Firebugs

Los Angeles, or more specifically Hollywood, spent a couple of nights this week being traumatised by an arsonist who was going round setting fire to stretch limos and ferraris and carports and stretch carports and other vehicle related objects.

So in a place that regularly explode cars and blows up buildings in downtown Los Angeles for movie stunts with actors dressed in police uniforms, the LAPD asked locals to keep a look out for suspicious looking activity.  I imagine it would be a little difficult to tell the difference between acting and suspicious looking activity most of the time.  It would be like the Australian Federal Police telling Canberrans to look out for public servants googling all day when they should be working.  How would anyone be able to tell the difference?

My suspicions that the firebug was actually Lindsay Lohan were thwarted when the LAPD arrested a 24-year-old man on suspected arson.  Their evidence seemed to be based on the fact that there have been no further fires since he was caught, and he apparently had materials in his car that could start fires.  I guess that's like matches or something.  I suppose they're right; people who smoke should be in prison. Just because.

Maybe he was sick of the traffic.  I agree with his premise there.  Or maybe he was a greenie who hates cars - maybe.  It turns out that he is a German National who is cranky about something immigration-ish.  It's a pity that he isn't Mexican, which would give the Americans a good excuse to get rid of all the illegals in downtown L.A.

A local music producer (of course) in Hollywood said he was nervous about the arson attacks so he downloaded a police scanner application onto his iPad.  Of course he did.  So if civilials want to turn up to potentially dangerous crime scenes in America can they sue?  Uh, of course they can. It's America - the land of the free and the libelous.

I wonder if you can download Australian police scanners onto an iPad.  We must have laws against this, or else every criminal in Australia would have one and every rubbernecker would be down at every crime scene.  Can someone please google this for me and advise?  I prefer to not put 'can I buy a police scanner in Australia?' into my Google search engine in fear of ending up on some terrorist watch list.

Fine, I'll do it.  Apparently they are legal in Australia, but it is illegal to act on any of the information that you hear.  Well it's a good thing that our criminals are renowned for their law-abiding behaviour, or we'd be stuffed.