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Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Spy in the Sky. Top Story - April 2018.
Do you ever get the feeling someone is watching? It's not your imagination, especially if you are in the UK or China. While China has the global record for the most cameras, the UK wins if you count per capita. With an approximate number of 500,000, a typical Brit is on camera 300 times a day. The topic is controversial wherever you go. Is privacy being invaded? CCTV is restricted to public areas where people are not supposed to expect privacy. If people can see you, why not cameras? If you've got nothing to hide, what's the difference, right? Some Americans might take issue after the April 15, 2013, bombing of the Boston Marathon. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were known simply as Black Hat and White Hat. CCTV followed their blurred images before, during, and after the two bombs went off, and it led to their arrest.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Criminal Justice System: Better or Worse
When I think of our criminal justice system, I think about the children our law-enforcement puts down. I think about Eric Garner who was suffocating and practically begged to get a gasp of air. Or about the time when a man was shot right next to his girlfriend because of a broken taillight. “Stay with me. We got busted because of a busted taillight in the back,” she said while the man was bleeding to death with the officer pointing his gun at him.
By Angel Tapia8 years ago in Criminal
Why Missing Children Never Return Home
The Lindbergh Law, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and The Amber Alert have all been proven successful ways to return thousands of missing children home safe and alive. Sadly, these methods of locating missing children have been enforced after a child has been senselessly murdered by their captor. However, since the inception of these methods, a lot of cases involving missing children still go unsolved and perpetrators are never caught. What follows are a few possible explanations as to why a lot of cases of missing children have gone cold and unsolved. Leaving the public baffled and heart-broken. Not to mention bringing every parents' and relatives' worst nightmare to life. I hope to provide at least some insight into why and how this tragedy unfolds to prevent such miscarriages of justice from happening again and again. The first second when a child goes missing time is of the essence to make sure that they are found safe and alive, and that their captors are apprehended and brought to justice for their crimes. Crimes against the most innocent of all victims: Children. What follows are a few plausible explanations as to why missing children cases go unsolved despite every exhausted effort by the police, the FBI, the mass media, and the public alike. It seems education and prevention are key to protecting innocent children from predators. To protect their safety and security is more crucial than ever in a world that is dominated by greed, blood lust and political corruption. Kids need to know that predators are everywhere. Online, in schools and in political offices. Call 911 and keep telling until you are believed. If approached by a person who tries to harass or intimidate you, know that this is never your fault and help is available.
By Janelle Ouellet8 years ago in Criminal
Top 15 Best Selling Criminal Psychology Books
When most people read about murderers, rapists, and school shooters in the newspaper, it's hard to imagine them as people. It's hard to imagine that someone who could have been your neighbor do things so heinous and horrifying as ending others' lives. However, all criminals were someone's neighbor at one point.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart8 years ago in Criminal
10 Non-Fiction Crime Novels That You Must Read If You Are Obsessed with Serial Killers
Our fascination with murder and serial killers has existed for years. With the evolution and popularity of true crime stories in film and television, there's the books to go with it. These non-fiction crime novels tell the detailed true stories of some of the world's most feared and notorious killers. With some of them still on the loose and murders left unsolved, this only raises our suspicions and peaks more interest about these true stories.
By Madeline Zenk8 years ago in Criminal
Bank Robbery
Today's bank robberies aren't exactly Ocean's Eleven. Truth be told, very few are even like The Handsome Guy Bandit, Steven Milam, who donned a mask to rob banks. Fewer still are robberies like the Battle of North Hollywood, when Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Mătăsăreanu engaged L.A. police in a devasting street battle.These days, they are the despondent down-on-their-luck average Joes or desperate drug addicts looking for a fix. However, the urgent needs of offenders cause serious problems for banks. Take the case of Stephen Trantel. He was a typical suburban husband and dad. During the economic downfall, he lost his place on the trading floor of the NY Stock Exchange. He pretended to go to work every day, and after trying to cope with the huge expenses of living in a New York City suburb, he decided on robbing a bank for financial relief. He robbed 10, with a total take of $60,000. He was smart. Having researched bank jobs, he figured out that 80 percent of bank robbers get caught because of their use of cars. Many are stolen, witnesses give license plate numbers and descriptions of the car; these were drawbacks he considered. Trantel opted for a nonchalant approach. His car was parked blocks away, usually in an out-of-the-way corner of a parking lot, near a dumpster. Using a cup of coffee as a prop, he'd walk around a bit, then enter the bank leaving the cup on a ledge outside the bank chosen. When he left the bank, Trantel would pick up the cup and saunter away, back to his car where he would change clothes behind the dumpster. Stephen was caught because they found a fingerprint on one of the notes he would hand to a teller. He was arrested in 2004, and released from prison in 2012.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Top 12 Must-Read True Crime Memoirs
The world has always been fascinated with crime. From Al Capone during the prohibition era to Ted Bundy, we as a people are so interested in anything crime-related. Serial killers have become an immensely popular topic. We analyze which hated their mothers and what bands they loved in hopes that we may one day understand them. The serial killer genre is doing well, with hit shows Dexter and Mindhunter based solely off of characters who kill and commit violent crimes.
By Jesse Kinney8 years ago in Criminal
Craigslist Crimes
Craigslist, the place where you can sell anything, even yourself. It's the place where you can buy anything, including sex. It's also the root of a lot of evil. The crime that ensues for many people begins with a simple post, whether you are buying or selling. Most have heard of Philip Markoff, the Craigslist killer, but he is really A Craigslist killer. There have been 129 of them, with 2017 being the last year for which information is available. That does not reflect the huge numbers of other crimes that have been recorded, but not tallied. Craigslist's answer to the criminality users are subjected to is a cavalier, “With billions of human interactions, the incidence of violent crime related to Craigslist is extremely low.” What they don't do but could do is hire more people to work in the safety division or in ad inspection. There are only 40 people running this show. Backpage was recently shut down for prostitution ads, and for the human trafficking of children for sex. Craigslist needs to take a stand on "Safe Trade" spots. There are many of them, and you can find them at Safe Spots. These safe trade spots are usually set up at police stations, to assure buyers and sellers can exchange money for goods in safety.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
The Green Hat
The water seeped enticingly through the woman’s toes as she waited for night to fall and the moon to peek out from behind the dark gray clouds. Her dyed pink hair was slightly wet from the heavy mist that had descended on her way to the lake, but it was quickly drying from the heavy wind. She probably should return soon, but the moon was so beautiful at the lake, it was worth a possible soaking.
By Emily Pierce8 years ago in Criminal
Female Cannibal Killers That Will Make Your Skin Crawl
They loved only one other thing more than murder: human flesh. Jeffrey Dahmer himself would shiver in his boots if he ever ran across these special women, whose blood lusts dug far deeper into madness than he could ever even believe. Their reasons and stories are but a small glimpse into convoluted minds that saw a great deal of torment in a wide range of ways.
By Donald Gray8 years ago in Criminal
