Diane Dimond from Creators Syndicate

The Enigma That Was Michael Jackson for 06/30/2009

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

When I was plying my trade as an investigative reporter, the most famous criminal defendant I ever covered was entertainer Michael Jackson. Boy, did I cover him! From breaking the first news about the molestation claims against him back in 1993 to being the first to report the 2003 abuse allegations of a young boy who was a cancer patient when he first met the King of Pop. I was there for every ...

Updated: Tue Jun 30, 2009

The Maliciously Missing for 07/11/2009

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

How many times have you heard about a missing persons case? To be sure, there are hundreds of thousands of Americans reported missing every year. Some come right back home. But too often, families of the missing either get the horrible news that their loved one's body has been found or they continue to suffer with the quiet torment of no news at all.

Then there is the group of missing pe ...

Updated: Sat Jul 11, 2009

Hate Is the Name of the Game in Crime for 07/18/2009

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Let's talk about hate. Hate crimes to be specific.

By definition, these are crimes perpetrated by someone who targets another based on their race, color, religion or national origin. Congress now seeks to expand the definition of hate crimes to those who attack based on a victim's sexual orientation or mental or physical disability. The goal is to add extra punishment for those convicted ...

Updated: Sat Jul 18, 2009

Toxicology Reports Don't Lie for 07/25/2009

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Imagine the hushed, sterile atmosphere of an autopsy room. A body arrives and a team of forensic experts quietly gets to work to try to determine cause of death. Scientific evidence is gathered to determine whether a crime was committed to cause the death, whether it occurred from natural, unavoidable causes or if it was death by suicide.

In many cases, such as that of retired NFL quarte ...

Updated: Sat Jul 25, 2009

Time for Tolerance for 08/01/2009

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

There is still an intolerable amount of racism in America. There are too many people in the U.S. who are bigoted and downright dismissive of those who don't look like they do.

That said, let's all admit something. Some of us see racism behind every act — and that in itself becomes a sort of racism, too.

The catalyst for writing this week's column is, of course, the recent di ...

Updated: Sat Aug 01, 2009

The Reality Behind the Euphoria for 08/08/2009

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Who among us wasn't moved to tears by the recent video of journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling as they stepped back onto American soil after having been held captive by the North Koreans for 140 days? Lee bounded down the steps of a private jet at the Burbank, Calif., airport on Wednesday, her arms outstretched to her tiny 4-year-old daughter, Hanna, her eyes locked on her husband. Ling pumped h ...

Updated: Sat Aug 08, 2009

When Loved Ones Do Unthinkable Things for 08/15/2009

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

There's a drama playing out in West Babylon, N.Y., that makes you want to go home and tell your family how much you love them. It also makes you wonder how much bad news about your loved one you could accept if he or she did something so horrible it caused seven innocents to lose their lives.

On Sunday July 26 at about 10 o'clock in the morning, Diane Schuler got behind the wheel of her ...

Updated: Sat Aug 15, 2009

Prescription for Trouble for 08/22/2009

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

We are a pill-popping culture. We take pills to sleep, wake up, get happy and keep our children less hyper. And while people might not realize it, sharing prescription drugs, using false names to get prescription drugs or shopping around to get more than one doctor to prescribe extra prescription drugs are all against the law.

It used to be that law enforcement worried only about illegal ...

Updated: Sat Aug 22, 2009

The Addict, the Enabler and Us for 08/29/2009

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Who is to blame when a drug addict dies?

We now know the L.A. County Coroner's Office considers the death of Michael Jackson to have been a homicide caused by acute propofol intoxication and the effects of five other powerful prescription drugs found in his system.

If the L.A. district attorney chooses to charge Michael Jackson's personal doctor, it could very well be for manslaug ...

Updated: Sat Aug 29, 2009

Is Rape OK With You? for 09/05/2009

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Is there anyone out there reading this who condones rape?

No, of course not.

Who in civilized society would believe the violent sexual assault of another person is OK?

So then, why do we allow the brutal, repeated rape of our prisoners?

We've known about the problem for decades. We read about the sexual victimization of inmates in books and newspapers, we see it depi ...

