Diane Dimond from Creators Syndicate

One Priest's Mission for 02/11/2012

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

In a day when the words "Catholic" and "priest" often conjure up negative thoughts, I want to tell you a story about a man who saw injustice and took on an entire police department to try to set things right. He would be the first to tell you he didn't do it alone.

The Rev. James Manship leads the flock at the New Haven, Conn., St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church. He had ...

Updated: Sat Feb 11, 2012

A Super-sized Blunder for 02/04/2012

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

I wonder if the National Football Commissioner Roger Goodell knows the information I'm about to tell you. If not, may I be the one to clue him in to the shocking criminal background of a guy named Gary who is prominently featured at NFL games ... including this year's Super Bowl?

Around 1980, when Gary was in his mid-30s he was charged with having sex with an underage 14-year-old girl na ...

Updated: Sat Feb 04, 2012

Your Privacy vs. Police Investigations for 01/28/2012

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Back in the Wild West days, law enforcement officers like Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson had few tools to keep the peace. Guile and a gun on their hip were about all they possessed in the face of trouble.

Today's officers have many more ways of tracking down and capturing the bad guys. That makes their job much easier than in days of old but also more complicated. A recent ruling by the U. ...

Updated: Sat Jan 28, 2012

The Police Property Room for 01/21/2012

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

The scene: Flashing police lights and officers pull over a suspect van. Two thieves are found inside along with cartons of stolen electronics and computers.

The scene: A bare-bones apartment where police respond to a domestic dispute. After calming the situation, they discover a horde of stolen jewelry and expensive Rolex watches.

The scene: Officers respond to a 9-11 home invasio ...

Updated: Sat Jan 21, 2012

Serial Killers -- How Many Are There? for 01/14/2012

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

It was a small but horrifying item in the Los Angeles Times. "Police are asking for the public's help in identifying what they call a 'serious, dangerous serial killer operating in Orange County. Police believe one person is responsible for stabbing three middle-aged homeless men. He is (considered) extremely dangerous to the public."

Another serial killer, I thought. And then ...

Updated: Sat Jan 14, 2012

Government Bullies Need Reining In for 01/07/2012

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Nobody likes a bully — especially me. But what if it is the United States government that is the bully? What if certain people in Washington decide to target a citizen and then use all the resources available to them to crush that person?

I must tell you about a story I researched recently because millions of your tax dollars were used to wage an eight-year war against Robert Lorsc ...

Updated: Sat Jan 07, 2012

A New Year's Wish List for 12/31/2011

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Time for New Year's resolutions. Mine take the form of wishes and hopes focused on how to make our crime and justice system safer, saner and more evenhanded for all.

I know some of my wishes are unlikely to come true. But I also know many of them could if we were all determined to make society work better.

I hope that the coach Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State University gives ...

Updated: Sat Dec 31, 2011

Layaway Angels for 12/24/2011

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

It's been a chore trying to figure out an uplifting topic for this Christmas-time column. In a space usually dedicated to the negative aspects of human nature, I can think of no better time to highlight the positive.

I'm always on the lookout for trends in crime — troubled veterans returning home and becoming entangled in the justice system, questionable prisoner releases from over ...

Updated: Sat Dec 24, 2011

The Cult of the Disgraced and Misplaced for 12/17/2011

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

It is an odd thing we do here in America. People who get wrapped up in scandal often become elevated to celebrity status.

You know the type of people I'm talking about — those who are caught up in sex or drug scandals, criminal suspects or some other type of social misfit who's every move is followed by reporters. Cameras are there as they hustle into court, show up for their commu ...

Updated: Sat Dec 17, 2011

Beware the Online Holiday Scams for 12/10/2011

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

OK, so the shopping days left until Christmas and Hanukkah are dwindling. You haven't gotten half of what you need to get done finished yet! The malls are crammed, the weather turns lousy just at the time you want to go shopping, and between the cost of gasoline and parking ... well, it just seems easier to stay inside and hit the computer for some get-'er-done time on the Internet.

If y ...

