Santa Barbara --Javert of course, is the fictional policeman from that great Victor Hugo Novel, Les Misérables. Javert chased the escapee, Jean Valjean across France catching him nearly a lifetime after he had reformed and became a beloved town mayor. This is an example of lightning striking twice within a couple of months. In February, a long time, trusted and well liked University of California Santa Barbara employee, Jason Von Straussenburg , a Developmental Technician in the Biological Sciences Department was nabbed after an anonymous tipster told authorities he was really a Michigan escaped convict. The tipster was correct in fingering Roger Crona who broke out of another Michigan prison in 1972. Carona was twice sent to prison for auto theft related offenses. Decades have gone by and Crona found the good life in this beautiful coastal town. He put his larcenous ways behind him and at 61 years of age he could soon reasonably expect retirement and a nice pension. Now Crona is w...

Marie Walsh with her husband and three children. Click on picture to enlarge. Susan Lefevre is the San Diego woman recaptured after her escape in 1976 from a Michigan prison where she was serving a 10 to 20 year term. Lefevre is now known as Marie Walsh. I call Marie Walsh the modern day female, Jean Valjean from the great Victor Hugo Novel, Les Misérables. There is little precedent for this highly unusual case of sin, punishment, escape and redemption in our criminal justice system. This case involves the following facts: 1. Walsh was a 19 year-old first time offender. 2. Walsh received an unusually harsh sentence for her drug conviction. 3. Walsh escaped and was at large for over 32 years. 4. Walsh has never reoffended in over three decades. 5. Walsh has led the rest of her admirable life with her husband and three children. 6. Walsh was never involved in theft of violence. 7. Walsh is obviously no threat to public safety. 8. Walsh suffered over a year in prison and many years livi...

Springfield IL—Governor Rod Blagojevich announced plans to end inner-city violence by throwing $159 million at it. That reminds me of the time Chicago politicians gave a mere, one million dollars to Jeff Fort, head of the Blackstone Rangers aka The P Stone Nation and finally the El Rukins. Needless to say the politicians only funded the largest gang bloodbath in Chicago’s history. Just imagine what $159 million could do? Highlights of what Blagojevich wants: $20 Million for summer meaningless make-work jobs for idle youth, after school hip-hop, basketball and vocational training programs are the plan. Of course they left out any Bill Cosby style programs to change the basic ghetto culture of gangs, drugs and killing. $50 Million will be given away to fix up or acquire real estate in certain communities. The good news here is Blagojevich can only hand out $50 million to his cronies. That should bring in plenty of kick-backs for those expensive political campaigns. $40 million in gr...

How can that be when I served as an Army draftee in Germany and not Viet Nam? Yes, it’s true that the only combat I saw was those pillow fights with the local women, and they always won. Perhaps it was despite being out-numbered, I still fought them all gallantly above and beyond the call of duty? Okay I will confess to surrendering and doing what the nice ladies told me to do. The pictured Nation Defense Medal was the one I earned for simply showing up for duty. Really I’m proud of my service as a medical corpsman as though I won the Congressional Medal of Honor. I earned that medal along with an Honorable Discharge after two years required of active duty. The feds are prosecuting a despicable politician, Xavier Alvarez , 50, of Pomona, CA. Alvarez ran and was elected for office on his pretend military record platform and the Congressional Medal of Honor he claimed to have earned. Alvarez pled guilty to violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 which is federal misdemeanor and awaits...

Undated photo of Marie Walsh and her husband, Alan Walsh with their two daughters. After leading a law-abiding and productive life 32 years since her escape from a Michigan prison, Susan Lefevre now known as Marie Walsh is still quick to flash a bright smile. At first I could not understand how anyone could withstand being ripped from their home and loving family and not sink into a sewer of despair at the thought of resuming a 10 to 20 year prison stretch. Imagine how a wife of 23 years could handle being forced by jailers to remove her wedding ring before they apply the foul delousing spray jails commonly use on all new inmates? Walsh has been captured, put in irons and prison garb and still has an air of amazing style. She seems to be able to turn a handcuff on her wrist into an elegant, diamond tennis bracelet. For Walsh, her running is finally over. Walsh is also obviously proud of the life she made for herself, her family and friends. Above all Walsh beat the odds for prison con...

Gun violence and fears of armed confrontations inside businesses, malls and restaurants have caused massive private property gun bans in America. At first blush this seems an issue of private property rights but it’s more about simple fear and a poorly thought out solutions. Workplace violence was never a problem until our industries disarmed their security people. 45 years ago nearly every security guard in America was armed and crime was insignificant compared to today. Many say that times have changed and they’re right. Changes were made in the way we deal with crime and gun rights. As anti-gun rights hysteria spread in America the guards were slowly disarmed. Workplace violence became a new phenomena facilitated by that disarmament. Las Vegas hotels and Casinos only had armed security until the corporations gained control from those so-called Mob owners in the early 1980s. Take-over robberies never happened and crime in these places was low. Once the corporate bosses disarmed ...

