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Question
Hello Sir, Maybe you can help me. I'm writing a book and in it, my villain, who is a 14 year old boy at the beginning of the story, kills a dog. The boy lives alone with his father who is away on a business trip. A neighbor saw the boy commit the crime and has called the police. In the second chapter the Police come to the boy's house and apprehend him. The year is 1965 and the place is Park Ridge (I'm giving you this information because I don't know whether or not Police procedure varies from time to time and from place to place.) My question is what would the police do with the boy? Would they put him behind bars? Would they have a psychologist speak to him? What is the official procedure in these kind of cases? Your help and your time is very much appreciated.
Paul,
You are right about one thing. Police procedure and law varies from town to town and state to state so what happens in town A might not happen in town B. But lets say that there is a law in your town about animal cruelty (I guess that this what happened) and the police are able to develop probable cause to arrest the boy for killing the dog. In 1965 he might have been placed in the custody of his nearest relative if that person could be contacted. If not then he might be placed in a juvenile detention center if no relative could be located. But of course this would depend on how big a city "Park Ridge" is. If this is some small rural town then it might be considered more serious and he might appear before a juvenile court judge the next day and the judge would make a decison on his status. No trial would be held until the father returned and I doubt seriously if a psycholigist would be talking to any 14 year old in 1965 until after a conviction or to decide if the boy was sane.
Once again....your story is in 1965 so who knows what the procedure would have been then.
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Answers by Expert:
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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