He's a murderer, of course they're taking him serious. I'm debating whether he's smart and calculating, not whether he's homicidal. That part's a given. Nothing he's done so far indicates a mastermind at work. He's washed out of everything he's tried, and his present actions are right in line with that string of personal failures. I also don't credit the LAPD with an abundance of brains. They are habitually churning out abusive, stupid and reactionary law enforcement officers - including this homicidal idiot. They're also making asses of themselves over the reaction, statements, and actions in locating this man. It's a clusterfuck. On both sides.