This time the character Jean Valjean from Hugo’s great tear-jerker novel, Les Misérables, turns out to be a woman! Susan Leferve now known as Marie Walsh is the escaped convict that fled in 1976 from a severe 10 to 20 year prison term. She has turned her life around and lived the American dream with her husband and three children as a lawful and productive member of society. Javert the policeman, chased Valjean for his entire career all over France. The Michigan Department of Corrections has their own Javert aided by the US Marshall's service. Unfortunately, a 1832 national insurrection pre-dating the French Revolution brought death to most of the compelling characters in Les Misérables. If every offender in this country could follow Leferve’s lead by escaping and to never reoffend we’d be living in a true Utopia. We want our criminals to change their ways but it’s a very rare day when that happens. Some say it’s a terrible example to wipe LeFerve’s slate clean just because the fu...

Hell is Phoenix, Arizona in the summertime. It gets so hot you believe you’re in a blast furnace. But if you have a good imagination you can visualize this. Snow is so rare in Phoenix I had to stop and capture this video. Scott Drier will sing, Pure Imagination just for you!

America has waged a long and sordid war against gambling, pornography, prostitution and drugs. Of course we had a very bloody war against alcohol too. Vice brings the scorn of religious folks that want us all to live Christ-like. I don’t see anything wrong with being Christ-like, but for our government’s demand that we follow religious ideals. Vice crimes are a victimless classification of offenses that have purely religious origins. Sometimes people are kidnapped to work as sex slaves and that is absolutely a concern of any government. That’s not a valid excuse for government to try and regulate anyone’s sex life. There are lots of valid laws that regulate kidnapping. Today Deborah Jeane Palfrey , known as the "D.C. Madam," hanged herself rather that deal with a 55 year prison term she faced for hurting nobody. I find the penalties themselves shocking and the suicide revolting. I cannot see a lengthy prison term as somehow a better option than death. Our prisons mix ...

Please Call or write Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm For a stupid teenage indiscretion in illegal drug commerce in 1975, Susan Lefevre now known as Marie Walsh was sent to prison in Michigan. She accepted responsibility and got a draconian 10 to 20 year sentence. Lefevre turned her life around and is a wife and mother of three fortunate children today. She’s avoided drugs, crime and the lifestyle that led to her going to prison. She did what less than ten percent of ex-convicts can do. She was never arrested for another offense. Lefevre felt threatened in prison and found a way to escape with the help of her grandfather in 1976. LeFevre spent the next three decades keeping a terrible secret fearing every knock at the door. That knock came last Thursday and she is on her way back to Hell. I’ve investigated this woman and firmly believe she should be forgiven and have her sentence commuted at once. I can’t imagine the horror her family is going trough right now. Here is the who...

Boomer is a two year-old African lion who ran away from home. His home was with a resident of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Indian Reservation near Ottowa Canada. The cat’s owner claims Boomer is only a harmless pet. I suspect that the “harmless” claim has fallen on deaf ears as police aided with helicopters are searching for Boomer right now. I heard Boomer was on his way to Chicago where he wants to become the mascot for any winning sports team. Please Boomer! Turn around and go home before it’s too late! I sure hope history does not repeat itself again...

SAN DIEGO – Susan Lefevre was a teen who made some bad choices and found herself sent to prison for a 10 to 20 year term for drug dealing by a Saginaw county court after she pled guilty in 1975. Soon Lefevre’s grandfather helped her break out of the what's mow called the Robert Scott Correctional Facility located in Plymouth and she’s been on the lam ever since. Lefevre fled to California and It’s abundantly clear she learned the lesson her lifestyle brought her. Lefevre changed her ways and chose the life of a clean living, suburban San Diego housewife, and soccer mom. According to a US Marshall’s spokesman the fugitive changed her name to Marie Walsh and evaded capture until late last week. Someone ratted out the 53 year-old absconder to the Michigan Department of Corrections. That led to her capture. Lefevre’s husband and three children were unaware of her secret. Punishment was administered but was interrupted for over three decades. Carrying around the secret and looking o...

Here are a few shots I took at the UCLA Book Festival this weekend. Free speech is alive and well at UCLA as you can see. Authors Wambaugh, Huffington, Ackerman and Elder were just a few of many heavyweights. and here is the video I shot of the event.

