Gawker: valleywag, cops

Feel Free To Hire Hookers Off Craigslist Again

Hamilton Nolan — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:40:49 EDT

Law-abiding citizens, tremble in fear: the NYPD is no longer secretly patrolling the hooker ads on Craigslist. Are we safe without undercover cops trying to lure horny men into motel rooms and arrest them?

And furthermore, why is this important news just now coming out 18 months after the NYPD allegedly stopped setting up stings on Craigslist hookers and johns? Whoa, so many questions! You're quite interested in Craigslist hooker information, wow!

It's simple really: ABC newsman George Weber got murdered by a 16-year-old he found on Craigslist, which, by the ironclad rules of Media Scandal Follow-Up Stories, means that it's time to delve into the seedy world of online prostitution, and what it means for YOU.

And whattayaknow, it's safe to go finding hookers on Craigslist again:

The Vice Squad Craigslist program was shut down about 18 months ago, sources told The Post. But NYPD spokesman Paul Browne insisted it happened as long as three years ago because a new commanding officer of the squad thought it was "a waste of resources."

Yokel Craigslist-suing Sheriff Thomas Dart could learn something from the NYPD. This is all part of a larger social contract. Cops agree to stay off Craigslist while they're on duty, and in return, we don't hold them to be hypocrites when they hire hookers from Craigslist while they're off duty. [NYP]

Stefan Eriksson's crash — he taped it

ndouglas — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 23:20:46 EST

Too golden — Stefan Eriksson (the Gizmondo exec who ripped his Ferrari apart in L.A.) might have taped the crash from inside the car. Who knows what it'd look like — cops haven't found the alleged video yet. But as a consolation prize, the L.A. Times (who's digging this story as much as I am) shares this simulation (opens in a media player) of the crash. Man, "crash the rare Enzo" would have made a great Gizmondo game — if Gizmondo's console hadn't been such a car wreck itself.

Video May Hold Clues to PCH Wreck [LAT]
Earlier: Gizmondo ex-exec was a cop. Kinda. Not really. [Valleywag]

Gizmondo ex-exec was a cop. Kinda. Not really.

ndouglas — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 19:13:47 EST

The LA Times picks up a new twist to the Stevan Eriksson Ferrari crash story. The crooked ex-Gizmondo exec who totaled his car (to be crystal-clear: split his car in half while driving drunk) in L.A. flashed a business card at the cops.

His title on the card: "Deputy police commissioner of the San Gabriel Transit Authority Police's anti-terrorism division."

How he got it: As a favor in return for installing security cams and facial-recognition software on San Gabriel Valley buses.

At this point, even Stefan's mom has got to be going, "Yeah, he's kind of a jerk."

Another Turn in Ferrari Saga [LAT via BB]
Earlier: More dirt on the Gizmondo Ferrari wreck [Valleywag]