalities as they pushed ever further to the Liberal Utopia. Seeing a Conservative political candidate get an editorial endorsement from any major news organization was an incredibly rare event.

Talk radio made the first serious dent in the media corporation’s armor and then came the Internet. Today an army of Internet bloggers has arrived with unrelenting questions as they cut through the Bolshevik propaganda. No longer can the media giants control the information made available to the public.

When the media giants did a story it nearly always went unchallenged. It was impossible to fight anyone who bought ink by the barrel. Those days are thankfully over as anyone can now quickly query information with an Internet search engine. Bloggers are posting their words, pictures, audio and video with ease as the media giants lose their audience and readers. The competition between bloogers is a free-market driven, American dream.

More Airline-TSA Silliness This Time In Las Vegas…

Dateline: Las Vegas March 2, 2006

Singer, dancer and American Idol celebrity, Paula Abdul, found herself mobbed by a group of fans at McCarran International Airport. Ms. Abdul was apparently late while trying to catch a flight to Burbank. A Southwest Airline official helped Abdul through a backdoor and bypassed TSA security along the way.

The panic by these low-wattage TSA morons quickly kicked in as they developed a plan to save us all from Paula Abdul. Once the plane arrived in Burbank the passengers were detained, arrested or kidnapped by TSA officials until they conducted a retroactive screening of the entire planeload of passengers. My God! Are we that screwed up that we allow for this kind of foolishness by government?

Will we now see the threatening and dangerous Paula Abdul’s name on the Terrorist No Fly List over this frightening security breech?

Perhaps It’s Time To “Off” An Alderwomen?

The incredibly stupid and racist Madeline Haithcock told the the Chicago Sun Times that the favorite slogan by her murdering Black Panther heroes, “Off the pigs” was only a figure of speech.

Perhaps sending the message that it’s a great time to off Madeline Haithcock will help make clear the kind of hate she is generating with her effort to name a street after the late, convicted robber and accused kidnapper, Fred Hampton.

Read the article...

Yet More On That Crazy Malibu Ferrari Crash! Another Fantastic Update!

In the wreckage police found a loaded magazine for a .40 caliber Glock, semi-automatic pistol. I’d suspect that would be a huge problem if it turned out to be the property of the Swedish ex-convict, Stefan Eriksson, the car’s owner. His immigration status would also come into play if he were found in possession of firearms.

Now there is an investigation into evidence that The San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority may have established a law enforcement agency with the ability to appoint people as peace officers and bestow the power to carry guns and make arrests.

This would be highly unusual for a small transit company that move handicapped people around town. My guess is it’s a phony law enforcement agency created to give away badges and guns to police pretenders. It’s raised lots of questions that will be answered in short order.

Creating phony police agencies is most common in states like California, Illinois and New York where permits to carry firearms are nearly impossible to obtain. Criminals such as armed robbers never to go to such extremes to invent police agencies to facilitate their crimes. Of course felons and aliens are never granted the right to carry firearms.

The rub here is that Eriksson allegedly identified himself to Sheriff’s officers as a Commissioner with the agency. It just so happens that Eriksson's civil attorney, Ashley Posner, is listed as the chairman of the San Gabriel Valley Transit Authority.

One thing for sure, Stefan Eriksson’s answering questions for police has ended. That won’t however end the ongoing investigation.

There’s more here in the L.A. Times, and at KNBC-TV.

Were The Soviets Behind 1981 Shooting Of Pope John Paul, II?

According to a Reuter’s report, that’s the word from an Italian parliamentary investigative commission. It’s no secret that the collapse of the Eastern European Communist control had a lot of encouragement from the saintly leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The new report makes sense since the motive behind the assassination attempt is abundantly clear.

Pope John Paul II was a very real threat to the lifestyles of many Communist leaders facing forced early retirement, exile or worse. Nowhere was this more evident than in the Pope’s home country, Poland. Poland became the epicenter for the destruction of the failed Communist system of government.

I’ve grown very fond of Pope John Paul, II over the years. I’ve had some really bizarre brushes with this Pope and I’ve met India’s, late Mother Theresa another saintly icon of the Catholic Church. Mother Theresa once placed a gift of a medal bearing her likeness into my hand. I will save these two stories for another day.

By another coincidence I’ve become close friends with two women who until recently never new each other. Both women sang for Pope John Paul, II on October 17, 1987 at the Dodger’s Stadium on Los Angeles. One is the gifted actress, singer and dancer, Ann Jillian, the wife of former Chicago police sergeant, Andy Murcia and the other is, Sue Ann Pinner an opera singer and college professor.

I will say that I’m involved in the background of an ongoing secret project that will honor Pope John Paul, II in the near future.

A New War On Chicago Cops Is In Progress.

This story won't go away. Fred Hampton was every bit an urban terrorist when he openly advocated killing cops. Black Panther inspired murders of police officers created a very real war in Chicago. Beyond the officers that were murdered there were scores that were disabled for life as a result of Black Panther violence.

That December, 1969 raid was at a point in time where officer safety (at least to the cops) was more important than the lives of those such as Fred Hampton who were on record calling for the murder of cops.

There were two versions of that raid the cops and the murderous survivors. Both versions of events still exist. I suggest that if the cops were bent on a search and destroy that no Panthers from that Monroe Street flat would have lived to tell lies. If you chose to believe the surviving Black Panthers, you also have to accept the fact that Hampton was a criminal terrorist at war with his country and the police.

I have two really simple questions. Is there such a shortage of accomplished African-American role models in Chicago that they can’t find someone deserving of the honor? Why would any Chicago Alderman want to reopen this old wound and rekindle the hate that the Black Panthers represented?

If naming a street after Hampton is a good idea because he was a revolutionary, perhaps the next federal courthose should be named after Timothy McVeigh.

WMAQ-TV's Dick Kay weighed in on this issue with his report that includes old newsfilm of Frad Hampton and the raid scene on Monroe Street.

An update: The mood in the comments section of this story at Second City Cop is not good, There are suggestions of a job action to halt writing moving violation and parking citations should the city dare use tax money to honor the dead terrorist. Those officers have my full support to do whatever it takes to end the glorification of killing cops. If this fight really comes to City Hall I may just fly in to Chicago for this one.

Mayor Richard J. Daley would have used his own body to prevent this kind of insult. His son, the current mayor is not half the man his father was and can't be counted on to take a leadership role with Phil Cline his appointed Superintendent of Police.

As this is going on in Chicago, justice caught up with this Chicago Panther who murdered a cop 36 years ago.