One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Police Officers As Tour Guides: New LA 'Crime Scene Tours' Opens
Photo by VeryBadLady via Flickr
A new Los Angeles tour business opened last week offering crime scene tours led by law enforcement personnel who "offer personal perspectives on the crimes," according to Studio City Patch. Crime Scene Tours creator Lonnie M. Levine worked with the LAPD for eight years as a civilian detective and wanted to offer people a view of police work that is "rarely presented."
Different crimes are covered on different tours from the North Hollywood shootout to Vitello’s in Studio City to the homes of Nicole Brown Simpson and Jose and Kitty Menendez, to Manson family murders, Nightstalker and Hillside Strangler locations and some high profile celebrity deaths to round out the offerings.
Los Angeles Police Officer Ramon Muniz led a recent tour. His first police assignment was in the North Hollywood Division. He learned the division (at the time) held the record for the highest incidence of injuries for rookie cops. Early in his career, Muniz was frustrated to be on desk patrol when he showed up for work the morning after the Bonny Lee Bakley murder. But missing the chance to go out on the particular call certainly did not hamper his ability to bring it and other crimes vividly to life.
Before the first official tour had started, numerous buses were pre-booked for visitors from Japan. The Japanese had followed the Kazuyoshi Miura case very closely. Miura was scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles for killing his wife, but hung himself in his Los Angeles prison cell. That crime, which Levine said was Japan’s version of the O.J. Simpson trial, will be included for his Japanese tourists.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
