The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the family of this brave officer.
Detective David White, 35
Clay County Florida Sheriff’s Office
February 16, 2012 – Detective David White was shot and killed during a raid of a meth lab. Another detective was wounded during the exchange of gunfire.
Detective White is survived by his wife and two children.
Most people know it’s dangerous to smoke inside the house or leave candles unattended because it could start a fire. But not all fire hazards are so predictable. The lesser-known fire hazards are just as concerning, if not more so, than the most common ones because you don’t see them coming until it’s too late. Here are the top 10 unexpected fire hazards in the home.
If you have a laptop, then you know that thing can get pretty hot in no time. A hot laptop that’s left on a bed, couch, blanket, or another soft surface can prevent proper airflow in and out of the cooling vents, and it may produce enough heat to ignite and start a fire. Protect your laptop from overheating and starting a fire by leaving it on a desk or laptop stand.
Dryer lint may not seem like a legitimate danger, but this little ball of fluff can be quite the fire hazard if it’s not removed before or after drying clothes. Excessive heat and lint buildup are a recipe for disaster. It’s important to clean the dryer vent and exhaust duct regularly, as well as the interior of the dryer chassis to clear any lint clogs.
That stack of newspapers you’re collecting in the corner to recycle or eventually read is more of a fire hazard than you may think. If newspapers get too close to a heat source, they can catch on fire. If you’re going to keep newspapers in your house, keep the stacks short and store them in a cool, dry place.
Electric blankets and heating pads might not seem very concerning, but these heating tools can be extremely hazardous if misused. Heating pads and electric blankets have the ability to get very hot and anytime you have excessive heat buildup, a fire can start. To prevent these tools from starting a fire, keep your heating pad and electric blanket on the lowest setting and do not use for more than the recommended time.
An old appliance is more than a nuisance; it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Old appliances can have shoddy wiring and deteriorated insulation that could start a fire with just one spark. It’s crucial that you check your appliances regularly and inspect electrical cords and connections to make sure they are in good condition.
After barbecuing, many people just throw their bag of charcoal into a storage closet and shut the door without any concern for what could happen. If the coal is damp, it could ignite itself and start a serious fire. To prevent such a devastating disaster, place the charcoal in a metal pail or garbage can and secure it tightly with a lid. Store the container in a cool, dry place that has enough space to let heat escape should the coals self-ignite.
The next time you work on your car or clean and lubricate your bicycle, be sure to hang your oil soaked rags outside or in a well ventilated room so that they can dry properly and the heat fully escapes before washing. Oily rags that are piled up can ignite themselves and cause a serious fire.
How many times have you collected match books and carelessly thrown them into a drawer? Chances are you’ve done this once or twice before. Matches can easily ignite if they rub against a rough surface, and lighters can accidentally ignite if the wheel moves in just the right way. If your matches are stored with paper or other flammable materials, it could be disastrous. When keeping matches and lighters in your house, make sure they are out of a child’s reach and they are stored in a safe, dry place away from anything that might accidentally ignite them.
Stacking your clothes to the top of the closet might not seem like a big deal, but if your wool sweater or cotton T-shirt touches an exposed light bulb, it could lead to a major fire. Nearly 12% of all house fires start in a closet because homeowners ignore the closet light fixtures and stack combustible materials close to the glowing, hot bulb. You can prevent a disaster from happening inside your closet by installing the proper enclosed light fixtures and keeping your belongings far away from the light bulb.
Dust bunnies aren’t just an annoyance — they’re also a danger to your safety. Dust can be a fire hazard if it collects near floor heaters, electronics, and sockets. If sparks fly, dust piles can ignite and cause a fire. Regular dusting and vacuuming with a hose can significantly reduce the amount of dust that lingers near your electrical outlets and appliances. Pay special attention to the back of entertainment centers and any crevices that might collect dust.
*Today’s article brought to you by www.RentersInsurance.com
After twenty years on the job, Officer John Cooper has been wondering how his fellow officers will remember him. But right now the only thing he can think about is hanging on.
Cooper, like all people and things on this earth, will eventually reach the end of the line. A hand is on the switch, slowly turning the dial toward dim. His experience is vast, and his knowledge, priceless. Will anyone care after he pulls the pin and retires? Doubtful.
You see, Cooper is realizing that he’s officially one of the “old guys,” a hush-hush title given to officers who’ve been around a long time. The guys who’ve seen and done it all. And it’s a title that even follows a retired cop to his grave.
The old guys have paid their dues, earned their battle scars, and they’ve loved every single minute of their careers, even the outlandish practical joking that occurs among the ranks.
Their years have flown by, and to them it seems like just yesterday when it was they who were telling war stories about “the old guys.” Stories that grew more exciting over the years with each telling. Now it is they, the new generation of old guys, who are subject of the stories.
Cooper is witnessing the changes all around him. The new guys have taken over the role of pranksters, as we saw between Ben and Sammy. Coop’s reached the point where he understands the reasons behind the crimes, instead of merely reacting to them. And we saw this as he talked to the kid standing on the ledge of a highrise, a young man ready to end his life because he couldn’t handle the difficulties and uphill battle of being gay in a largely straight world.
The “old guy” has come to terms with much of his life as a gay police officer, and he summed it all up by saying this to the jumper, “I’ve got a lot of problems, kid. Being gay isn’t one of them.”
Cudlitz plays his role quite well. He delivers the feel of many years of experience as a cop, and the others on the show actually seem to draw from it, just as younger officers do in real life. Now that’s good acting.
Okay, on to the practical joking between Ben and Sammy. First, I must say that sort of thing goes on behind the scenes in every police department. And yes, to the extent we saw in this episode.
Well, unfortunately for you, it’s time for my weekly “I remember when” story. So, like it or not, have a seat in the time machine. I promise, this won’t take long…
Many police officers I worked with thought of themselves as the ultimate practical jokers.
After all, what could be funnier than squirting a thick cloud of pepper spray under a locked restroom door while your partner is in there with his uniform pants around his ankles?
Taking, and hiding, a fellow officer’s patrol car after he left his keys in the ignition while in foot-pursuit of a fleeing suspect, was another favorite trick. Watching him frantically search for the missing vehicle, while wondering how to explain the loss to his supervisor, was hilarious to the pranksters. There were times, however, when the last laugh was on the comedians. Like…
One particular night, a couple of the guys borrowed a department-store mannequin and quietly smuggled it upstairs inside the county jail. There they dressed the mannequin as an inmate, in orange, jail-issue coveralls. The plan was for two of the deputies to make their way down the steps while pretending to fight with the dummy. The scuffle was to end at the office of a graveyard-shift dispatcher who thought of herself as the queen of all jokesters, whose most famous prank was baking homemade Christmas cookies laced with a very strong laxative (being on patrol in the far reaches of the county when “the urge” strikes is no joke!).
