I’ve learned some amazing facts about the California Private Investigator Examination. Of the people that can qualify to even take the test 85% fail the examination. Who are these failed applicants you ask? A high percentage of them are retired federal, state and local law enforcement officers including FBI agents! Many try to take the test again and still fail. Having taken and passed the test I can say It was not a logical test and there were a few questions with more than one right answer. I have always had a gift for test taking and was disappointed to find out that the tests are only scored as pass or fail. I wanted to know what my score was and will never know. These PI license applicants need not fear flunking the test because these guys simply set up shop as “Investigative Consultants” and rake in cash to do what they’re not licensed to do. The public and lawyers use these guys because they assume that they are somehow qualified. These rogue operators make excuses for ...

Surveillance cameras are everywhere these days but our friends across the Atlantic have led the way with unleashing Big Brother technology on their citizens. They have recently admitted that their cameras may record the actual crime but thousands of criminals escape detection simply because nobody is able to identify the perpetrators. The Brits are working overtime to find out ways to improve their ever growing crime problem that’s been fed by draconian gun bans that provided better working conditions for muggers, rapists and killers. We seems to follow every British trend since the day that the Beatles landed in New York. What is the next step you ask? Why the National ID Card will soon roll out complete with RFID technology alerting every camera with the personal data of those within the cameras range. Of course this too will fail too as criminals make sure their ID cards are not in their pockets while doing their deeds. The fun part of this technology will be in the form of fi...

The call made by many today is for genocide intervention in Darfur, Africa. Darfur is only an example of a much larger problem of what happens when governments have onerous and effective gun control laws. Of course rogue governments are far more successful when they have unlimited powers to search the homes of civilians in order to disarm them. Constant, wholesale slaughter and genocide has been a reality in Africa. Many hundreds of millions of Africans have been tortured and murdered, too often by or with the help of their own governments. If all African citizens had firearms this kind of carnage would be impossible to carry out. The Liberal American approach to bring an end to the wholesale murder in Africa is to involve United Nations and American troops. Who pays for that kind of intervention and with how many American lives? Doesn’t sending arms and a few advisors to teach vulnerable Africans who to use them in order to survive make a lot more sense? Groups like the Genoc...

As most educated Americans know this is the Day the Supreme Court convenes after their long summer recess. This time of year various news organizations publish information about some of the cases before our Supreme Court that may somehow impact our lives. The case that gun-rights advocates and haters alike are watching intently is Parker vs. District of Columbia . That case goes to the core of the Second Amendment. Either Americans have the absolute right to keep and bear arms or not. The weak and astonishing argument made by those who want guns banned is that the Second Amendment conveys that right to states rather than the people. Clearly the states are the government and inherently have the power to have arms without the Second Amendment. Our Militia is not a government regulated organization but individual Americans with arms that can band together and deal with rebellions, insurrections, war and keeping the peace. The militia is also there to safeguard American freedoms shou...

Phoenix-47 year-old David Hans Schmidt was found dead in his townhouse of an apparent suicide. Schmidt was a reporter, turned publicist, turned wheeler-dealer, turned admitted extortionist who began his current career in earnest when he represented disgraced Olympic skater Tonya Harding helping her sell her own raunchy honeymoon video. Schmidt liked to stay close to TV reporters and such always looking for a fast buck for information. Soon the reporters I know distanced themselves from Schmidt and his nefarious merchandise. Too often Schmidt’s schemes had an extortionate odor to them as he made or tried to make deals with various celebrities such as O.J. Simpson, Paris Hilton, and Hugh Grant. Schmidt would try to “sell” the star's salacious and embarrassing items such as photos and videos he’d somehow gain control over. Schmidt got a lot more than he anticipated when he tried to sell Mr.& Mrs. Tom Cruise copies of their own private wedding photographs. He was tethered to a...

During the Phil Spector trial testimony we all learned that the normal investigative procedure for the L.A. County Coroner’s Office was obstructed by the District Attorney’s office. Lana Clarkson suffered a fatal intra-oral gunshot wound and based on early statements made by Phil Spector that this was an “accidental suicide” a standard psychological autopsy was both warranted and needed. The goal of such post-mortem examinations is to learn the true manner and cause of death with the history of the decedent’s alcohol, drug abuse and depression issues. There was no psychological autopsy because DA’s office officials conspired with L.A. Coroner’s Office officials to engage in a cover-up to hide this crucial evidence from the defense, Superior Court, Grand Jury and ultimately any trial jury. This was a case of deliberate obstruction of justice rather than a simple mistake. It was done in an effort to frame the suspect Phil Spector on a bogus murder charge. Phil Spector has the option ...

