Danny R. Smith's Blog, page 14
February 2, 2018
Manner of Death: Suicide
Suicide cases run the gamut: shooting, hanging, jumping, overdosing on pills, and slashing wrists. Carbon monoxide poisoning, drowning, asphyxia, suicide by train, suicide by cop, plummeting one’s car over a cliff.
Suicide, or a Cleverly Disguised Homicide?The purpose of the investigation is to be certain that a suicide is as it appears, and not a cleverly disguised homicide. It requires a trained eye,...
January 26, 2018
The Wrong Man
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As far as homicide investigation, nothing is better than a callout when the suspect is already in custody.
We call it a walkthrough.
Homicide investigations are never simple, though some require less followup than others. With a suspect in custody, your case is “solved” before you’ve laced your wingtips. All that remains is the process: document the crime scene, interview witnesses, present your case to the District Attorney.
A Homicide Case in LennoxOn a brisk January night, I received...
January 19, 2018
Death at Sea
There were worse places to process a crime scene than two miles off shore in Marina del Rey, California. But how, exactly, would one go about such a task, and what circumstances would call for such an investigation? Perhaps a case of suicide. Or murder.
Those were the questions I asked a seasoned crew of sea-going deputy sheriffs, the Los Angeles Cou...
January 12, 2018
Murder in the Alps
A robust Hispanic man stood unapologetically shirtless beneath the morning sun in East Los Angeles. My partner and I suffered in dress shirts and ties while we questioned him about a Mustang, a set of wheels, and a relative of his who we believed to be a suspect in our murder investigation.
It was August 1998. Rod Kusch and I were partners at Homicide, and we were investigating a murder.
A Drive-by ShootingA camera crew from A&E television had been riding along with gang detectives in East...
January 5, 2018
The Flying Burglar
[image error]Slowly we patrolled the streets and alleys, our cruiser blacked out on a moonless night like a darkened gunship drifting through the mist.
It was two hours past closing and two more before dawn, the time of night when cops and robbers alike prowled the City of Angels while her citizens peacefully slept.
Suddenly, my partner hit the brakes. “Goddamn, look at that!”
Guardians of the NightIt was the early morning shift at Firestone Station and I was riding shotgun. The big man next to me was...
December 29, 2017
8 Ways to Get Away with Murder
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If you’re just dying to kill someone but find the prospect of prison tiresome, perhaps this handy little murderer’s manifesto is perfect for you!
Have No MotiveDo not kill out of anger, greed, or revenge, to cover another crime, or for sexual gratification. Do it just for the pure pleasure of doing so, for the unadulterated satisfaction of whacking some unsuspecting SOB just for the hell of it. When the who or how are not immediately obvious, the cops will look for the why. Nothing drives...
December 22, 2017
Christmas in the Hood
For cops, holidays can run the gamut from excitement to danger to boredom to emotional drain.
I generally worked all of the holidays. Being single at the time, I would volunteer so that those with families could have the time off. Like many cops, I loved my job and usually looked forward to each shift. The station was home, its occupants my family. At times, I couldn’t believe they paid us to do the job.
Other times, it was clear they didn’t pay us enough.
As is generally the ca...
December 15, 2017
Facing Off with the Champ
The day I met Muhammad Ali, I was nineteen years old and working for a security company that provided services to the gated community wherein Mr. Ali lived. Our duties included alarm response and patrol, and there was a sentry stationed at the gate, 24/7.
It was circa 1982, and Mr. Ali had not yet been officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome.
That day, the sentry radioed for assistance. I responded, along with another patrol officer.
A well-known former child actor—who a...
December 8, 2017
The Dickie Floyd Story
December 1, 2017
Thanksgiving Day Melee
The unincorporated county area of Watts is policed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. From 1955 to 2004, deputies assigned to the area worked out of the legendary Firestone Station. I had the privilege to be trained there in 1986, and I remained until the doors closed in 2004. The eighties saw the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, and PCP was inexplicably the other narcotic of choice in South Los Angeles.
In my early years on the department, I wa...
