Everything You Thought You Knew About Cops: Cordite, Perps, and … Badge Bunnies?
Coming in January – KOD Online Class!
Yes, I’ve come out of hiding for a brief period to teach an intensive online class for RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter. To make things a bit more interesting, one lucky pupil in the workshop will win a free registration to the 2017 Writers’ Police Academy. The KOD online class is open to everyone. You do not need to be a member of the group.
Here’s the title and description. The signup link is at the bottom of this page. I hope we see you there (Jan. 4 – 29, 2017)!
Everything You Thought You Knew About Cops: Cordite, Perps, and … Badge Bunnies?
“The perp, a bleached-blonde badge bunny, couldn’t have gone far. Maybe only a ten minute headstart. I know, because the odor of cordite still hung heavy in the room, like a wet bath towel draped across a by-the-hour hotel shower rod. She’d be easy to crack, too. A belt of cheap scotch and pack of Lucky Strikes and she’d sing like an American Idol contestant—loudly and horribly, followed by a gusher of crocodile tears.”
Does the paragraph above sound familiar? Have you ever written anything that sounded remotely close to it? If so, you may need to take your research efforts to the next level. I know, you’ve been writing about cops for years, thinking you know what makes them tick and why they do what they do.
Sure, you and your characters each believe you have what it takes to bring life to the officers in your latest book. But do you really know what you’re writing? Have you talked to cops? Visited a police station? Ridden in a police car—in the front seat without handcuffs?
Do you know how it feels to wrap your arms around someone in uniform? Does their badge poke into your flesh? Why do cops sometimes wince as if in pain when they slide in and out of their patrol cars? Is body armor made differently for female officers? Is it okay for a female officer to strip-search a male prisoner?
Learn This and More Online with RWA’s Kiss of Death
Does the FBI ride into town on white horses and assume control of any case they choose? Is it mandatory for the FBI to work all kidnapping cases? Is it okay for undercover officers to smoke marijuana while they’re working an assignment? Can they drink alcohol? Who gets a search warrant? How long does it take? Who’s in charge, a police chief or a sheriff?
Why the heck don’t cops shoot the bad guy in the leg instead of blasting a big hole in the center of his chest? Better yet, why don’t they simply give the thug a big karate chop on the back of the neck and take away that machine gun? That would be safer, right?
Why not forget the search warrant and the fact that your hero has been suspended from duty. Just have him open the door and go inside anyway, even though he’s no longer an active-duty officer. The courts and your readers won’t care, right?
What about sex in a patrol car? Does that really happen? What about all that gear? Does it all come off, or …
Well, readers are more knowledgeable about cops than ever before and they expect at least that same level of knowledge from their favorite authors. So, like it or not, it’s time go that extra mile. And you can begin by strapping on your gun belts and body armor, and polishing your badges and shoes, because you’re about to take a wild and fun ride into a side of law enforcement not normally seen by the average citizen.
Please join me in signing 10-41 … On-duty. It’s going to be fun!
https://www.rwa.org/2017coffin
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