Expert: Dick Rogers - 12/29/2007

Question
Dick- I'm helping a friend do some research for a crime drama, and want to be sure law enforcement personal and procedures are represented fairly and accurately. In a nutshell - a dangerous fugitive contacts the protagonist via cell phone. He, in turn, calls the detectives in charge of the case. Question: do the police respond immediately? Do they interview the protagonist at his apartment, or set something up for the next morning at the station? Would the police want all his phone records? What technology would be used to hone in on the location of the fugitive next time he calls? Any guidance at all would be appreciated. Thanks, and Be Excellent! ~Adam

Answer
Adam, I'm not sure I'm the best bet to answer your question in that I have been retired since 1988...long before the cell phones were a common item.  You haven't stated why the fugitive contacted the protagonist...was he threatened, etc.?  It really isn't important where the subject is interviewed...one of my most important cases centered on the Copper Penny restaurant which happened to be handy.  In this case, it would seem appropriate to look into the phone records...pretty routine.  I believe in a technological sense, they (cops) would be able to eventually determine where calls were made from.  By the way, do not embrace the whiz bang abilities of your crime shows on TV or in the movies...they take incredible liberties.  Regarding how soon the detectives would respond would depend on how serious the threat was.  If the protagonist's life was in danger the response would be immediate. Generally, the detectives would use the protagonist to try and net the suspect but within the confines of safety...although, this can be used to heighten the story if some quirky, unexpected situation enters to put the good guy in danger...but it should be something out of left field.  Hope this helps...but with the cell phone phenom, I feel like a mastadon.