The mannequin idea was supposed to scare her into sending out an officer-needs-assistance call; we all expected a good laugh when she realized the joke was finally on her.
So the officers began their descent down the stairwell, yelling and screaming and “fighting” with their prisoner as they neared the dispatcher’s station. When they rounded the corner and were in full view of the poor woman, the “fight” became more intense. The dispatcher stood to see what was causing the disturbance and, as they expected, she panicked—big time. Just as she reached for the microphone to call for assistance, the head fell off the mannequin. The wide-eyed dispatcher watched in horror as it tumbled down the steps and rolled to a stop at her feet.
Thinking the deputies had decapitated the poor inmate, she promptly fainted and struck her head on the concrete floor. An ambulance had to be called, an accident report had to be completed, and the sheriff had to be notified—at 3:00 a.m.
The dispatcher was fine, but when the sheriff arrived, real heads rolled.
So there you have it, this stuff is how cops keep their sanity in check after dealing with the horrors of society. And Sammy and Ben sure gave us a great peek into that side of the job—stealing Sammy’s towel, the “I’m pregnant” girlfriend, birds in the car, and the “Squeeze my hand.” Classics!
Even the humor while dealing with an out-of-control subject, a less-than-tall man who strongly resisted arrest, was spot on. “Where are you taking me?” Ben, “We’re off to see the Wizard.” Politically correct? Of course not. Realistic? Yep.
By the way, Ben’s change in attitude is absolutely normal. Rookies tend to be on their best behavior when riding with their training officers, as was the case with Ben and Cooper. However, once the training is over and their jobs are more secure (a rookie-in-training can be dismissed at any time), rookies tend to spread their wings a bit, letting their true personalities emerge. That’s what we’re seeing with Ben. Also, rookies are sort of like kids, they tend to mimic the people they’re around. And Ben is definitely becoming and extension of Sammy.
And let’s not forget Ben’s comment, “Badge Bunnies are predators. I don’t go after them, they come after me.” Now where have you heard that before? Yep, right here on this blog. I tried to tell you guys…
Lydia and Ruben land a murder case involving a father who killed his own son and then attempted to cover his tracks. The crime scene clues all pointed to dear old dad who’d done a poor job of concealing the evidence and his guilt. Actually, this looked like a case of the suspect wanting to be caught. Happens all the time.
I worry, though, that Lydia’s pregnancy is going to slow the story. This show’s own legacy is its intense wall-to-wall, nonstop action. Lately, though, Lydia’s “I’m sick and I’m not admitting why” scenes are taking us out of the excitement that normally keeps fans on the edge of their seats. Still, she’s great. I’ll say it again. Regina King is great, and she’s playing the part well. I’m just a little concerned. It’s in the back of my mind that this an unnecessary stumbling block for the viewers. We’ll see how it plays out. I have immense faith in the writers, directors, and producers. Notice I didn’t mention the actors? Goes without saying that they’re all fantastic.
The CoopTang duo is flagged down by a frantic woman claiming her son has been abducted. Doesn’t take long to learn that she believes her son is none other than Jesus Christ. Coop’s “old guy” response when the woman revealed the identity of her precious child was priceless. He calmly said, “You must be very proud.” Who wouldn’t be, right?
By the way, have you noticed Lucy Liu/Tang’s habit of resting her right hand on her weapon? I told you she’s a natural for this role. But don’t worry, she’s not trigger happy. It’s just that the gun is right there in that perfect location, and cops have a tendency to take advantage of the built-in armrest.
– Sammy and Ben respond to a murder case where the victim is found dead behind the wheel of a car. When they ask for assistance from bystanders, of course no one offers anything, not a peep. This is how it really is. People just do not want to get involved. Of course, when you get them off to the side away from everyone, then your chances of locating a witness improves quite a bit. It’s the “snitches wind up in ditches” theory that keeps most mouths zipped tightly closed.
“I’m hormonal and I’ve got a gun. Don’t mess with me,” says Lydia Adams.
Ask any male cop who’s ever worked around a female officer just how many times he’s heard that statement, and I’ll bet he couldn’t count the number on his fingers and toes.
– Cooper and Tang stop a car for speeding. The driver instantly starts spouting the same old speech that cops hear day-in and day-out. “Don’t you have more important crimes to investigate?” No, Buddy, there aren’t. You see, cops are busy all over the country working car crashes involving dead pedestrians because the drivers were speeding, texting, eating bowls of cereal, applying makeup, and reading the paper.
And, as usual, we’ve come full circle. Cooper and gang are unwinding at a bar, and everyone is having a great time. But it’s late, especially for one of the “old guys.” So Cooper is the first to leave. Tang follows him outside to tell him that the kid he saved from the suicide attempt had made another attempt and that time achieved his goal. Well, Coop’s already heard the news on the radio, so it wasn’t a shock. He tells Tang that his job was to save people, and that he couldn’t dwell on what they did afterward. That’s great advice for any cop. If they did otherwise they’d probably wind up at the end of a dirt road sucking on the end of their service weapons.
Tang returns to the crew inside the bar leaving Cooper standing outside. He hears Dewey telling a war story, one of his. A notable moment in his 22-year career (8 more and he’ll earn that 6th hash mark/stripe on his sleeve—one for every 5 years served).
The day you hear that first tall tale about some remarkable or crazy thing you’d done during your time on the job is when you know you’ve officially been tagged as “one of the old guys.”
Welcome to the club, John Cooper.
Before we get into this review and recap, I have to say that I’m SO glad Beckett was never my partner. I mean, how many times during her career has she been kidnapped by the bad guys? (Remember the freezer? And how could we forget the old man-eating-tiger-in-the-basement trick involving Beckett and Espo). And, as they say on those annoying infomercials…But wait! This week she was abducted by both good and bad guys, in the same episode.
I’m beginning to think Beckett’s a pretty big liability for the NYPD. The big brass in the department must be aware of her and her troubles. Think about it. She’s the target for an assassin, her apartment was blown to bits, she’s kidnapped at least a couple of times a week, she places a civilian in jeopardy every day (he’s kidnapped even more often than Beckett), all her cases are solved by a civilian mystery writer, someone takes her gun from her two or three times a month, and now, after seeing the preview for next week, she’s going to lose her police car. Would you keep this employee on the payroll? And she wears crazy-tall high heels while tromping around crime scenes. Did you see the shoes she wore to the house of the female murder victim? Holy cow! They looked like stilts.
Anyway…Melanie, please take over before I put a stop to this by leaping out of my office window. Yep, this episode has nearly driven me to that point!
Bodies flying out of windows and disappearing from the morgue. Rogue CIA agents. A major threat to national security. This Castle episode had it all. Too much of it, really. Just… no. To keep my mind off the over the top plot, I focused on another threat and potential blowup. The threat to Kate. This one irked me almost as much, but I hung in there.
