Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with crime

Bada Bing Book

Sully — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:45:51 -0800

I've been watching the last season of the Sopranos and am curious about the mob in NYC and NJ today. Can you recommend a book or website that details the modern day Mafia? Or, if power has changed hands to a group other than the Italian one, a book about that group? Thanks.

Do the crime, do the time

bunny hugger — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:22:47 -0800

How can I find out why a person went to jail? Looking for the specific crime that sent him there. It's from the 1930s; is there an online resource? Trying to find out what crime this person committed. Thanks.

Home invasion - best security?

dukes909 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:13:20 -0800

I live in a semi-rural area. After a rash of recent home invasions in my area (which is something new for here), I'm wondering whether to invest in an alarm system, a gun, or more motion detector lights and just keep locking the doors and windows as I have always done? I have 4 dogs that range from a beagle sized one that is mean to a 95 pound lab that barks like hell but is very loving. My wife is home alone (well, with the dogs) for a couple of hours in the morning after I go to work. Our house is set back from the road a fair distance, and we don't have neighbors that are within visual distance. What do you recommend? I've called the Sherrif's office to ask for advice and they were no help, saying just to use deadbolts etc. Recently (last week) someone rang a neighbor's doorbell at 4am. The neighbor went to the door (with a gun hidden behind his back) and in the meantime the person who rang the bell ran to the back of the house and was working their way in the backdoor (picking the lock). The neighbor saw them, held the gun up and pointed at them and then the bastard still kept trying to come in. Eventually the crook got the idea and sauntered off after getting ready to kick the door in. I don't know why he suddenly decided to leave after having a gun pointed at him the entire time.

A 2nd incident occurred nearby where the homeowner woke up to a .45 pointed at their head, until the thief got some cash. There was another incident where the intruder knocked an older woman out cold with a lead pipe! Now I'm paranoid and my wife says I should not worry!

Make our house a fortress.

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:39:30 -0800

Our house was broken into yesterday. I'd like to prevent this from happening again. Yesterday, sometime between the hours of 8 AM and 6 PM, our house was broken into. There is a small window on the front of the house that opens into the master bedroom. It's one of these windows with the hinges on the bottom and it folds inward, into the house. It's secured from the inside with only a shim (a piece of wood wedged between the window and the frame). The burglar moved the porch furniture away from the window and must have tried to push the window in, but because of the resistance from the shim, the window just completely shattered. This must have caused the burglar to flee, because nothing (as it appears) was taken. The sound of the breaking glass plus the whole broad daylight in a family neighborhood thing must have sent him running.

The whole thing has gotten me and my partner pretty shook up. It was, after all, the window right above our bed - and the glass destroyed one of our aloe plants (so sad). I know that if someone wants in bad enough, they can figure out a way in - but I'd like to thwart at least the feeble attempts.

What kinds of things can we do to secure our house? There are obvious things: we don't have latches or screens on our windows, as most of our windows are out of reach, so we are going to do that - but that won't stop someone from just breaking the window. We're not really well-off enough to afford a full-fledged alarm system, so we're trying to try all the other, sort of DIY, creative avenues first, if we can.

What sorts of things do you do to make your house safe and secure? What are some unconventional things we could do? Cacti in the windows? Motion detectors? Trip wires? Other resources you can direct us to?

If it makes any difference, we live in Northeast Portland, Oregon. We don't own the house - we rent it from someone who currently lives in Europe. It's possible he would pay for a comprehensive alarm system, but that won't happen anytime in the very near future.

"How do I know you're not a cop?"

stinkycheese — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:08:37 -0800

How do criminals convince other criminals they aren't (undercover) police?

Do they have to notify boyfriend?

LaurieC — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:03:27 -0800

Does social security have to notify BF if his check is being withheld? My boyfriend was in jail for 2 weeks, and he's worried that he will not receive his check today. Usually it's in the bank by now and he still has not received it. He had a misdemeanor, he plead guilty and he is currently sentenced to probation. Do they have to notify him if they withhold his check?

Thanks

Please help me keep my girlfriend safe from a stalker

digividal — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:23:03 -0800

My girlfriend is being stalked by a fugitive, what can I do to try and keep her safe, and where can I turn for help. My girlfriend is being stalked by an ex-con. He want to jail for trying to kill her, and her family members. He got out about 3 months ago, after serving 3 years, and he is now stalking her again.

The police are looking for him, but this has been going on for 2 weeks now, and they have not found him.

