Novel ways to solve crime

A good detective can find a clue anywhere … even when, ah, answering the call of nature.

While interviewing a suspect at a home in Jensen Beach, Fla., a detective had to ask to use the bathroom.

However, he couldn’t get the facility to flush properly.

Now, we don’t know whether his suspicions were aroused or whether he was just naturally a helpful kind of guy who likes to fix things.

In any case, we know that he lifted the tank lid — and found a handgun that turned out to be stolen, plus three magazines with bullets.

Ah, the old contraband-in-the-commode trick.

But here’s a new twist on an old type of crime.

In Pineville, Mo., an officer brought his laptop computer into the sheriff’s office to have some software installed.

Lo and behold, the laptop turned out to be stolen.

What? Had the officer unwittingly received stolen merchandise?

Not according to complaints.

A year past, a woman had reported her laptop missing from her car after the officer had arrested her for drunken driving.

We’ve heard of law enforcement officers allegedly stealing from suspects. After all, who’s going to go to doubt their word over that of a suspected criminal?

But now it’s not just a matter of he said/she said. Now the suspected dirty cop supplied the evidence himself.

That’s good police work, unwittingly.

Green carbonation

So it was karaoke at the Houston airport.

But it will be carbon at the San Francisco airport.

Carbon offsets, that it.

How very California.

Houston recently offered karaoke to travelers as a way to offset the stress of holiday travel.

San Francisco International plans to set up kiosks allowing travelers to pay for their own pollution.

A passenger can type in his destination and get a readout of the amount of carbon dioxide he’s responsible for by taking the flight and the cost to counteract that effect through green projects. He can then swipe a credit card to buy carbon offsets; his receipt would even show him the exact projects his offset payment would help fund.

The pilot program in planned for spring.

Maybe its anthem should be “Fly Away” by Carbon Leaf.