The episode begins with Rick learning that Alexis is interning with Lanie in the morgue (holy voodoo forensics, Batman!), and he fears that having his daughter show up at crime scenes will cramp his style and disturb the amazing synergy between him and Kate. That’s not all that disturbs it, but I digress. Rick tries to talk Alexis out of continuing the internship, but to no avail.
Once the body disappears from the morgue (I’ll let Lee concentrate on the case here — such as it is), Kate and Rick search for the suspect, a man whose alias is Gage. Instead of finding him, however, they find another body — the body of the woman they’d thought he was going after. Then they’re kidnapped and taken to an unknown underground location. Way underground.
Lo and behold, they’re in CIA headquarters. A woman strides up to them… or rather, to Rick, and he immediately recognizes her as Sophia Turner, the CIA agent he shadowed for a time while writing the Derrick Storm books. Kate, of course, has read everything he’s ever written, and she pegs the woman as the inspiration for Clara Strike. Meaning… Rick’s had a muse before. Kate’s hackles go up, and she and Sophia square off. Can anyone say green-eyed monster?
Sophia asks for their help, wanting them to continue their hunt for Gage, and Rick jumps to say yes. Kate obviously doesn’t like this, but she has no choice but to go along. Once they’re in the car, however, she confronts Rick, saying, “It’s just that I might’ve been taken aback to find out that you have researched with someone else.”
His answer? “…it was a brief moment, a long time ago” and “Besides, Nikki Heat is a much more complex and nuanced character… and I’m a far more experienced writer. More mature.”
Then she learns he shadowed Sophia for an entire year. That did not sit well.
They don’t have much time to talk about it, because when they go looking for clues to Gage’s whereabouts, they’re grabbed again — this time, by their prey — and he stuffs them into the trunk of a vintage car. The car, of course, doesn’t have a latch inside the trunk. Kate gets them out, however, after learning Rick pressed the panic button the CIA put on his phone before Gage smashed it. Her motivation? “I will not be rescued by your girlfriend.”
His failure to dispute that connotation for Sophia irked me… almost as much as the theory building between Sophia and Rick once he and Kate are picked up by the CIA and whisked back to headquarters does her. I don’t blame her. The very idea that he would interact with another woman like that, after the I love you, gives me hives. I mean, seriously? What the heck are the writers thinking? Kate and Rick should be way past this by now.
That wasn’t the end of the jealousy, though. After the theory building, Rick tells Kate, “We’re all on the same team here” and she says, “No. You’re on her team (meaning Sophia), ’cause the way you look at her, you’re sure as hell not on mine.” Meow!
Again, Rick says nothing… and he even has the gall to stay home the next morning instead of going to the precinct. Aarrgghh! Come on, people. That’s way out of character.
Finally, though, Rick comes up with a new theory, thanks to Martha, and shows up at Kate’s desk eager to tell her about it. She scoffs at him and says, “Shouldn’t you tell Sophia?” Rick answers with, “She’s not my partner. You are.” Well, I guess that’s supposed to placate us. Kate seems to buy into it, but I sure as heck don’t. Can you say lame?
They talk again at the park while looking for yet another man, and Rick offers to answer any question Kate has about Sophia… a great idea, but of course they’re interrupted by the arrival of the person they’re after before she can even ask a question. The man orders them to take him to Pier 32, where he’ll explain about Pandora, a cataclysmic event that will destroy the country as we know it. A scary thought, but one that’s way out there.
He gets out of the car to go inside and someone shoots him… then a car slams into Kate’s Crown Vic, propelling it — and Kate and Rick — into the river. To be continued…
Sigh. I hope the second half of this two part event is more of an event. Ho hum… and enough of the other muses, old girlfriends, etc., okay? Rick’s already said he loves Kate, so get ’em together already. Too much chase and not enough reward… it’s getting old, people.
Okay, I’ve calmed down a bit now. Took a few sips of coffee and hit the play button on a little Beethoven. I’m relaxed. Calm. Shhh….
HEY!!! DID YOU SEE THE GUY FLY OUT THE WINDOW??? He hit the window pane and took all the glass and interior frame with him on the way down. Yet, when Gage the killer looked outside, he was peering through large jagged shards of broken glass.
Good, that’s out of my system. Now for Lanie…
– She says the 1st disappearing victim had several causes of death—shot, stabbed, choked, and had a pencil jabbed into his neck. And later, at the morgue, she lists several old injuries and odd characteristics about the dead guy—lots of old broken bones, scars, other injuries, and that he had the calloused hands associated with martial arts training. What? I’m sorry, are there special callouses for special circumstances? I mean, can someone tell that callouses on the hands of a farmer are the result of setting fence poles by hand? How about the hands of gardener? Could an M.E. tell those callouses were the result of digging in the soil?
What’s so freakin’ special about the callouses on the hands of someone who’s proficient in, say, Aikido? Well, for starters, I’ve been involved in that sort of thing since my teens (five or six years at least) and I’ll tell you, callouses aren’t a big result of the training. This comment, Lanie, was dumb. Yes, I know you were setting the guy up to be what he was, a tough-guy-secret-agent-killer-sort-of-guy, but it was still dumb.
– How could someone get a body out of a morgue without one of the many people who work there seeing it happen? I won’t even bother to go into that ridiculous notion.
– Beckett and Castle go to the home of woman who’s been murdered by the evil and nearly supernatural “Gage.” (This is the scene where Beckett’s wearing the stilts). The two know that this Gage guy is extremely dangerous and has already killed at least two people. So what does she do first? She squats down beside the body conducting an everyday conversation with Castle. Then, after a minute or two, she tells Castle, who’s unarmed, by the way, to stay with the body (no problem with chain of evidence and custody here, huh?) and she starts off on a slow search of the house…for the madman, psycho killer! NO, no, and no! Make sure the scene is safe and clear before engaging in idle chatter. Killers do hide and sneak up on people.
So what happens next? Of freakin’ course Castle has been captured by the bad guy who literally “pulled the wool over his eyes.”
The show was already ridiculous at this point, so you know what would have been really cool here. The hood should have had the word WRITER printed on it just like Castle’s Kevlar vest. Funny? You know it!
Anyway, this is where Castle and Beckett are kidnapped for the first time in this episode, courtesy of the CIA.
– Here comes Lanie with her new sidekick, Alexis. My thoughts on Alexis in the morgue. Here you go…
I do think, though, that Castle plays the role of a pretty good dad, especially as a single father.
– Lanie says the M.E. almost always beats the uniforms to a murder scene. Hmm…who does she think usually calls the M.E.? THE COPS!
I apologize for shouting, but this episode was…no, I’ll just continue.