He started out making threatening phone calls, saying he will kill her her family. He was seen outside their place of business, they called the cops of course, and he ran before they got here (just).

He has not been observed since then, and he has not made a call.
The police told us to do a *57 after he called. he has not called back, but from my own knowledge of phone systems, *57 might not work at all, depending on how he is placing the call.

We have tried to reach out to the media, to try and get his photo and details out to the people (Co), and harness the hivemind in that way, but DenverPost, 9news and other outlets I have tried contacting have not taken any interest. I guess the stalking is not a serious enough crime.

So my girlfriend and her family are at their witts end, after looking over their shoulder for a killer, who might be anywhere.

Any advice you all could offer would be great at this point.
I know the police are trying, but what can we do to try
and keep safe, and still try to keep sane.
She did not work at all for the first week, but she cannot
afford to not work for long.

Is a ticket equal to a "crime"?

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:33:55 -0800

Is an underage drinking ticket a crime, for application purposes? I am afraid I might have answered it wrong and now I have an interview. I got a ticket for underage drinking about 6 or 7 years ago. It was not a misdemeanor, it was a ticket for violation of municipal code. I was not driving. Fast forward to now- I am applying to medical schools this year. On the primary AMCAS application (the first app that gets sent to all schools) it asks if you have been convicted of any misdemeanors or felonies, so of course my answer was NO. Because I haven't.

Anyway, after schools get this application they send you a 'secondary' which asks for more info. Some of them don't go into any more depth regarding this issue. Some schools ask if you have ever been convicted of anything at all, ever (and in these cases I did bring it up and explain.) One in particular has me confused though. I recently got an interview invitation from a school and I went back to reread my secondary application with them and found this question, to which I answered NO:

"Have you ever been convicted of a crime, or pleaded guilty and been placed on probation, court supervision or another preconviction program? A "Yes" answer does not automatically result in your disqualification for admission to X Medical College."

i filled it out months ago so i cant remember my thought process, but I guess when I see the word "crime" i think of shoplifting, or drugs, or something. Or as the other application says, felonies and misdemeanors. I am confused as to whether my municipal ticket is equal to a crime and whether I should have answered this question accordingly. I'm also nervous now because I am afraid if I bring it up after having been invited to interview, they will think I was trying to be sneaky and dis-invite me (yes, schools can un-invite you.) Should I just forge ahead and hope for the best, and be prepared to explain if it comes up? Is this less of a big deal than I think it is?

Many schools run background checks on applicants who are accepted, but this school doesn't, so if I don't tell them they would probably never know. Also for what it's worth, I have another interview at a different school that I DID disclose this incident to, so I guess its not a dealbreaker there. Should I stir the pot to try and cover my ass, or did I answer it right? Should I just let it go? I don't want to make it a bigger deal than it should be by calling attention to it unless I feel like I really was misleading. Was I?

Thanks.

Stories of local and national shennanigans

reenum — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:07:17 -0800

I want to read investigative reports exposing corruption or scandal on a local or national level. Please provide me with links. Over the past few months, I've become obsessed with investigative and explanatory journalism. I'm currently plowing through the Pulitzer Prize winning stories I can find in each category.

I've read story after story dealing with corruption, shady dealings, abuses of power, etc. and I want more on an ongoing basis. Examples include the FPP post on the Blue I submitted yesterday, the Tampa Tribune's investigation into Scientology, the Seattle Times' look at improper sealing of court records, and the like,

I've been going around to different newspaper websites in an effort to try and build a collection of links to their investigations or special reports sections. Problem is, a lot of these papers have buried these stories deep in the website.

This is where you guys come in. I'd like links to as many magazine and newspaper investigations or special reports you can muster. Ideally, the link will be a repository of such stories (such as this). But, links to individual investigations, blogs that document these sorts of stories, anthologies, books, etc. are also appreciated.

I know we have a few librarians in here, and your expertise would be most appreciated as well.

Thanks to all!

How do I sue an abusive step-parent?

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:43:51 -0800

How does an adult find a lawyer to sue an abusive step-parent more than a decade after the fact? I want to sue a step-parent for damages. They've ruined my life and made it a living hell of dysfunction.

I suffered over 10 years of extreme physical and emotional abuse as a child and it has wrecked me, my self confidence, my ability to function. We're not talking about a "I never got my pony" scenario. We're talking about severe physical violence from a grown adult to a child along with very severe psychological/emotional abuse.

