• KERSTEIN, Max J. Age 86, of Los Angeles, passed away on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 in West Los Angeles, California. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at the Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 West Centinela Avenue in Los Angeles, California. He was born on May 20, 1923, in New York to Irving and Fannie (Kauffman) Kerstein. He married Mildred Leff on August 10, 1946. He will be dearly missed by his wife, Mildred, of Los Angeles; two daughters: Dr. Susan Kerstein of Chicago, IL, and Linda Kerstein, of Los Angeles; one son, Robert and his wife Susana Kerstein of Fairfax, Virginia; two grandchildren: Spencer Kerstein and Kendall Kerstein, and other family, friends and associates. From 1958 through 1997, he was the editor and publisher of the prestigious wine and beverage publication the Beverage Bulletin in Southern California.

He was an active member of the Los Angeles Police Department Reserve Corps since 1983 at the Pacific Division and recently transferred to the new Olympic Station. He served in multiple significant capacities as a volunteer. He was a founding member and major contributor of the LAPD Reserve Speaker's Bureau. Most notably, during the past 15 years through his techniques in identifying wanted persons through computer checks, physical oddities, fingerprints, aliases and other forms of references, he identified more than 3,500 in-custody arrestees who were in jail at the time for other crimes. He also identified thousands of secondary felony and misdemeanor warrants totaling more than $20,000,000. For his outstanding work, he was recognized by the California Reserve Peace Officers Association, the Los Angeles Police Department's Reserve Officer of the Year for 2007. For his commitment to the community, he has been honored numerous times by the Los Angeles Police Department, the City of Los Angeles, the Attorney General's Office, the community at large, and even the President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton. He has received considerable press coverage for his work including a special on the Today TV Show for his accomplishments and numerous commendations. He served during WWII in the Coast Guard and was a proud and active member of the American Legion Hollywood Post No. 43. He was a member of the Screen Actor's Guild. He caught the acting bug late in life and was proud to be cast in many prestigious projects including: Catch Me If You Can, Scrubs, Beautysleep Symphony, Dynamite Swine, The Commission, The Woman Chaser, The Wedding Project, My Brother Jack, and Just Add Love. He will be missed by family, friends and associates. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be directed to: Los Angeles Police Foundation, PO Box 86011, Los Angeles, CA 90086; www.lapolicefoundation.org or the  American Legion Hollywood Post No. 43 at 2035 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90068. Malinow & Silverman Mortuary (800) 710-7100