Enter the CIA, an outfit that’s not set up to work criminal cases (murder, etc.). They may instigate crimes, but as a rule they don’t investigate them. You will probably never see a CIA on the stand testifying in a B&E case. So, they’ve kidnapped Beckett and Castle and now want them to go after that superhuman Gage guy.
Let’s study on this for a moment.
Okay, we’re back. Did that second or two of silence help? Let’s see. The CIA guy methodically says to Castle and Beckett, “This…is…a…national…security…threat.” He’s talking about the unstoppable killing machine, Gage, who’s already taken out the CIA’s top guy. And before I go on I’d like to ask the CIA folks from this show a question. If Gage was such a threat to the USA, enough so that the entire country could go up in smoke, and if the guy is so unbelievably dangerous, then why in the world did you only send one guy to capture him. And not even a healthy guy at that. The guy they put on the trail was a has been—shot up, broken, cut up, and probably brain damaged from all the injuries he’d received over the years. And, obviously, he wasn’t very good at self-defense. That’s what the CIA chose to send after Terminator?
– How about locating the briefcase/cellphone in the trunk of the old car. Beckett keeps her back to the dark garage, again, knowing that Gage was still out there somewhere, while she opens the case. Guess what…yep, kidnapped again. This time she and Castle are locked inside a car trunk.
I’m not even going to mention all the hocus-pocus gadgetry used in the show. And don’t you just love how there’s always, always, always a camera in the exact spot where it’s needed to identify someone, or to locate a piece of evidence.
But Castle is an inspiration. He’s made me realize that for years we’ve been going about crime-solving in all the wrong ways. We should stop assigning cops to investigate murders, rapes, and robberies. Instead, we need to turn over those duties to the various chapters of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers.
Now those writer-folks really know how to solve a murder.
Never so alone
Ashamed
Depressed
Anxious.
Strip-searched
Man after man
A number now
Prisoner after prisoner.
One by one
For all to see
Arms outstretched
Humiliation.
Men
Many frightened
Pretending
Showing no fear.
Long, dark, damp concrete hallways
Steel bars and doors
Stale air and emotions
Never a ray of sunlight.
Voices
Thunderous voices
Shrieking, howling, shouting
Everywhere.
Never-ending chatter
Never-ending clatter
Never-ending loneliness
Never-ending despair.
Never alone
But always alone
Sitting
Staring.
Thinking
Dreaming
Hoping
Regretting.
Kneeling
Prayers unanswered
Forgiveness
Doubtful.
Never silent
Deafening
The hollering and shouting
The clanging and banging.
Chains rattling
Doors slamming
Whistles and bells
Endlessly.
Time
Stopped
Days become weeks
Weeks become months.
An eternity
A lifetime of agony
Living inside their minds
An endless nightmare.
At least I could go home
At the end of the day.
Unwind
Take off the uniform
The badge
Thinking
Staring
Nightmares
Of bars and concrete
Of broken lives and hearts
Only to awaken
To begin another day
In their world.
The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of the brave officers who gave everything to keep us safe.
Reserve Deputy Don Williams, 55
Dale County Alabama Sheriff’s Office
February 8, 2012 – Reserve Deputy Don Williams was killed in a single car crash when his vehicle left the roadway, striking several parked cars. Officials believe Deputy Williams may have suffered a medical incident at the time of the crash.
He is survived by his wife and six children.
Sergeant Almondo Greer-Travis, 40
Detroit Michigan Police Department
February 5, 2012 – At the end of his shift, Sgt. Almondo Greer-Travis called his wife, also a sergeant with the police department, and said he wasn’t feeling well. After the call he went outside for fresh air where he collapsed. His fellow officers called 911 for an EMS transport. Three minutes later, however, the sergeant lost consciousness so officers placed him in the backseat of a patrol car and transported him to the hospital while performing CPR. But their efforts were unsuccessful.
Sgt. Greer-Travis married his high school sweetheart, Stacy, and together they had three children.
Prisons have long been at the center of much social, political, and even philosophical debate. What rights prisoners should have, what works to rehabilitate them, and how much taxpayer money should go into supporting prisons have been some of the key issues in both recent years and throughout history. Prison libraries touch on all three of those issues, and in many places, what reading material prisoners have access to and whether they’re permitted to read at all has been a hot-button topic, bringing up quite a bit of fervor on both sides. While some might think access to books should be a right, many people would disagree, or would point out that libraries can be costly and could be a burden on a system that’s already struggling with the costs of providing basic care for inmates.
Yet of all the liberties afforded to prisoners, access to a library, and the materials and classes it provides, can be one of the most useful in preparing them for life outside of prison. The majority of inmates in America’s prisons have low levels of education and some can barely read, write, or use a computer. These are all skills that are necessary to make it on the outside without returning to a life of crime, and prison libraries offer inmates the chance to learn all of these things and more. While prison libraries aren’t a panacea for what ails America’s prison system, they do offer some important benefits that are well worth considering. We’ve listed a few here that just might change how you think about prison libraries.
Perhaps one of the best ways libraries benefit prisoners is by helping make it less likely that they’ll end up back in prison again. Studies have shown that education helps to reduce rates of recidivism, and libraries can play a big part in that, with access to books, educational programs, and computer training. A study of inmates in 2003 found that participation in education programs while in prison helped reduce rates of re-arrest, re-conviction, and reincarceration by significant amounts, with only 21% of those who participated in education programs ending up back in prison versus 35% of non-participants.
Prison libraries don’t just offer those who are incarcerated a chance to read; they also encourage inmates who are parents to share books with their children. For example, the Indiana State Library has a program called Read-to-Me which provides picture books and children’s readers to inmates. Inmates work with library staff and volunteers to learn to read a book of their choosing well enough to make a recording, which they can send to their children, grandchildren, or other relatives. Other programs all over the U.S. work to send out books to children of inmates or promote family literacy, helping change not only the lives of the inmates but of future generations as well.
The library provides access to a wide range of written materials that can help inmates improve their literacy skills or keep existing skills sharp. Those who used the library to read just about anything, from books to newspapers, regardless of the frequency with which they read, were found to have higher literacy levels than their counterparts who never took advantage of the library’s collections. This may be due to inmates with higher literacy levels being more inclined to take advantage of library resources, but others may use the library to improve poor literacy levels, as overall education and reading proficiency tend to be low among prison populations.
Libraries are a place where people can go to expand their minds, prisoners included. A 2003 study on literacy behind bars found that prison inmates who used the library daily had higher average literacy when reading prose and documents than prison inmates who used the library less frequently, whether they went weekly, monthly, or never at all. While those who used the library daily had the biggest difference in language literacy levels, prison inmates who used the library at any rate had better literacy when it came to math than prison inmates who never used the library.
Even when prisoners are participating in work programs, getting exercise, or doing other activities, there’s a lot of downtime in prison. Libraries offer prisoners a chance to use that time to read, study, and hopefully, learn. A study found that in prisons with libraries, a good portion of inmates take advantage of materials. Of those who use the library, 43% were found to read newspapers and magazines daily and 50% read books daily.