I'm not at all interested in hearing anything about "letting bygones be bygones", or "forgive and forget". I've tried that. I'm tired of blaming myself for being broken and damaged like it was somehow my fault I had the shit kicked out of me on a daily basis.

The goals of the lawsuit are,

1. I want punitive, monetary damages to pay for therapy and treatment so I can have what's left of my life as functional as I can manage.

2. I want to help set a legal precedent that abuse isn't tolerated and parents are indeed legally and fiscally responsible for the crimes they committed under the umbrella of "parenting".

3. I want this step-parent to realize that what they did was not ok and that after many attempts at communication and reconciliation they've willfully denied their responsibility and haven't even attempted to offer an apology.

How do I find a lawyer? How do I find a pro-bono lawyer that will consider my case?

seeking books or articles on corruption in large building projects, ancient to modern

IndigoJones — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:36:50 -0800

Seeking books or articles on corruption in large building projects, ancient to modern. Any large construction project is going to have shavers, chiselers, sharpies, crooks, incompetants, opportunists. You expect it. I'm looking for anything describing these shenanigans, from overpriced and shoddy material, to deliberate slowdowns, work that had to be redone, hard bargaining to extortion, and of course, pure theft. Even murder, why not? Time and place are no bar, everything is welcome, desirable even, from pyramids to Freedom Tower. I want to know about the architects, contractors, financiers, government officials and parasites, the men whose low character makes the price of magnificence what it is in an imperfect world. (The heroes in the face of crap are also welcome, but I want exposé more than hagiography, and buildings more than, say, railroads. That said, I trust your judgement.)

Closest I can come up with are things like Caro on Robert Moses, McCullough on Brooklyn Bridge and train tracks. Fictionwise, Pillars of the Earth and Atlas Shrugged are noted. But I'm hoping you can do better. Anything you can think of - books, articles, documentaries - is welcome. Extra points for older.

(On afterthought - forseeable natural problems also welcome (libraries build without calculating weight of books, shifting foundations, etc) But mostly human moral failure.)

How do I combat my knee-jerk racist responses?

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:50:38 -0800

How do I combat my knee-jerk racist responses? Recently, I moved from an all-white area to a diverse neighborhood. I am having trouble dealing with my reaction to the many young black males who live in the area. My street is middle-class and racially diverse, but there is a low-income, mostly black neighborhood just blocks away, with frequent robberies and occasional shootings. There's a known drug corner 2 blocks away. The crime has spread to our neighborhood, and there are multiple home break-ins every week. We hear police sirens every night. About once a week, someone gets held up at knife/gunpoint while pulling into their garage.

Last week I turned into the alley to park in my garage, and there was an SUV parked directly in front of my garage door with its lights on and the engine running. There was a group of young black men in the alley dressed in stereotypical urban fashions, conversing loudly (but not aggressively) with each other. I froze, not knowing if I should approach. I steeled myself and moved forward, gesturing towards the garage door. The driver didn't know what I meant, so he exited his car and walked towards mine. I opened the window a crack and asked if he could back up. He was unfailingly polite and called me "Ma'am," and at that point I felt like a total jerk for making a racist assumption. I pulled into the garage and nothing else happened.

Earlier in the summer I saw a group of black men across the street in front of someone's yard, talking and drinking beer in front of a rundown car, and I was immediately suspicious, until I saw that one of them was trimming hedges and planting flowers. It's become clear that he lives there and wasn't doing yardwork as a job, and again I felt like a jerk.

I won't claim that "some of my best friends are black," because that's false. I grew up almost entirely around whites. I do currently work with black men (and women) and often find myself in elevators alone with young black men. I have no such trepidation about this. I'm leftist in my politics and just feel like a bad person for feeling this way. Given the levels of crime in my neighborhood and poverty in the adjacent neighborhood, there obviously are SOME dangerous people around, and I don't feel it unreasonable to be a bit more on guard than I would be in a small town or suburb, but how do I combat the pervasive and often racist fear? I'm female, married, and (obviously) white. Moving is not an option, and overall I like the area.

