Recently
I was lucky enough to get to go to the Writers’ Police Academy! All in the name
of research, of course! In case you’ve never heard o fit, the Writers’ Police
Academy offers an extraordinary weekend where writers come together to learn
and participate in all aspects of law enforcement and forensics. At the Academy we work
with real police, sheriffs, fire and EMS experts in their classrooms, using their equipment.
Writers from all of the US converged in Greensboro, NC for three awesome days I will never forget. In these
photos we went inside an empty apartment building with the sheriff to learn
proper technique for building searches. This was one on one training and as you
could see, very intense!
We had a
fabulous demonstration of a highspeed chase and arrest.
But would it be awful to admit that I fell in love with the K-9 dog and couldn't take my eyes off of him!
We learned
about firearms and firearm safety.
I took
classes in forensics, a day in the life of an undercover cops, women in law enforcement and human trafficking
just to name a few.
In the handcuffing class we learned about the different
types of handcuffs, put them on each other so we could feel first hand what
it’s like to be handcuffed, and then tried to get out of them. And yes, two
thin and flexible women were able to do just that. Yikes!
There were
several classes I missed--underwater body recovery, shallow graves, and fingerprinting
just to name a few. I will be sure to go to them next year.
The Writers' Police Academy has been held for
three years now. It was an incredible amount of work to put
together, not only for the organizers, and everyone at the college where it’s held, but for the sheriff and police departments that spend three whole
days working with us. I can only hope
that they will pull it together and do it again next year as this event was definitely
the highlight of my year!
Oh, did I mention I got to meet Lee Child?
So, what do
you do for research?
Cynthia,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a blast! I would love to do something like that, except with flintlock pistols. :)
I haven't done anything spectacular for research, but I would love to take a trip to England. Some day...
Here in the south they have all kinds of groups that re-enact battles from different time periods. They dress in period pieces and shoot old guns. Sounds like fun to me! But only if I could play a man. I wouldn't want to have to wear all those skirts!! :)
DeleteI just ordered all sorts of books for research. LOL. Art books, architecture books, cooking books, historical atlases, fashion books...you name it, I probably have at least thought about getting a book on it. Since the hero I'm currently writing about is a sculptor, I've gone to art exhibits with sculptures and done as much as possible to learn about the process. One of these days, I'm going to take a trip to England and Scotland, so I can see the actual places I write about. Police training sounds awesome, though. :)
ReplyDeleteOoh, fun! I love museums and keep thinking one of these days when I get more time I'd love to volunteer, but dang there are still only 24 hours in a day!
DeleteI am SO jealous. I've wanted to do Writer's Police Academy for ages, and seeing your pictures, Cynthia, has just jumped it to the top of my list. Greensboro isn't the easiest place for me to travel, well, wait, they do have an airport there...so, maybe.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, and if you fly into Raleigh I can pick you up on my way! :)
DeleteLooks like you had a blast! I'm due for a trip back to England. Tomorrow would be nice! :-)
ReplyDeleteCynthia, I bet you had such fun! That is I'd love to do. But Cynthia, you were surrounded by men in uniforms and couldn't take your eyes off the dog?! Teehee!
ReplyDelete