Not being able to read, or not being able to read well, is a source of shame for many adults, in prison or not. Prison libraries offer inmates a chance to get the resources they need to practice reading, and with the help of librarians, educators, and volunteers, many are able to make big strides in their reading abilities. A case study conducted in 1993 found that reading and writing while in prison, with the help of a tutor, helped inmates to better understand themselves, legitimize their voice, and feel more self-confident.
Whether inmates want to learn about law or read the classics, many find that it’s easy to do through prison library book-loaning programs. Some communities treat prison libraries like any other library in their system, and allow prisoners to request and get just about any book (though some restrictions may be in effect, depending on the state and discretion of the librarian). Since many prison libraries can’t afford to build large collections of their own, this is a cost-effective way to improve the quality of the material inmates can read and offers a freedom of information that many see as a basic human right.
For better or worse, inmates in America’s prisons can’t make use of the Internet, which can be a big problem for many when they go to look for a job after release. While they can’t take advantage of the information and training the web has to offer, there are many other opportunities to use computers in prison libraries, and many inmates take full advantage. With access to CD-ROM training programs, inmates can learn how to use computer programs, navigate the web, or may even be able to take courses that can help them in finding work. In Maryland, inmates can check out a program called Discovering the Internet, which helps to bridge the digital divide many long-term inmates may have upon release. The program is not only popular with Maryland prisoners, but has been requested at prisons all over the U.S.
While it might be a stereotype that many prisoners spend hours in the library looking through law books and legal publications to wheedle their way out of jail, it’s not entirely unfounded nor a bad thing. Giving inmates a chance to learn about the law can help ensure that they’re being treated fairly and justly, which, sadly, may not always be the case if inmates are low-income or lack the education to understand the process that landed them in jail in the first place. Some inmates have even earned law degrees while in prison, and a select few have gone on to use their knowledge to successfully get their convictions overturned, neither of which they would have been able to accomplish without the help of a prison library.
While prison is a punishment, our constitution has mandated that it shouldn’t be one that’s cruel or unusual. The confinement, the threat of violence, the loneliness, the lack of purpose; these factors can all take a toll on the mental health of prisoners, but books can help. Prisoners can read to learn or as a pleasurable escape from the often monotonous and sometimes violent reality that surrounds them. Books can provide inspiration, guidance, and perspective in a way that few other things can, and for many inmates that may make all the difference when it comes to quality of life. In many prisons, even inmates who are sentenced to solitary confinement are allowed a few books to read in order to pass the time.
A study of prison education and library programs concluded that reading was not only a source of pleasure for inmates but also a “gateway to learning, information, inspiration, and relaxation.” With numerous studies drawing direct correlations between education and reduced rates of recidivism, anything that gets prisoners to be more open to the idea of learning is a good thing. Librarians who work in prisons often work hard to create collections that cater to the needs and interests of their particular population, and it’s not all just for fun. Books may start off as a source of escape for many in a figurative sense, but may lead to learning that can literally help them escape from a life of crime and future imprisonment. One inmate was quoted as saying, “My library has helped me find the courage and strength, not only to overcome my incarceration but also to strive for a more honest and productive future.”
Whether you’re young, old, or in between, there is no bad time to develop a love of reading. Many prison librarians report that some of their most reading-crazed patrons actually read little to nothing when they were free, but with little else to do, turn to books as a source of entertainment, education, and escape. You only need to read through a few of the entries on this prison book program blog to see how important libraries are to prisoners, even those who never thought they’d spend so much of their day reading. Many will take their acquired love of books, and the writing skills they’ve gained along the way, with them into life outside of prison.
A prison library offers inmates several ways to stay connected to life on the outside, which can help give them a sense of stability and normalcy. Aside from the bars on the windows, prison libraries function identically to those outside and allow prisoners to make choices of their own accord, something that is virtually non-existent in many other aspects of their daily lives. Former prisoners, like Mark Knudsen, report that libraries enabled them to pursue their educational and recreational interests, make connections with the outside world through literature, and achieve “astonishing growth in learning and developing skills.” Libraries not only provide a sense of continuity with the outside world but can also help inmates stay in touch with modern life outside the prison walls and gain new understandings about human interactions, society, and themselves.
In the book Reading is My Window: Books and the Art of Reading in Women’s Prisons, readers can hear from a wide range of women in prison on the role books and the libraries that provide them play in their lives. Some complain about the lack of good resources and proliferation of trashy romance novels while others feel that reading in prison has made a major difference in their lives and helped them to grow as people and perhaps even prepare themselves a bit for life outside of prison. While prison libraries may not be able to change all prisoners from career criminals into upstanding citizens, they do offer opportunities and open doors that many prisoners wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
While all of us hope we never end up in jail, for some, it may be the best thing that’s ever happened to them. Prison can be the wake-up call that finally gets their life on track. One famous example is Malcolm Little, better known as Malcolm X, who ended up in jail at the age of 26 after a tumultuous and troubled youth. Little only had an eighth-grade education when he entered prison and could barely read and write, a fact which frustrated him greatly. Instead of giving up, he got a dictionary and forced himself to learn the words, eventually going on to read many of the books in Norfolk Prison’s well-stocked library. While many may disagree with the politics of Malcolm X, it’s undeniable the impact having access to a library made on his life, turning him from a troubled youth into a leader in the African-American community.
*Today’s blog brought to you courtesy of www.bestcollegesonline.com
“LAPD officers spend every shift trying to help people who often don’t even know they need help. Some days the trying works better than others.”
When you’re at home watching episodes of Southland, thinking about the excitement, action, and gritty real-life scenes, there’s a cop out there, somewhere, who’s just hopped from her patrol car to chase down a six-foot-tall loser who robbed a liquor store by beating the clerk to death with a baseball bat. In another precinct, two officers are in a foot pursuit of a child rapist. In the county, deputies are running through the dark woods chasing a man who just shot and killed his wife and kids.
“He’s running!” Two words that send an officer’s adrenaline into high gear.
Through dark, blind alleys, over chain-link fences, behind a row of houses in the worst of worst neighborhoods, across a parking lot into a muddy field, around and through parked cars. One has a gun. A flash of metal? The chases go on and on and on. Every day. Every night. Every week. They run and run and run. All while you’re at home eating popcorn while watching Southland, thinking, is this stuff for real? Do officers really do the things we see on Southland? Are their personal stories for real? There can’t be that much action during a single shift…right?
Well, I can sum up answers to all your questions with a single word. Yes.