Updated: Sat Dec 10, 2011

Doctors Can Be Criminals, Too for 12/03/2011

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

You may not have been the least bit interested in the recent trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of entertainer Michael Jackson. He has now been sentenced to the maximum — four years behind bars — for giving Jackson the hospital-only anesthesia Propofol in his home every night for at least two months.

Here's why the case i ...

Updated: Sat Dec 03, 2011

A Message to the Occupiers for 11/26/2011

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Somebody has to say it, so I will.

Dear Occupiers:

Grow up, will ya?

In case you haven't noticed, times are tough. And it's not just here in America. All over the world, economies are circling the drain. Whole countries are teetering on the brink of total financial collapse, the gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to widen. Unemployment is rampant almost every ...

Updated: Sat Nov 26, 2011

Our Kids Deserve a Better Effort for 11/19/2011

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Those who fight to stop child abuse need to get some pizazz in their campaign. They need a marketing strategy. They've got no slogan or badge or colored ribbon for supporters to display to acknowledge their solidarity in trying to wipe out this criminal scourge.

As everyone knows, the crippling psychological effects of childhood abuse and neglect often lasts a lifetime. And if the abuse ...

Updated: Sat Nov 19, 2011

Pennsylvania's Shame for 11/12/2011

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Imagine an 11-year-old boy from an underprivileged family who gets help from a local charity called The Second Mile so he can spend time with members of the exalted Penn State University football team. This little boy is ushered onto campus and is introduced around by one of the team's top coaches. He gets to work out with the players and see the action up close. This kid feels like a king! Boy ...

Updated: Sat Nov 12, 2011

Inspired Justice in a World of Tight Budgets for 11/05/2011

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

A golden retriever named Lily patiently sits at the glass entryway of a red brick building tucked behind Good Samaritan Hospital in Rockland County, N.Y.

Lily is a specially trained therapy dog, and she instinctively knows just what to do when the next troubled person arrives. She gives comfort to the physically and sexually abused, and it doesn't matter if they are young or old, male o ...

Updated: Sat Nov 05, 2011

Sunshine Laws Aren't Always Good for 10/29/2011

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Every state has laws that govern the public's access to government records. From New Mexico to North Dakota, Alabama to Alaska, each have varying degrees of these so-called sunshine laws.

The media love sunshine laws because they allow easy access to information. But many on the other end of the equation don't feel so "sunshine-y" about having their business or personal inform ...

Updated: Sat Oct 29, 2011

The Halloween Sex Offender Hoax for 10/22/2011

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The spookiest time of the year is fast approaching, and you have likely already heard about local law enforcement officers preparing to keep your area free of danger on Halloween night.

They may be visiting schools to counsel kids on safe practices. They may be warning drivers about watching out for children on Halloween night. In communities across America, officers are fanning out to ...

Updated: Sat Oct 22, 2011

No Justice From Justice for 10/15/2011

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

What the hell is going on in this country? And why don't our federal officials just man-up and admit when mistakes have been made?

Now, keep in mind — I don't write about politics, so this is not a partisan attack. I write about crime and justice. So, take what I'm about to say in that spirit.

And remember the name "Fast and Furious" because I predict you'll be h ...

Updated: Sat Oct 15, 2011

Paying the Price -- Twice for 10/08/2011

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

With the U.S. unemployment over 9 percent these days, nearly everyone knows someone who is out of work or underemployed. It's a tragic and desperate time for millions of Americans.

But there is one sector of the population hit harder than any other — those Americans who carry the stigma of a past criminal conviction. An almost unbelievable 65 million people — one in every fo ...

Updated: Sat Oct 08, 2011

When is Photography a Crime? for 09/24/2011

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The scene is repeated across America millions of times each year. Citizens raise their cameras to snap a picture and immortalize what they see. Taking photographs is as much of the American fabric as driving a car.

But since 9/11, that right has begun to erode like so many others — walking unencumbered onto an airplane; living without the multitude of leering surveillance cameras; ...

Updated: Sat Sep 24, 2011