I’ve known a lot of criminal lawyers in my time and have worked with the Some of the best anywhere. Unfortunately there are a large number of media hounds that make high profiles for themselves as their clients go to prison. I put some serious thought into who should be the new lead lawyer for Phil Spector. As the readers of this blog know, I sincerely believe Philip Spector is an innocent man. I would not wish on Spector any more of the headline grabbers or legal pundits. My first choice would be Bay Area lawyer Gerald Schwartzbach who won a not guilty verdict for actor Robert Blake. Schwartzbach is brilliant, charming and has a great style. For a second chair I’d go with appellant lawyer, Dennis Riordan who was a late entry to the old team. Spector had lots of great experts but lacked a needed firearms expert like author, Massad F Ayoob who’s been on the right side of some nearly impossible cases. For investigators I can recommend myself to work with a little gal Schwartz...

The vote was 10-2 in favor of a murder conviction against the legendary record producer Phil Spector. Judge Fidler did all that he could to unfairly lead the jury to a conviction. Under these circumstances the mistrial is a huge defense victory. Further court action including dealing with the L.A. District Attorney’s announced decision to try this case again has taken place. The involved lawyers will get whatever feedback the jury will give them and use it to formulate their game plans. The lawyers will be back in court next Wednesday for further proceedings. Judge Fidler had what could only be described as a sour grapes facial expression as he announced the mistrial. Prosecutor Alan Jackson has tears in his eyes. I suspect that prosecutors will have an even more difficult time with their witnesses as they forget the lies they told during the first trial. Of course the parade of bimbos from the ranks of Spector’s old bedmates may well be reluctant to face cross-examination again. ...

The jury and Judge Fidler communicated with each other this morning. The clerk announced that the jury ended deliberations and the Judge will have a court session at 1:30 PM. We will again hear the word MISTRIAL ! This can only mean a final deadlock. Perhaps we will soon know the current split of the jury's vote and its direction. Of course Judge Fidler will be unhappy and may try again to force a conviction with some new scheme.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's officers have launched an investigation into a MY SPACE posting under Phil Spector's young wife's name today. That posting has since vanished from the site. It’s no secret that I’m no fan of Judge Larry Paul Fiddler’s handling of Phil Spector’s murder trial. The judge has consistently ruled to make conviction a sure thing. He’s allowed the prosecution unusually wide leeway of what they could use against Spector. I hate Fidler’s actions because they threaten every American’s rights. I met the judge nearly five years ago when he and that attractive Court TV reporter/lawyer, Beth Karas gave a seminar that I attended at the Investigative Reporters and Editor’s conference in San Francisco. Judge Fidler was as nice a fellow as I’ve ever met. Fidler struck me as knowledgeable, glib, articulate, and a fun kind of guy. Fidler seemed very fond of news reporters. When Phil Spector was indicted I came to the courtroom and saw a not so small but opiniona...

The murder trial of Phil Spector can be called nothing but a pseudo-legal train wreck. Judicial abuses and excesses designed to do anything but grant Spector a fair trial appeared at every opportunity. The damage done to Spector’s due process rights under our constitution is now well established. From the abuse of judicial discretion by bringing in alleged witnesses claiming Spector engaged in gunplay in unreported and uncharged,long past events well before many of the jurors were born. Another huge problem I have is their stories are all exactly tailored to fit articles published well before the women came forward. When witnesses testify and use identical words, gestures and phrases it’s always a sure sign of perjury. That’s what happened here.. Today it’s obvious that the jury is deadlocked, evenly divided 5-7 because half the jury saw through the hate and lies. Half chose to simply stick with the scientific physical evidence. I hope damage done to Phil Spector by Judge Fidler’s ...

The joy of this blog is I can bring anything I want here. This is a welcome break from the very heavy things I’ve been writing about. I’m a fan of musical theater and enjoyed the music of one of my favorite plays for more than two decades now. I’ve also grown up with the songs of a great lady whose voice has never failed. Sit back and enjoy the next couple of minutes with the incomparable Petula Clark. On second thought Les Miserables is anything but a "light" story! The music however is wonderful.

The jury in the Phil Spector murder trial deliberated for a week and they were deadlocked. The jury sent out the note and Judge Fidler polled them on the question of whether further instruction would help. Three jurors volunteered that it might help. But help change whose mind was my question? I suspect that those jurors wanted the other side of their battlefield instructed instead of their own. Judge Fidler took the unusual step to remove an approved jury instruction that was somehow preventing the conviction of Phil Spector and replaced that with two new and convoluted instructions that beg the jury for anything but an acquittal. To date, Judge Fiddler spent many months scheming to find ways to get a jury to convict Phil Spector. Judge Larry Paul Fiddler has been biased, abusive and feeding his own agendas. The ever-growing laundry list of judicial rulings are against fairness and any attempt for a neutral inquiry into the death of Lana Clarkson. Judge Fidler is more like a Mike...

Judge Fidler saw the error of his way and reversed his dubious plan of instructing the jury to consider a new and lesser charge of Manslaughter. Had Judge Fidler reopened the trial to new evidence and new arguments it would have sent a message to the jury that the judge wants the jury to convict Spector on that new allegation. That would have been indefensible judicial mischief designed to convict a defendant at any cost. Now it’s time to reread the not so easily understood instruction about Reasonable Doubt. Pinpoint instruction was ordered deleted as the judge will insruct the jury that other instructions cover this better. (That's really code for the prosecution that wanted this out and it will screw Phil Spector.) The jury will be right back where they ended yesterday evenly divided and in their respective trenches. Let’s get this mistrial over and move on!