And that realism began last night with Lydia chasing a young girl, a murder suspect who managed to slice Lydia’s arm with a knife. But we also saw Lydia going through a very personal experience. She’s pregnant and that’s something that will definitely affect her career. Actually, it already has. Imagine fighting crime with a serious case of morning sickness. Think seeing someone else’s guts splattered on a ceiling is fun while your own insides are churning like a strawberry smoothie in a blender?
You see, police work is not like the typical nine-to-five assembly line job, where the happy mother-to-be can take a break when she needs it. Or take it easier than normal while still being productive in her normal job. Nope. A cop absolutely must be able to instantly run faster, jump higher, be stronger, and dodge speeding bullets…at all times, every minute of the day.
For obvious reasons, a pregnant woman could not and should not engage in a toe-to-toe battle with a 300lb knife-wielding, drug-crazed man. No, Lydia’s got some serious desk duty in her future, and that’s just not her style. So I’m anxious to see how she copes with answering phones and rubber-stamping forms all day.
Ben is also going through a few life-changes of his own. He can’t escape the “punching-the-teenage-girl-in-the-nose cloud over his head.” And his partner, Sammy, insists that Ben distance himself from his party-hard lifestyle by moving into the “Land of the Blue,” the section of the suburbs where many of his fellow cops reside.
This episode, Identity, deals with the two sides of police work, the side you all see, the actions of the person wearing the badge and the uniform, and the internal side of that person. The human qualities of the police officer. And we see how all that unfolds during the course of a single shift. Yes, my friends, this was a glimpse, a brief peek, at what it’s like to work the streets as police officer during the course of only one day. Think you’ve seen a lot in your lifetime. Well, try on these shoes…
Cooper and Tang, CoopTang, Tangooper, Tooper, whatever the moniker of the week, is a really good crime-fighting duo. I can see them in any patrol car, in any department in the country.
Michael Cudlitz has really poured himself into this role. So much so that, I think, he’s even gone the extra mile by doing what I’ve seen many cops do, well, the ones who hit the weights pretty hard sometimes do this. It’s a little trick that’s used to make your already decent-looking biceps look even bigger and better, a bit of intimidation factor for the bad guys. You know, “if he looks big and strong I’ll back down quicker.” And that trick is to reduce the size of the uniform sleeve at the point where the bulging muscle is first exposed. The shirt is then tighter around the bicep, making the muscle appear larger. I’ve seen this done many, many times. And, some even pack those large frames into a size too-small-shirt for the same effect.
So…did he, or no? Michael…is there a seamstress in your life? Or, have you achieved the 22″ bicep status?
But, even if that’s the case, Cudlitz has gone the extra mile. He’s fit, healthy, and he’s got decent guns even if he decided to hide them under a normal-size uniform sleeve. One thing’s for sure, though. He’s working out.
Cooper and Tang find themselves on an almost endless quest to help a homeless man, Tom, a marine who’d unfortunately lost contact with much of reality, get off the streets and into a shelter. The shelter kicked the man out because he’d lost his ID (someone had stolen it). Tang, whose father was a marine, was totally obsessed with helping the man, putting his needs above everything else that came up, including the mangled body of someone who’d been hit by a train. Cooper playfully argued with sheriff’s deputies about which department had jurisdiction over the case (part of the badly mangled body was in L.A. while the other section(s) were splattered on the “other side of the tracks.” Tang, on the other hand, ignored the body, the deputies, and Cooper, by spending her time on the telephone talking to people who wouldn’t help the homeless man (Tom) with obtaining new identification cards and papers.
And then there was the “invisible man” who stopped CoopTang in the street, professing his love for their patrol car. The man, who was obviously on vacation from another planet, decided to show Cooper his karate expertise (not). But, Cooper wasn’t having any of it and added another nose-print-trophy to the hood of the patrol car. Yep, slammed the guy onto the hood (that’s a favorite tool and trick). It’s easier to cuff someone who’s resisting when you’re able to hold them against something, such as a car, on the ground, against the side of a building. It also prevents the guy from turning around, a move that would allow him the chance to take a swing at the officer. So, no, cops aren’t trying to hurt the suspect by pushing him down onto the car hood. Instead, the car, etc. is simply used as a tool to help safely effect the arrest. Now you know why all the tiny, round dents on the hoods of many police car. And you thought it hail damage!
Sammy and Ben also have their share of calls—a female murder victim for starters. But they see an assault taking place and jump out to chase the suspect. During the chase, Sammy loses sight of Ben in an alley, but hears a noise coming from behind a dumpster. He draws his weapon and suddenly there’s movement. And that something comes toward him. The attacker? BANG! Sammy shoots. But it’s not the attacker. It’s a large dog, and Sammy feels terrible. He removes his t-shirt to apply pressure to the animal’s gunshot wound. The dog is taken to the vet where Sammy agrees to pay for life-saving surgery. He also plans to adopt the dog.
Needless to say, Sammy takes a lot of teasing from his co-workers, including the always comical Dewey who passed by Sammy while making barking sounds. And Ben’s Scooby imitation…Rerry Runny, rusn’t it Rammy?
Ben and Sammy are on patrol when they see two kids, gang members, so they roll up and jump out. The kids run. Don’t these people know they can’t outrun Sammy and Ben? Anyway, this was a favorite tactic of mine. When they run you chase. Why do they run? Because they’re wanted or because they’re holding something illegal, like drugs or guns. So we chase. We catch them. And we arrest them for possession. Had they not run, well, there’d have been no real reason to search them. So…as usual, dumb crooks.
The duo, Ben and Sammy, are summoned to a building where a woman says someone inside has a knife and is going to kill someone else. So, again, they run inside.
Okay, this is where you need to use a little bit of slow motion because I’m going to point out something that’s sort of interesting. A mini workshop.
During the yelling and screaming (“Put down the knife!”), Ben sees the body of a young girl floating in the water. He runs to the edge of the pool, stripping his gun belt on the way, and dives in to save the girl (reminds me of the water rescue training at the Virginia State Police Academy where cadets had to “rescue” a cinder block from the bottom of the pool).
All right, back to the lesson. Pencils and notebooks handy?
If you’ve read my book on police procedure (page 44) you know that officers wear “belt keepers,” thin straps that circle around the gun belt attaching it to the regular belt that everyone wears to hold up their pants. Without the keepers the gun belt would/could simply fall to the ground, especially when the officer is running or doing anything else that involves moving. Therefore, officers normally utilize at least four keepers, two somewhere on the front and two on the back.
Belt keepers positioned between the two handcuff pouches
Well, you can clearly see that Ben has keepers on when he enters the building, but as he strips the gun belt before diving into the pool, guess what? Yep…no keepers. There’s no way he could drop the belt that quickly had the keepers been snapped into place in their normal position. However, it would have slowed the action had he stopped to unsnap the four keepers and then unhook the buckle in front. But, officers are able to do this rather quickly in real life. Don’t believe it? Try it after eating a Denny’s Grand Slam breakfast at 4am and see how quickly your gun belt comes off at 5am…
But, Ben rescues the girl, performs CPR and she lives. Sure, I said that as if the act were no big deal and you know why? Because this sort of thing does indeed happen every single day. I’ve done it and so have many other officers. In fact, I once performed CPR on a drug overdose victim, and forever after I was on the receiving end of Dewey-like teasing about locking lips with the unconscious, unresponsive guy. And he lived.
