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Careers: Police/crime novel advice

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Expert: - 3/25/2011


Question
Dear Mr. Toomey,
I write a contemporary amateur sleuth series set in a large metropolitan area (about 5.5 million). I have a couple of questions:

1. Do police officers always have partners? They sure seem to on TV, but in my community, I see solo officers riding around all the time.

2. Also on TV, lots of suspects/witnesses/persons of interest are brought "downtown" for questioning; is taking someone into the station for an interview a common tactic, or are most interviews conducted on premises?

Thank you so much -- your answers to other questions has been very helpful to my writing.

Answer
Tina,

Your first rule of writing novels is to believe NOTHING that you see on television when it comes to police work.  Very little is realistic.  In fact many of the units that you see depicted do not exist in real life.

1.  only in the worst ghettos or parts of inner cities to some departments have two man cars.  Everywhere else its one officer in a car.

2.  It depends on what kind of interview it is and whether the person is a witness or a suspect.  There is usually no "downtown".  That is old phrase that comes from police movies from fifty years ago and from Dragnet.

If someone is a witness to a wreck you would hardly expect the person to be taken to a station where a two minute interview in the backseat of a cruiser would be sufficient.  If someone was a witness to a shooting then they might be taken to the station for a more thorough interview.

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Jack Toomey

Expertise

U.S.: I am an expert in this category for the purpose of giving young people an idea what the hiring process involves for the position of police officer. I am getting a flood of questions from young people who are being influenced by unrealistic television shows. I'd ask you to consider that when you watch police shows on television that they are NOT realistic and most of what you see does not happen in real life. Please do not ask me about potential jail sentences that you, your friends, or family might receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer so I cannot answer questions about probation and parole matters. I am a retired police officer with 26 years experience.I worked in a variety of assignments including investigations, homicide, sex crimes, runaway investigations, missing persons, and fraud.I also dealt with the general public during that time giving a wide range of advice on matters such as domestic disputes, problem solving, teenage problems, civil/criminal matters, and dealing with the mentally ill. I am available to give sound and reasonable advice which can solve most problems. Please do not ask me to do homework questions or online interviews. Young people should not rely on the Internet for interviews. Local police officers are normally very agreeable to assist students with interviews and surveys.

Experience

Worked as a police officer/detective for 26 years.

Graduate of the University of Maryland.B.S. in Law Enforcement.Attended numerous schools and training courses involving investigations, interviewing, interrogations, crime detection, domestic violence, and others. Recognized in court as an expert witness.

Received numerous awards during my police career for expert investigations. Handled the most sensitive and confidential investigations. In 1999 I won an award for my work with high school students while working in my new career in a large suburban high school.

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