My husband says I worry too much. Naturally, I don't agree. But there I was at the grocery store the other day and my mind began to work overtime.

Given the nature of the work I do -- writing about crime and justice -- I admit my brain doesn't...

What the hell is going on with our children?

In one high school in Palo Alto, California four teenagers, acting separately, killed themselves recently by stepping in front of a train.

And who wasn't stunned by the recent reports, also from California, about a group of 20 high school...

What the hell is going on with our children?

In one high school in Palo Alto, California four teenagers, acting separately, killed themselves recently by stepping in front of a train.

And who wasn't stunned by the recent reports, also from California, about a group...

I got the opportunity recently to spend time with two of America's most talked about Dads: Jon Gosselin, of the "Jon and Kate plus Eight" television show and Richard Heene, the man behind the recent so-called Balloon Boy Hoax.

Let me just say: Long gone are the TV Dads...

The official "Crime Clock" is counting down the odds that you or a family member or a friend will be touched by violent crime in the coming year. Think it can't happen to you?

The Crime Clock doesn't recognize race or age or gender. It's all about statistics.

The...

It was an overcast October Saturday at the Joint Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos, California. The 7 am start time was daunting but I'd promised to go.

I'm glad I did.

It was the annual "Survive and Thrive" 5k run/walk event put on by a group called...

There are traitors among us. Some are wearing the uniform of American law enforcement.

They are members of our federal defense force at the U.S. border, others are from local police departments in areas nearby. They are men and women who carry a badge and a gun and are...

Don't be distracted by the recent debate over whether fugitive movie director Roman Polanski should return to America and do time for sex crimes.

Don't let ill-informed daytime talk show hostesses convince you it wasn't really a crime.

Don't get distracted by Hollywood types who claim the deed...

Crime happens when we least expect it. Criminal activity festers in places we can't imagine and in the minds of those we least expect. We should not be surprised when it is discovered.

The recent arrest of three seemingly low-key, non-descript men on charges of lying to federal agents...

This column is about both crime fighting and journalism - the two entities that come together to define what I do. Regular readers know this column has never been about politics but today it contains an appeal to politicians and other government workers nationwide.

Get your heads out...

Have you gone into a bank lately and noticed anything different?

During my recent travels I noticed a bank in Albuquerque invited me, via a sign on the door, to "Please remove your sunglasses so we can smile at you!" At a bank in Los Angeles I was greeted...

Is there anyone out there reading this who condones rape?

No, of course not.

Who in civilized society would believe the violent sexual assault of another person is okay?

So then, why do we allow the brutal, repeated rape of our prisoners? We've known about the problem...

Let's talk about hate. Hate crimes to be specific.

By definition these are crimes perpetrated by someone who targets another based on their race, color, religion or national origin. Congress now seeks to expand the definition of hate crimes to those who attack based on a victim's sexual orientation...

How many times have you heard about a missing person case? To be sure there are hundreds of thousands of Americans reported missing every year. Some come right back home. But too often families of the missing either get the horrible news that their loved one's body has been found...

I am sick of it. I am sick to my core with professional athletes who escape true justice when they break the law.

Some of these guys project such a powerful image no one dares report their criminal behavior. A recent case in point is former major league baseball...

In America everyone is supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law. But we've got a growing group, a particular class of defendants entering American courtrooms who I believe need special consideration. They are soldiers returning from war.

Several studies conclude that between 30% to 40% of...

We want police to get dangerous guns off the street, right? Well, they are -- in record numbers. Now the problem is what to do with all those confiscated guns.

A routine traffic stop yields a rifle in plain sight in the back seat of a car driven by...

My Aunt, Wilma Stephens, was a registered nurse working in my pediatrician's office. If I close my eyes I can still see her in her white uniform, red hair and waffle-soled shoes. She was the one I always wanted to see when I was sick. I have a great respect...

From a crime and justice standpoint it's a stupid move to try a terrorist in a civilian court of law. But that's the plan, folks.

Ahmed Ghailani will be the first Guantanamo terror suspect to be brought here and tried in our civilian criminal court system. And that Ghailani will...

Prisoner number 33765-183 walked out of the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas last week. He'd been sentenced to 23 months but he got out a bit early for good behavior. He'll serve the last two months of his sentence in home confinement.

The point is - prisoner number 33765-183...