Extra! Extra!

People have long criticized news organizations of adding sensationalism to stories for the sake of selling more copies or attracting more viewers.

It appears to be true in the case of the headline that appeared today:

Former Cop Convicted of Sex Assault

Does Not Have to Register as Sex Offender, Court Rules

Naturally, a reader’s first thought will be, why does a cop get to avoid this?

But when one reads the story one learns that the whole matter has absolutely nothing to do with the convicted person having been a police officer. He could have been a truck driver, a computer programmer, or a restaurant chef, it would make no difference.

The story is about a sentencing error by the original trial judge, which caused the courts to rule that the sex offender registration requirement under "Megan’s Law" does not apply. The convicted person having been a police officer doesn’t enter into the matter at all.

Perhaps the convicted person having been a police officer had some bearing on the original assault case. But we do not know that by reading the story accompanying this headline.

So why did the headline not read, "Man Convicted of Sex Assault Does Not Have to Register as Sex Offender, Court Rules?"

Because, it appears, stories about bad cops attract readers. Stories about judges who err while issuing a sentence do not.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Support Cancer Research and Save!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international health campaign organized to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.

In support of this campaign, V.H. Blackinton and the Badge Company of New Jersey are partnering to offer Blackinton’s distinctive Breast Cancer Awareness Badges at a special discounted price during the month of October.

Any order for these badges received between now and October 31, 2012 will earn a 20% discount off the catalog price and free shipping to your US location. In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 10% of the sales will be donated equally to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network and the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.

To order, simply click here to go to our Blackinton Design-A-Badge page, and create your special Breast Cancer Awareness Badges from any of the following seven badge styles.

B296-PI
B38-PI
B484-PI
B501-PI
B538-PI
B953-PI
B956-PI

Then submit your order, and we’ll process it with the 20% discount and the free shipping.

But remember, your order must be in our hands not later than October 31, 2012, for the discount to apply.  All badges ordered by October 31, 2012, will be delivered in time for the Holidays.

Zero to Jail in 3.5 Seconds

In Newark earlier this year a brilliant young man decided to carjack an expensive Porsche 911. Brandishing a gun, he ordered the driver out, and hopped in.

He then promptly stalled the 480-hp turbocharged engine... the engine with the six-speed transmission... the six speed manual transmission... the transmission type that Our Hero had never learned how to drive.

Unable to get the car moving, and with police approaching faster than he was departing, he bailed out of the car.

Despite having a high-powered sports car at his disposal only moments earlier, he was captured after a brief foot chase.

Result? He now faces up to 15 years in prison.

Another Cop Movie?

Our friends over at Police magazine have given the new movie, "End of Watch," a thumbs-up. This was somewhat surprising to us, since the law enforcement community tends to be a harsh critic of the on-screen portrayals of cops and Hollywood tends to stress explosions, chases, and soap-opera subplots over realism and authenticity.

But Police reports that the former LAPD officer whose experiences form the basis of the film worked closely the screenwriter for "End of Watch" as well as with the lead actors, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena. That officer, Jamie FitzSimons, had direct input on everything from the script and to visual details such the actors’ posture in uniform.

The result, according the Police writer Paul Clinton, is a movie that rings true.

Will He Pleed Not Gilty?

According to the Associated Press, Police in York, Pennsylvania, are searching for a spelling-challenged vandal who hit a central Pennsylvania woman's car with paint over the weekend.

Police say a woman reported Saturday morning that her sport-utility vehicle had been sprayed with white paint. On the driver's side doors an unknown person had scrawled "bicth."

Investigators say the woman also reported a motorcycle was stolen from her property. It was later recovered in a nearby town.

The York police are seeking information on the motorcycle theft and the dyslexic graffiti.

Never Underestimate the Power of a Woman

From our friends at FMG Publications comes this story of a not-very-successful young criminal here in New Jersey.  Age 27 and armed with a knife, he slipped into an unlocked car outside a store and crouched in the back seat, waiting for the unsuspecting driver to return.

When the driver and a passenger entered the car and settled into the front seats, Our Hero made his move.  Unfortunately for him, the driver immediately turned around and began pummeling the the guy with both fists, while the passenger jumped out and began screaming for help.  The would-be thief was able to escape, but was apprehended shortly thereafter.

His intended victim?  A 94-year-old woman!  The passenger who ran for help?  Her 93-year-old sister.  Neither was injured.

There's No Car Like a MoPar

Another neat old photo from our friends at Hemmings Motor News, this one of a 1957 Dodge Coronet D-501 two-door sedan as used by the Ohio Turnpike Patrol.

This was arguably the fastest car in the MoPar family at the time, powered by a 354-cu.in. Hemi V8 with dual Carter WCFB four-barrels, 11.0:1 compression and a claimed 340-hp that was probably a very conservative estimate.

Highway authorities such as the Ohio Turnpike Commission were, at the time, still trying to get a handle on safety issues along the then-new high-speed roads. The overpowered but poor-handling cars of the late 1950s were a great temptation to drivers in post-World War II America, and one obvious answer was hotter police cars.

Here in New Jersey, for example, state troopers assigned to the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway were issued big, Hemi-powered Chryslers.

But the Ohio Turnpike Patrol’s cars were distinctive. Only 56 of the D-501s were built.

By the way, the Ohio Highway Patrol at that time had a separate district headquarters for the turnpike and a specific number of "patrolmen," not "troopers," who were assigned to that district.