Okay, I’m no fan of either Democratic candidate and don’t care for the Manchurian Candidate pretending to be a Republican either. That being said watching the Black/White voter polarization being fueled by Obama’s 20 year spiritual advisor and hatemonger is a real hoot! There is no nice way around this mess for voters, other than to start fresh with a new slate of candidates. That won’t happen unless the current candidates take a much needed cruise on a very leaky boat. With the new Information Age candidates have serious difficulties hiding their warts. The Swiftboat heroes saved us from a potential disaster four years ago. Obama’s and Clinton’s demons are here to stay too. Later McCain will have some surprises that will put him into a state of seizure too. Speaking of seizures, when McCain was a much younger freshman Senator he publically called the East Mesa, Arizona retirement community of Leisure World, Seizure World. As Reverend Wright would say, “McCain’s chickens will be c...

California Assembly member, Kevin De Leon , D-Los Angeles, has an absolute bureaucratic nightmare to spring on retired cops, California’s handgun owners and anyone in the security business. A new special permit will be required with its own fees and duplicated background examination to purchase handgun ammunition. The fun part for me is Mr. De Leon made no exemption for retired cops covered under HR-218, private investigators, armored car drivers and other people with various government issued handgun carry permits. California requires any and all handgun carry permit holders to qualify on a regular basis. I guess this is another exercise of “good intentions” with unintended consequences. Perhaps the consequences were intended. In addition the bill will end any national handgun sporting events in California because out-of-state competitors and visitors will not be allowed to purchase ammunition. BILL NUMBER: AB 2062 can be found here . The sponsor can be contacted here: De Leon, Ke...

Hiring a smart publicist keeps you and your product in the spotlight. In case anyone was noticing a slowdown in the Hanna Montana starlet’s publicity there is nothing to worry about! My educated guess is Cyrus’ PR flack figured some cheesecake photos would be a big seller for this already hot teen. No real nudity of course just barely enough skin to invite controversy, sell lots of magazines and keep Cyrus’ face and name out there. Of course, cutting a deal with Vanity Fair and requiring a top named photographer like Annie Leibovitz who also likes publicity was a huge win for everyone. Capping off the event with a phony apology before the little tart’s photos hit the newsstand was a pure stroke of genius. I guess I need to hire a publicist…

I remember an incident when portable handheld radios were new on the department. The new radios gave officers freedom like never before. One middle-aged sergeant had a rendezvous with an absolutely delightful 22 year-old girl. The girl went to a North side motel where she checked in. Soon the good sergeant parked behind the motel, quietly paying her a visit. That brand new handheld radio was placed on the nightstand. It was now time for our sergeant to engage in some serious community relations work with the local talent. All that fast food and lack of exercise caught up with the sergeant while he was having more fun than his 58 year-old heart could withstand. The poor girl had to slip out from under him and there was nothing she could do as our hero was well on his way to see Saint Peter. Our distraught maiden wrapped herself in a sheet running out to the street where she flagged down a beat car. Soon four of the dead supervisor’s officers were there at his side. The old sarge was a p...

This in not just another biography! The Publisher sent me a copy of Young J. Edgar to read and perhaps review. I was somewhat skeptical that this was going to slant one way or another politically. Political creatures usually take these biographies on and focus on their love or hatred for the subject. Author, Kenneth D. Ackerman has the really Liberal credentials as a career Beltway insider. He gives us the story of Hoover right up the middle. Ackerman exposes both the genius of Hoover along with his public power abuses. Ackerman readily concedes that Hoover may well have been acting from a sincere desire to protect America from a very real threat by the Red Menace. Hoover was obsessed with investigating not just the people he suspected of disloyalty and treason but their friends, associates and relatives too. Hoover went after all the Leftist Sacred Cows such as Martin Luther King like an avenging angel. Of course all of Hoover’s excesses and outrageous civil rights violations...

Hanging around L.A. you never know who you will get to meet. Today it was the legendary author, Joseph Wambaugh. I would have liked to interview him but his fans were lined up for miles. Joe is an example for all cops that there is life after police work.

So says, J-Fed , Chicago’s new police superintendant. I won’t hold my breath waiting for this to really happen considering the current ammunition allotment and yearly requalification for the officer’s handgun use. The M-4's must be purchased and some kind of qualification schedule must be implemented. Then the carbines must be distributed. Steps need to be taken to maintain control over these weapons so the local natives don’t steal them. One thing for sure it won’t happen in time for the heat of Chicago’s summer or homicide season. This is just going to be another example of too little, too late. Needless to say the press is already exaggerating the power and capabilities of these weapons. No folks they don’t fire magic bullets that explode in a ball of fire on impact. Chicago’s reverends will be screaming about cops being sent hunt the Black youth with weapons of war instead of hugs and free money. Hey J-Fed! I like these too. How about getting 5000 of these babies to ke...