Updated: Sat Sep 05, 2009

An Antidote for Bank Robbery for 09/12/2009

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Have you gone into a bank lately and noticed anything different?

During my recent travels, I noticed a bank in Albuquerque, N.M., invited me, via a sign on the door, to "please remove your sunglasses so we can smile at you!"

At a bank in Los Angeles, I was greeted by not one but three employees who looked me directly in the eye and chanted a hearty, "Good afternoon! ...

Updated: Sat Sep 12, 2009

A Government That Feels Our Pain -- Too Much to Ask? for 09/19/2009

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

This column is about both crime-fighting and journalism — the two entities that come together to define what I do. Regular readers know this column has never been about politics, but today it contains an appeal to politicians and other government workers nationwide.

Get your heads out of the rulebook, and think about the human consequences of what you do! Think about how your actio ...

Updated: Sat Sep 19, 2009

The Terrorist Threat Still Exists for 09/26/2009

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Crime happens when we least expect it. Criminal activity festers in places we can't imagine and in the minds of those we least expect. We should not be surprised when it is discovered.

The recent arrest of three seemingly low-key, nondescript men on charges of lying to federal agents about a plot to blow up American targets sounds like the stuff Hollywood makes movies about. But these ar ...

Updated: Sat Sep 26, 2009

Polanski Punishment Should Fit the Crime -- Period for 10/03/2009

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Don't be distracted by the recent debate over whether fugitive movie director Roman Polanski should return to America and do time for sex crimes.

Don't let ill-informed daytime talk show hostesses convince you it wasn't really a crime.

Don't get distracted by Hollywood types who claim the deed was done more than 30 years ago and poor Polanski has been through enough in his life. A ...

Updated: Sat Oct 03, 2009

Law Enforcement Traitors for 10/10/2009

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

There are traitors among us. Some are wearing the uniform of American law enforcement.

They are members of our federal defense force at the U.S. border, others are from local police departments in areas nearby. They are men and women who carry a badge and a gun, and are supposed to make sure the bad guys stay out of our country. Instead, they are taking bribes and lining their own pocket ...

Updated: Sat Oct 10, 2009

How Crime Victims Become Crime Survivors for 10/17/2009

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

It was an overcast October Saturday at the Joint Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos, Calif. The 7 a.m. start time was daunting, but I'd promised to go.

I'm glad I did.

It was the annual "Survive and Thrive" 5k run/walk event put on by a group called Crime Survivors. Note that it's not crime victims — it's crime survivors. And before you ask: No, ...

Updated: Sat Oct 17, 2009

The Crime Clock and You for 10/24/2009

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The official "Crime Clock" is counting down the odds that you or a family member or a friend will be touched by violent crime in the coming year. Think it can't happen to you?

The Crime Clock doesn't recognize race or age or gender. It's all about statistics.

The figures are compiled each year by the National Center for Victims of Crime. The numbers come from various gov ...

Updated: Sat Oct 24, 2009

A Reality Check on Reality TV for 10/31/2009

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

I got the opportunity recently to spend time with two of America's most-talked-about dads: Jon Gosselin, of the "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" television show, and Richard Heene, the man behind the recent so-called Balloon Boy Hoax.

Let me just say: Long gone are the TV dads like Fred MacMurray in "My Three Sons" or Hugh Beaumont from "Leave It to Beaver."

Updated: Sat Oct 31, 2009

Our Lost Children for 11/07/2009

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

What is going on with our children?

In one high school in Palo Alto, Calif., four teenagers, acting separately, killed themselves recently by stepping in front of a train.

And who wasn't stunned by the recent reports, also from California, about a group of 20 high school kids either participating in or standing around watching the brutal two-hour-long gang rape of one of their fem ...

Updated: Sat Nov 07, 2009

What Punishment Fits This Crime? for 11/21/2009

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

So, the so-called 9-11 Gang of Five will go on trial in a federal court, as opposed to before a military commission. The bottom line question then has to be: Are you ready for the possibility that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or any of his fellow collaborators might walk free on a sly defense attorney's manipulation of our system?

Don't think it couldn't happen.

Millionaire Robert Durst ...

Updated: Sat Nov 21, 2009