things to remember

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1. Talk to real experts, not your cousin Sadie who once dated a guy who knew a cop.

2. Read actual books about actual police procedure, investigations, forensics, etc. Do not rely on internet sources unless they’re trusted and reliable sites, such as this one.

3. Never count on TV or film as featuring accurate information about law enforcement. The people who write those tales are the same as you…it’s their job to make up stuff.

4. Sadly, we can no longer use media as a source of reliable information about law enforcement. Most of those “news” outlets…well, you know the drill, if you can’t say something nice about someone…

5. If you’re going for true accuracy, always check with an expert in the area where your story is set. Policy, procedure, and even laws may vary from one place to another.

6. Police officers are not trained to “shoot to kill.” Never. Instead, they’re taught to stop an immediate threat. When they are in situations where deadly force is required, they shoot center mass (the largest target they see).

7. Officers do not shoot to wound. It’s extremely