When I wore a police uniform there was no Second City Cop exploiting the Internet to expose the employment related injustices that plague the lives of too many hard working and dedicated cops. Working as a Chicago cop has become less desirable every year. Micromanagement along with the likes of Black Panther Party members and other police haters running Chicago has demoralized rank and file officers that signed on improve the safety and quality of life. I have to say today that it would not enter my mind to waste some Saturday taking the civil service exam to be a Chicago policeman. Okay, I will surrender to political correctness just this once and say police officer! Somewhere from the ashes came Second City Cop in the form of an interactive blog where bad management, incompetence and hazards to officer’s safety are exposed. Satire, gossip and fun have found its way into the mix too. Often it’s comments made by cops in the field that expose problems and at the same time give a ...

Yet another judicial outrage today as Judge Fidler wants to give the deadlocked jury a lesser charge than murder to consider. This was settled before the jury retired but now the judge wants to have the jury compromise on something lesser which may sway those demanding acquittal to convict. The jury is split seven to five and without knowing the direction of the split that’s nearly even and may have ended of this case. Judge Fidler being unhappy with any advantage given Phil Spector sent the jury home as he dreams up ways of keeping the prosecution railroad train moving over Phil Spector. In the morning the jury will be brought back and pressured to victimize Phil Spector some more. The three women on the jury seemed to think that additional instruction will help. There is no doubt in my mind that Fidler will interject the compromise lesser offense option. Look for no movement until Thursday or Friday as Judge Fidler helps the prosecution.

At the Place Station Hotel two groups of men with lots of personal baggage and strange motives were assembled. Group A consisted of property brokers and dealmakers selling purloined property. Group B consisted of O.J. Simpson along with men helping him recover stolen property and detain a few criminal suspects. Add to Simpson’s group a peculiar insider, and apparent agent provocateur with a tape recorder with his own moneymaking agenda. None of these men are sympathetic figures by any means. This strange story may yet involve two off-duty cops that were spotted on Palace Station security video. We can count on stranger details to emerge as this tale unravels. My not so simple legal question is, did Simpson’s group have the legal power to resort to self-help and citizen’s arrest? The event ended without anyone being hurt in any way. The hot property brokers apparently chose to return the property to Simpson’s group. Did the Simpson group decline to make the citizen’s arrest becaus...

Yes there are a couple of things the defense team should have expounded upon. One was the fact that Spector called out to the limo driver for assistance, telling him to call for help. There is no other logical reason that Phil Spector did not call but for the fact he assumed the limo driver made a 911 call as he was asked. The other was the limo driver’s X-Ray vision that allowed him to describe the brown wooden grips on the very small gun he claimed was in Spector’s hand. As you can see in the picture of A Colt Cobra in a small man's hand above that was impossible. Another too late idea of mine was to have each member of the jury make a field trip to a police gun range and fire an identical Colt Cobra with .38 Special, +P ammunition. Since the Cobra is made of a light weight alloy metal instead of regular steel, the Cobra’s recoil is significantly more violent than the Colt Cobra’s all-steel twin, the Colt Detective Special. Watching the defense video of such a gun being fired w...

There will be no agreement and the foreman needs to get that note out to the judge that you’re all deadlocked. You can badger, threaten or nag all you want but people who understand and respect reasonable doubt will never budge. Those jurors that feel that someone has to pay for a pathetic woman’s failed life and reckless actions with a loaded gun are a large part of society that hate the idea of personal responsibility. Go ahead and grieve for Lana Clarkson’s mother and sister. Perhaps they failed Lana by not seeking intervention for this woman’s depression, alcoholism and drug addiction. The responsibility for Lana Clarkson’s death is a lot closer to home than Phil Spector ever was. It’s time to let go of Phil Spector for good. Convicting Spector will not make life somehow better for anyone and Clarkson won’t be returning to this earth no matter what verdict is returned

That memorable film starring the late, great Charles Bronson, Death Wish set the standard for vigilante heroes. The first movie led to a three-film franchise. As memory serves me the character, Paul Kersey went out looking for trouble but only engaged is justifiable homicide. Kersey’s only crimes were to break New York’s unconstitutional gun laws. Kersey always left the scene of his shootings which is never a crime. American’s have a right not to talk to the police under those circumstances. The Brave One involves local New York radio host, Erica Bain (Jodi Foster) as a not so young bride to be who has found the love of her life. Bain’s dreams are destroyed in a vicious random act of violence. Soon NYPD detective Mercer (Terrance Howard) enters the picture as he's assigned to investigate and finds himself investigating a recent rash of homicides that appear to be connected. The story is exciting and solid as is the wonderful acting of the entire cast. There are some script are...