Actually, the man lived long enough for me to respond to a drunk and disorderly call a few months later where he was the drunk who, in fact, became more disorderly when he recognized me. Unfortunately for me, he, too, was a practical joker and planted a big wet kiss right on my lips just as I was about to snap on the cuffs. And I’ve never heard the end of that one to this day. However, unfortunately for the suspect, he died of a drug overdose a few weeks after “the kiss.” I wasn’t around that time for a second attempt at CPR.
Back to Lydia. She’s troubled about how the pregnancy will affect her job. She’s worried about being a mother. She’s worried that abortion may be the only answer to her troubles. And she’s worried about the girl who sliced her arm with a knife. She’s also worried about the girl’s mother who confessed to killing the man her daughter murdered. Lydia knows the mother confessed to protect her child. And Lydia finds peace with knowing that’s what being a mother is all about, doing whatever it takes to protect your child.
Yes, this episode was all about being a real cop. What they face each and every day. Call after call. Horror after horror. Pain, both physical and emotional. In uniform and out.
You know, there’s a reason why Regina King (Lydia) is an award-winning actor. And this show is part of that reason. She’s believable. I believe what she’s telling me and I believe her emotions. I believe her character cares for the suspects and victims on this show. I believe King because I’ve lived that life, and what she’s portraying is that life. And that’s what each of the Southland actors do. They make us believe.
What more could we ask of a TV show?
And they, as Tang said, “Never leave anyone behind.”
*Photos by TNT Television
Week after week we pick apart this show, pointing out errors in the police procedure and forensics, an effort to assist writers who use this site as a research tool for their work. And I have to admit that writing the reviews and recaps are kind of fun, as is playing bad cop to Melanie Atkins’ good cop.
This week, though, the police stuff took a back seat to a lot of fun and some pretty good acting (with the exception of what I think were supposed to be southern accents). But I reckon only folks from our bend in the road’ll know what ah’m speakin’ of. I mean, you do know that the reignin’ butter queen, “Hey, y’all” Paula Deen, is from here, right? And, her brother owns a restaurant just a hoot ana’ holler from my house and, we almost purchased a home—backyard-to-backyard—next to the home of Paula’s (former) publicist. Yes, I’m talkin’ grits and red eye gravy southern. So again, trust me, the accents were a little off…y’all.
But the episode was far from off. Sure, Lanie…no, wait a minute, we’ll talk about Lanie in a bit. First, let’s call in our resident Castle expert to give us the scoop on the mushy stuff (shhh…keep this to yourselves, but I’ll bet a dollar to a doughnut that Melanie couldn’t sleep last night thinking about what happened at the end of the show…yeah, you guys (y’all) know what I’m talking about…
Melanie…you up yet? (As if she’s been to bed. Girl’s got a serious case of Castle-itis, if you ask me. All goo-goo-eyed and such).
I have to admit that I cheated and watched the sneak previews of this episode, including the first ten minutes, a week early, thanks to the many Castle spoilers on the Internet. I was entranced and couldn’t wait until tonight so I could see the whole show. I wasn’t disappointed.
What a fun mixture of past and present! The story starts when an old journal is unearthed while our dynamic duo investigate the murder of a man named Stan found in a building that once housed the Pennybaker Club, a notorious nightclub at its heyday in the 1940’s. Enthralled with the journal, Rick takes it home to read and becomes immersed in the story of a hard boiled P.I., a gangster’s moll, and an intriguing mystery surrounding a beautiful piece of jewelry — The Blue Butterfly, a pricey necklace last seen in 1947.
The story is told in flashbacks via Castle’s vivid imagination, with him staring as Joe the private eye, Kate as Vera, the gangster’s moll, Martha as the PI’s secretary, Alexis as Sally, the naive farm girl who hires the P.I., Lanie as a torch singer with a smoky voice, and Ryan and Esposito as the gangster’s goons (with really great accents). What fun!
Vera and Joe fall in love, and that is nearly their downfall. Kate and Rick soon learn the two lovers were murdered… and that their 1947 murders are tied to the present day crime. Stan is really a treasure hunter searching for The Blue Butterfly. The necklace disappeared the night Vera and Joe were found dead in a burned out car in an alley behind the Pennybaker Club, and no one has seen it since. Several red herrings throw our crime solvers off the killer’s trail, until they finally figure out that Vera was not in the car after all way back then… and neither was Joe.
In fact, Vera and Joe are still alive today under assumed names — bartender Jerry and Viola Maddox — and their caregiver’s mother apparently sold Stan Joe’s diary, basically giving him a map to The Blue Butterfly. Only, the caregiver wanted the necklace for himself, so he waited for Stan to find the necklace, killed him, and took The Blue Butterfly. I didn’t see that one coming. Kate arrests the man and finds the necklace, which turns out to be a fake.
One case solved. But Rick and Kate want to know what really happened in 1947. How did Vera and Joe escape? And where is the real Blue Butterfly? Turns out Sally wasn’t really a naive farm girl after all.
No, she was a woman out for revenge against Vera because her boyfriend the gangster killed Sarah’s sister. And when Vera and Joe sneaked out of the club into the alley to make their escape, Sarah and her husband confronted them. Joe and Vera supposedly killed the other couple in self defense, ran away (not very far, it seems), and changed their names. They married and had four children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren… treasures worth much more to them than diamonds or gold, so they never went back for the necklace Joe hid behind a brick in the wall of the club. Yes… The Blue Butterfly.
At the end of the tale, Joe and Vera kiss and use Kate and Rick’s special word: Always… just before the words The End appear on screen, along with a picture of The Blue Butterfly, in typical ’40’s movie fashion. We never learn if it turned up or not. Hmmm…
Still, the story, the costumes, the quaint little touches… all in all, I thought this was a great episode. And I have to wonder if Vera and Joe’s happiness is a portent of things to come for Rick and Kate. A truly great love story.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, let’s come back down to earth now. Sure, the show was really good this week, and there was “the kiss” at the end, but that didn’t stop Voodoo Lanie from telling us the murder victim died of a GSW (gunshot wound) to the sternum.
Now that’s a pretty good field diagnosis since she came to that conclusion while looking at the guy fully-clothed, face up. How did she know there wasn’t a suitcase-size hole in his back. Or, maybe the rear of his skull was missing and one of her voodoo buddies took his brain to the root doctor to add as an ingredient in a new medicine bag. Besides, saying the wound was to the sternum was pretty site-specific.