Please explain this unnerving phone call

caroljean63 — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:12:51 -0800

Help me figure out the strange call I had asking if I was related to my brother-in-law. I has me feeling a little unsettled. The caller refused to identify herself. A woman called from VA (number showed up on my caller ID) asking if I was related to my BIL. I asked her to identify herself and she refused and asked again if I was related to BIL. I asked her why she wanted to know, again she refused to divulge anything other than she had done some research that indicated someone at our address was related to BIL (his last name is different than ours). I said (stupidly) I would not give any personal info about "him." Though I didn't say his name, at that point I had probably given her enough information to indicate that I was indeed related to him. At that point she ended the conversation.

So now, I'm a little freaked out about the call. Obviously, I plan to call BIL when he gets off work tomorrow. I reverse-looked up the number and it's an unlisted number from VA (not my/BIL's state). I've run through some possible options. I can't imagine why a bill collector would call a relative and not identify him/herself. Same with someone planning a class reunion. An ex girlfriend would have no use for a relative. A legit. law enforcement officer would identify himself....right?

BIL is generally a good family man, though I don't know him all that well (married to my husband's sister, doesn't come to many family functions). I'm imagining all sorts of creepy made-for-TV movie scenarios that involve my children at this point. Please tell me I'm crazy and give me a reasonable explanation!

Identify this Old Movie?

RichardS — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:44:02 -0800

MovieFilter: The name of the movie made in the early 1940s that had this "make the twerps want to be the bad guy" scene: the bad guy is traveling down a country road at night, riding in the back seat of his "powerful black car." He touches something on the floor in front of him that reveals a panel with a speedometer and an accelerator pedal. He presses hard on the pedal, and we watch the needle go up and up and his driver desperately struggling to keep the careening car from going off the road.

How do I find out about a 1980 crime in Alabama?

Doug — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:10:02 -0800

What's the best way to search distant local newspaper archives for information on a crime that occurred almost 30 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama? I’m looking for any and all information concerning a crime that occurred in Alabama in 1980. I don’t have much information. A woman was abducted from Eastwood Mall in Birmingham Alabama. I believe the abduction occurred at the TP Crockmeir’s restaurant in the mall. That’s essentially all I know. I have access to Westlaw, but my searches are coming up with no results. I’ve sent emails to several local Birmingham newspapers, but I’ve received no replies. Is there an easier way for me, a person in NYC, to find articles on this crime?

Creepy abduction photographs true or not ?

selton — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:37:01 -0800

I read a true crime book some years back, I don't remember anything about the book except one story. My memory is hazy, but this is what I remember: some people were abducted in the USA. My memory tells me it was a mother and child/ren. I'm 99% certain it was an adult woman and at least one child even if they may not have been related. Now the very creepy part. Photos of these people were found in a public bathroom sometime later. In the photos the woman was tied up, perhaps a child was also in the photo I'm not sure. I'd like to verify if this story was indeed true or just made up by the author and I've tried googling many times without luck. I'm sure it has nothing to do with Harvey Glatman.

Breaking Out Of Break-In Anxiety

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:52:22 -0800

My girlfriend is having a crisis following a burglary at her apartment in Austin, TX. What can I do for her, and more importantly, what can she do for herself? This is actually a two-part question, but the halves are very different matters ('her her her' vs. 'me me me'), so I'll hold back the temptation to cram every last problem in one question.

Last month my girlfriend came home from work one night to find her apartment had been broken into. She is a very sensitive person. Though she lost only a few items, she feels (rightly) violated and anxious. This feeling of violated space troubles her as severely a month later as the night of the break-in. She moved to a new apartment and put on a facade of internal strength. Last night, she broke down in tears, confessing her anxiety never really left her. She can't sleep at night, and she carries either a large knife or hammer to bed and to walk the dog.

In typical Ask MeFi fashion, I told her she seriously needs therapy, but we both knew that's not an easy option. She was already financially tight before the robbery, and she can't afford a therapist, not even the regular co-pay. Group therapy would be a great way for her to heal, but after researching the Central Texas area, all group sessions seem dedicated to victims of violent crime.

What low-budget options are available to victims of non-violent crime in Austin?

Thanks so much.

How are prison sentences applied?

jackypaper — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:32:25 -0800

Phil Spector received a "19 years to life" sentence. Does this mean that (a) he must serve 19 years without exception and possibly more, or (b) he will be eligible for parole based on various factors before he serves 19 years? Can you explain the "to life" part? His sentence might be extended? I've always wondered how it works when you hear of someone getting "5 to 10 years," and reading of Spector's sentencing today reminded me to ask. Thanks!

