Delinquent Burglars Should’ve Done Lots More Walkie and Lots Less Talkie

The latest stupid criminal tricks entry involves a couple of young burglars who broke into a Westside elementary school one evening and found a pair of walkie-talkies. All the better to communicate with during the mission ... they figured.

Only problem, reports the Star News, an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department publication, was that “a janitor working at another school could hear everything they were saying.” They discussed what code they would use as a signal if the cops appeared and what they would say to explain the money they had stolen. They even reminisced about a previous burglary at another school.

The youths were exiting with their loot just as deputies dropped by the school.

Talk about a show of defiance for law and order! “Our son Jay is a deputy district attorney in Palo Alto,” writes Abe Boyarsky of La Mirada. “He took this picture in Northern California” (see photo).

I was wondering if he should change his profession?”

Luxury lavs: The makers of “MIIB”, the new “Men in Black” movie, rented the Santa Monica Pier for a premiere party the other night. Yup, just got the pier all to themselves, including the (free) pinball games. Of course, they had to make a few improvements. For example, the portable toilets they brought along were truly grand.

On the inside, the facilities were graced by mirrors, shelves for purses (men’s or women’s), sinks and, of course, carpets (beige). And there were warning lights on the outside in case it was occupe. Those Hollywood folks sure know how to live!

Oy vey! Luigi Smaldino of L’Italo Americano newspaper points out that I misspelled “tutti” in the item about the Italian restaurant that requires diners to store their cell phones for “la tranquillita di tutti.”

L.A. Insult of the Day: David Karber of Long Beach snapped the suspiciously misspelled directional sign at an onramp to U.S. 66 in Williams, Ariz. (see photo). It expresses somewhat the same sentiment as an Arizona sign on U.S. 60 heading toward the California border. That one says: “You’re Leaving Hope.” (OK, I admit it is outside the town of Hope.)

Dollars and scents: Doug Disney of Rolling Hills Estates wondered if the “PU” outsoles come with a set of “Odor Eaters” (see accompanying).

miscelLAny: KNX radio commentator Dave Ross sees another side to the court finding the Pledge of Allegiance phrase “one nation under God” unconstitutional. Now that it’s forbidden, Ross said, kids in classrooms across the nation will be sure to utter it.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012 and by e-mail at steve .harvey@latimes.com.