The sternum (breastbone) is a bone, and a wound to it alone wouldn’t cause death. It would certainly hurt like all get out, but death…probably not (although the trauma of the impact alone could stop the heart). At autopsy, Lanie could learn that the round struck and passed through the sternum, striking the heart or lungs. Now that sort of wound could certainly turn out the guy’s lights for good.
Lanie’s Nostradamus-esque time of death prediction was based on something she grabbed out of thin air. BUT none of this is what Lanie was about this week.
Yes, she just may be the absolute worst TV medical examiner of all time (in her defense, she can only say what’s written for her), but Lanie…girl…where’d you get those pipes? Yes, the woman can definitely sing! And she looked spectacular in that dress and, well, there’s nothing else to say but…she was really good. As they say, I’d buy the record.
The criminal case this week was just plain fun. I had a difficult time, no, that’s not quite the right terminology. I was enjoying the show so much I didn’t want to take the time to search for improper police procedure. But I did notice:
– Remember when the two mobster bodyguards tossed Joe into the alley? Well, Joe placed his hand on the wall and “accidentally” pulled off a loose brick. Now, please tell me that all of you noticed this and knew that something was either hidden inside the hole or, that the hole would play a major part in the story. You do know, though, that behind exterior bricks is the exterior (plywood sheathing, etc.) of the building. Bricks are tied to the house, there, so they don’t fall down. So that part was a little shaky as far as realism goes.
– Ballistics matched the .38 used in a 1947 double homicide. Turns out the two victims burned up in a car fire. Would an autopsy have performed on the fire victims back in the late 40’s? That would require a little research, but the point isn’t all that important unless you’re writing historical fiction. And even then, you’re writing fiction, so make it fit your story.
I just read a comment on a writing loop stating that autopsies aren’t conducted on most car accident victims. Maybe not in many places, but you’ll still need to do your homework because I know of one coroner’s office out there that performs autopsies on every victim killed in car crashes. Not just the suspicious ones…every single victim killed in an automobile crash receives an autopsy.
– Ryan and Espo interview a homeless, street-person guy who’s obviously not “all there.” Nothing unusual about the interview until the guy used the word pretentious when providing an answer to one of her questions. Something like, “The guy gave me $400 to move on. I didn’t like him because he was pretentious.” Now I’ve interviewed a lot of bums. And I’ve handed out a dollar or two to the homeless. And I’ve arrested my share of those shopping-cart-pushing fellows, but never once have I heard one use the word pretentious, or anything close. A**hole, SOB, etc., sure, but pretentious? Not that it can’t happen, it just seemed so out of place after hearing this guy’s other statements.
Once again, the show let us down, big time—yes, even this episode—by springing an unknown killer on us at the last minute. No clues, no introduction to the character, nothing other than a brief, almost non-existent passing glimpse in an earlier scene.
All of a sudden he shows up in the final few minutes. Very disappointing, especially in what was one of the most fun episodes to date.
Oh, and Beckett didn’t pursue the homicides of the two 1947 victims, after hearing the killers confess? Hmm…
But, any negativity was quickly overshadowed by the last scene when Vera said, “Tell me you love me, Joe.”
And then…
Yep, this one was truly a “happily ever after” story…y’all.
Officers, both real and fictional, have taken advantage of rapidly advancing technology, using the sci-fi-esque gadgets in the never-ending task of fighting crime. And many modern crime-fighting tools and weapons have taken on a James Bondish flair, such as rifles capable of firing around 90 degree corners, and laser-guided, missile-like bullets.
Thinking back to the first portable phone installed in a police car I once drove, a take-home sheriff’s office patrol vehicle, well, the phone was not very portable. Not at all.
Technicians mounted a huge box of something—wires, batteries, and perhaps even a Flintstone cartoon character pedaling a cycle-like contraption that generated enough power to run the thing. The “thing” attached the passenger side floorboard, near the “hump, beside the radio console and light and siren controls. A large handset was tethered to the box via a long curly black wire, like the telephones we once had in our homes (younger folks would be amazed to learn that we once had to stand or sit in one spot to talk to Aunt Sally, Uncle Billy Bob, or friends from school).
Then came the bag phones. Remember how cool it was to finally be able to carry your phone with you, even while in the grocery store. Ah, so portable…
Of course, phones are different now. And we’re able to use them to text, check emails, stocks, and Facebook. We can Tweet, Tweetdeck, and Twitter away, all while driving 80mph on the freeway, simultaneously eating a Big Mac, fiddling with the satellite radio, glancing at the morning paper, swigging from a coffee cup, and, believe it or not, answer the occasional phone call.
There’s an app for this and an app for that. Here an app, there an app. Apps are EVERYWHERE! — apps for news, bowling, TV shows, radio programs, police scanners, HuffPo, CNN, Fox, Words With Friends, Occupy, Don’t Occupy, Newt, Mitt, Herm, Sarah, Obama, ETrade, Scottrade, star charts, Scrabble…and there’s even an app that produces sounds like the after-effects of a large bean burrito.
How about the app that I’m quite sure Lanie Parish has on her phone, the iVoodoo app, designed to allow the user to stick pins in the enemy of their choosing.
And let’s not forget the Atomic Zit Popper app for those of you who’d like a stroll down memory lane. Yes, for hours at a time you and your friends can squish, pop, and squirt zits until your little fingers wear to the bone. A real explosion of fun.
And now (drum roll, please) there’s an app for the folks who’s job it is to respond to crime scenes. Yes, the new app, Pocket CSI, designed by Law Enforcement Training and Resource Group LLC. is for first responders and CSI’s. Actually, LETRG’s program is an entire suite of applications for all smart phones (a camera with a phone is a must—crime scene photography, you know).
Included in the application are tools of the trade, such as a caliper, blood spatter trajectory calculator, DOA notes, skid mark calculator, GPS indicator and marker for the crime scene and individual items of evidence, compass, level, minimum speed of travel, note-taking recorder, digital dimension calculator, automatic case file and evidence numbering system, a complete set of reference files, and much, much more. The reference files alone—Miranda, weapons identifier, pupil size identifier, etc. is worth the installation of the application.
Why, this app even has the capability to give you the position of the victim and the killer when the fatal blow was delivered. That’s right, by taking a photo of the blood spatter at the scene the app automatically calculates, using the major and minor axis of the droplets, the number of pixels wide and long, and then provides the angles, instead of doing it the old fashioned way. You know, as Dexter would do it.
The Pocket CSI stores all information in separate, files—blood spatter information in one, DOA notes in another, etc., and when you’re ready, simply transfer it all to a single DVD.
All for less than 80 bucks. Now that’s a deal.
Of course, the Atomic Zit Popper app is only $1.99. I wonder, though, if it calculates the spatter angles…
