Late 2016 Update

At 25%, Chicago Mayor Emanuel's approval ratings Titanic as Chicago homicides increase. Chi-Town, the City of Chicago hit its 500th homicide of the year, a deadly milestone over the Labor Day weekend. ************************************************************************************************ With that tragic tally, the Windy City has now bypassed larger New York City and Los Angeles combined on a macabre path to reach a homicide level not seen since the 1990s, according to the Chicago Tribune. ************************************************************************************************ Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson stated outside police headquarters, words to the effect of," Don't blame the cops". ************************************************************************************************ "It's not a police issue, it's a society issue," "Super" Johnson stated after a Labor Day weekend during which 65 people were shot, 13 of them fatally. "Impoverished neighborhoods, people without hope do these kinds of things. You show me a man that doesn't have hope, I'll show you one that's willing to pick up a gun and do anything with it." ************************************************************************************************ The problem with this logic is that during the Great Depression of the 1930's, there were fewer homicides letting the hot air out of that claim. ************************************************************************************************ A police spokesman told NBC News, that of the 512 homicides in 2016 added up by the Chicago Tribune, 488 were under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Police Department. ************************************************************************************************ The others must have been under the county's jurisdiction ************************************************************************************************ On May 6, 2016, the murderer nicknamed "Grim Sleeper" Lonnie Franklin Junior, was convicted by a Los Angeles jury of the "grim sleeper" murders. Investigators eventually connected the crimes to Franklin by using a controversial but effective forensic technique called familial DNA. With this methodology, the Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) compared samples gathered at crime scenes to those of convicted criminals on a police database. ************************************************************************************************ The method linked the murder scene samples partially to the DNA of Lonnie Franklin’s son, who had been convicted of drug and firearms crimes in 2008. ************************************************************************************************ Lonnie Franklin, Snr was assigned police surveillance and eventually arrested after an undercover officer posing a waiter found incriminating pizza crust he had left at a restaurant, that revealed Franklin's DNA matched that found at the sites of the murders.

Because NOT Funny, But Crime Is Grim!

Yes, brother Dave Berry DID miss this...mostly because mostly grim humourless crime! *************************************************************************************************************************************** The Miami-Dade Police Department released a video of a January 5, 2016, shooting that took place at an Opa-locka restaurant. Police hoped someone might recognize and identify three men involved in the gunfire that killed one man and left another critically wounded. *************************************************************************************************************************************** Miami-Dade Police Department on February 1, 2016, released a video of two "hoodie-wearing" men, one carrying a firearm and one carrying a stun gun who swarmed into a Southwest Miami-Dade Advanced Auto Parts where they demanded cash and absconded away with a stack of money probably in excess of $22. Someone will recognize them and they will do several days of prison time for this robbery unless released on probation immediately after capture. *************************************************************************************************************************************** The scene played out February 1, 2016 in three cellphone videos posted on YouTube by Friday, Feb.5 by a "chaser" named Claudia Castillo, who identified herself as the driver. the three videos were filmed from the driver’s seat that chronicle her pursuit of a Miami-Dade police squad car and the unidentified officer at the wheel. He apologized for his haste "going to work" and offered her his name and badge number. At least he was honest in not making something up as,"I was going to an accident as soon as I had one speeding." The lady was "concerned" and claimed that she had driven over 80 miles per hour at times. The policeman pulled over nearby because he was concerned because he thought she was giving chase due to some emergency. He never once asked if she was a race-car driver from Daytona Speedway. He made sure she was OK but the young lady must have had a fast-beating heart when the officer walked over to her car and asked if she was OK. The young police officer was very calm and attentive as he heard the lady out, inquired if the lady was OK, denied speeding, and said he would "slow down" then said,"Be safe" before returning to his squad car. *************************************************************************************************************************************** Claudia Castillo YouTube *************************************************************************************************************************************** A juvenile was arrested Feb 2, 2016, for stealing and joyriding in a Grady transport van Jan. 23, according to arresting officer. *************************************************************************************************************************************** The juvenile's probation officer W. Crawford on that day informed Atlanta police he witnessed his 17-year-old probationer on Channel 2 Action Atlanta News, after the station broadcasted video surveillance footage captured of two young men who were later captured -- driving a stolen van. *************************************************************************************************************************************** Atlanta police spokesman, Sgt. Warren Pickard, stated that the van vehicle stolen from the parking lot of the Family Dollar store at 3500 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW. The driver who had reportedly left his keys in the car, was alerted to the theft by another customer, as in "HEY, I think somebody is stealing your RIDE!" *************************************************************************************************************************************** Officer J.R. Young noted in his initial report that the van didn’t appear damaged, but it “smelled very strongly of burnt marijuana” indicating the partaking of "noxious, nefarious --weed" during the "joyride". *************************************************************************************************************************************** Officer J.R. Young asked the boy’s mother for permission to question the 17-year-old juvenile probationer, and she said, “Yes,” according to the report. In the still shot, the passenger was smiling while the driver wore a "hoodie" as if "cold". *************************************************************************************************************************************** Officer J.R. Young stated he read the juvenile his rights, which the boy stated that he understood and he also waived. *************************************************************************************************************************************** Officer J.R. Young wrote, “I handed him a form, which had his rights on it for him to read. He also signed and dated that form waiving his rights. After doing so he confessed to taking the vehicle. Along with his confession he stated his brother was the passenger.” This was as in,"I confess, my brother did it,too." Wonder who saw the keys first? *************************************************************************************************************************************** His brother was the other occupant, the juvenile told Officer J.R. Young, as mentioned in a police report. Another mystery...was the brother older or younger? If older, he will be tried as an adult. But his name was not mentioned either. *************************************************************************************************************************************** Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office released a Facebook video of Will Campbell in early February, who was on probation for no apparent reason over a mass shooting in Liberty City, Florida. Will Campbell was allegedly violating probation by possessing a firearm and practicing shooting at a Miami gun range. Will Campbell is alleged to have posted the video on his public Facebook page, which intelligent law enforcement monitors frequently, especially after receiving "tips". *************************************************************************************************************************************** Macabre-but-true On February 6, 2016, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Yvonne Colodny sentenced Derek Medina, 33, to LIFE IMPRISONMENT for killing 27-year-old Jennifer Alfonso, his wife in August of 2013. He was infamously known as "the Facebook killer" because Derek Medina had posted a photo Alfonso’s corpse in the kitchen on her Facebook account to let family and friends learn about the crime.