Violent crime rate comparison in international cities

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:25:42 -0800

How safe is it to walk around in London compared to major American cities? What are good sources of comparison for violent crime rates in international cities?

Based on a true story...sorta

Oriole Adams — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:20:46 -0800

Screenplay filter: Legal ramifications regarding "based on a true story" or "ripped from the headlines" films. I've got a few publishing credits under my belt (non-fiction books, some reference, some trivia-related), but I'm itching to combine two of my personal guilty pleasures - true crime and Lifetime-style movies - in an effort to branch out into screenplay writing. I grew up watching the various network "Movies of the Week", and Lifetime original movies have helped to fill that "ripped from the headlines" void in recent years. I've got a couple of crime stories I'm working on in this regard, but I'm wondering if, even if I change the names of the victims and the location, do I need to get any sort of special permissions before submitting the screenplay? For example, if I was presenting the story of the Texas Yogurt Shop Murders, and I changed the locale to an ice cream store in a different state and used different names for the victims and perps, could I still A) present it as "based on a true story" and B) not be sued by the families of the actual victims for using their story without permission? (This point is probably iffy in any situation, considering the litigious climate in the US.)

Perhaps this all boils down to how much can you change a story in order to prevent charges of plagiarism or exploitation, while still selling it as a "true story"? What if I use several intricate details of a scenario that only the actual person involved would know? For example, can I use the description of an airline hijacking given by a survivor who recounted their story in an interview if put it in my own words and change the names/places? There must be some sort of industry standard, since so many TV films are based on true stories, but I don't know what, if any, permissions are necessary, or how much attribution must be given when submitting the screenplay, etc. (I know that if I get a "bite" once I submit a screenplay I'll need to lawyer up, but I want to sort of be informed a bit in advance as much as possible.)

How do I deal with a death threat I received in error?

ausernamenooneelsehas — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:00:10 -0800

I received a FB message from someone I don't know who is a member of the US military. The message contained a death threat he wanted me to pass on to someone else, also unknown to me. Who, besides Facebook, should I contact about this?

In depth article on the "I am a natural person" defense?

yesno — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:15:56 -0800

"Natural person" / "This court has no jurisdiction over me" in depth article? Maybe a year ago, I read an in depth article on the arguments that many people make when brought before a court, along the lines that the court has no jurisdiction over them (because of fringe on the flag, etc), or that the state government is invalid, etc etc.

I believe the article largely dealt with a spate of such arguments happening in inner city Baltimore among violent offenders--these kinds of arguments are usually associated with tax protesters.

It was a well written piece. like you'd find in the Atlantic or something. (That is, it's not a legal opinion attacking such arguments or a fringe site promoting them; it's more a piece of sociology.)

Can someone help me find this article?

Do black tee shirts have special significance?

the NATURAL — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:04:26 -0800

Why do urban black males wear all-black when committing criminal/violent acts? Is this just a stereotype? It would seem like when popular culture has absorbed terms like "murder-out," which is to make the tint, paint, and rims of a car all-black, and shows like The Wire show shootings by males done in all-black, then the common-sense thing to do would be to run the other way whenever you see people dressed as such on the street.

Recommendations for recent true crime books?

spockette — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:46:46 -0800

I'd like some suggestions of good true crime books to read. I'm particularly interested in books about crimes committed in the US that occurred or were solved relatively recently (preferably within the last ten years, but no more than twenty years ago). I'd really like to read a true-crime book that's heavy on the details of the investigation, and how it was solved (or if it wasn't solved, an overview of the most credible theories of who did it/what happened).

I've read about Ted Bundy, BTK, and the Zodiac killer, so I'd be particularly interested in reading about more recent serial killers, but I'd prefer them to be about the crime and the investigation, rather than the psychology of the killer.

It doesn't have to just be about serial killers - I'd like any other true-crime recommendations too.

How are suspected criminals given hospital treatment?

Bobby Bittman — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:10:11 -0800

What would happen to a suspect who was seriously injured while being arrested? Would they be treated in a regular hospital while under guard? If there are any police officers or lawyers or criminals on AskMetaFilter (and I know there are), could someone please detail for me what the process is?

I just want to know if my assumption is correct - that the suspect would be treated in a hospital for their injuries under police supervision, and then any recovery time would also be under strict police guard.

But also, are patients/suspects put in a special area of the hospital? Are they restrained in any way (handcuffed to the bed, eg)? How many guards are assigned to the suspect? Are there any other complicating factors I'm not thinking of?