Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of the officers who sacrificed everything to keep us safe.

Deputy Sheriff Scott Ward, 47

Baldwin County Alabama Sheriff’s Office

November 23, 2012 – Deputy Scott Ward was shot and killed after responding to a domestic disturbance call. Two other responding deputies were wounded during the gunfire.

Deputy Ward is survived by his wife.

Trooper Kyle W. Deatherage, 32

Illinois State Police

November 26, 2012 – Trooper Kyle Deatherage was struck and killed by a tractor trailer while conducting a traffic stop. He is survived by his wife, 4-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son.

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Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home

Cleaning up after CSI

Police officers and other emergency response personnel have the unpleasant task of working with the dead. They’re the first responders—the life-savers and the crime-solvers. But when their job is done they go about their duties of finding new lives to save, and new criminals to apprehend. The crime scenes, however, are left behind, as is, with blood, tissue, brain matter, and other such macabre tid-bits left lying around.

Someone has to clean up the mess, and the police certainly aren’t going to do it. That’s where companies like AFTERMATH, INC. of Oswego, Illinois, and Crime Scene Steri-Clean of Southern California come in.

Crime scene clean-up companies employ teams of highly-trained employees who come to the scene of a homicide, suicide, etc., and clean up and decontaminate every single surface in the affected areas. They completely remove all body matter from the scene. They’re also trained to clean up fingerprint powder, tear gas residue, and odors associated with decomposition.

All body fluids are considered biohazard waste and must be treated accordingly, as potential sources of infection. Crime scene clean up companies must have all the required permits required by law to transport and dispose of hazardous waste.

These companies have on-call staff members who are required to respond to a scene within a reasonable amount of time, usually within minutes if the scene is located in the company’s home territory.

The costs associated with cleaning up a crime scene can be costly, but many homeowner’s policies will cover much of the expense. Some states will absorb some of the clean-up costs for homicide cases. Crime Scene Steri-Clean promises to work with any budget, stating they’ll accept payments as little as one dollar per month if that’s all the victim’s family can afford.

All of AFTERMATH’s vehicles (they have offices all across the country) are certified by the EPA to haul medical waste. Their technicians are all blood-born pathogen certified. FYI – Many police academies require police officers to undergo blood-born pathogen training.

Some of the equipment used by crime scene clean up companies:

– non-porous disposable suits, gloves, respirators, and spill proof boots

– ozone machines for odor removal

– bleach and other disinfectants

– deodorizoers

– enzyme solvents to kill bacteria and viruses

– wet vac

– scrapers for removal of brain matter and tissue

– steam injection systems to soften dried matter

– standard tools, such as hammer, screwdrivers, shovels (snow shovels for large amounts of wet tissue)

– camera

*These clean up companies are not in all locations, and not everyone uses them in the locations where they are available.

* For an interesting read about crime scene cleanup, I recommend:

AFTERMATH, INC

Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home

by Gil Reavill

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Autopsy: From Crime Scene To Toe Tag

Autopsy: from crime scene

Death investigations are conducted by both the police and medical examiners or coroners. Each jurisdiction determines whether or not they have a coroner or medical examiner. A coroner is an elected official and may or may not be a medical doctor. A medical examiner is a medical doctor who has been hired by a city or county to conduct autopsies and investigate the cause of suspicious deaths. Elected coroners who are not doctors must hire a pathologist to conduct autopsies.

The police are in charge of all murder scenes, but medical examiners and coroners are in charge of the body. Medical examiners and coroners do not interrogate suspects and detectives do not examine bodies.

Bodies are placed in body bags and delivered to the morgue in specially equipped vehicles (pictured above).

Upon arrival at the morgue, bodies are rolled onto scales where they’re weighed.

After weighing, the body is placed inside a cold room until autopsy. In this jurisdiction black or dark gray, leak-resistant body bags are used pre-autopsy. The paper bag resting on the body of the murder victim at the top of the photo contains the victim’s personal belongings. Notice there are no individual drawers for bodies.

Cold rooms also store amputated body parts. The gray trays on the right contain severed limbs. White, paper-like body bags, like the one lying on the gurney in the rear of the cold room above, are used post-autopsy for bodies waiting to be transported to funeral homes.

Our tour of the morgue continues with a peek into the autopsy room/suite, where we’ll examine some of the tools of the trade. If your stomach holds up we’ll even have a glimpse of the star of the show, a murder victim.

The photograph above is of an autopsy station. Think of it as a pathologist’s workshop. To begin the autopsy, a body is placed on a gurney and is then positioned against the center, sink area of the station (feet-first in this morgue).

WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW!

Pathologists in this particular morgue select instruments from a rolling cart placed at each workstation.

Tools of the autopsy trade.

Some M.E.’s prefer to use a bone saw used for cutting through the rib cage beneath the “Y” incision. It’s also used for cutting through the skull.

Scales for weighing internal organs.

GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW!

WARNING>>>WARNING>>>WARNING>>>WARNING>>>WARNING>>>

Not for the weak of heart, or those who are squeamish or offended by graphic images of death and/or autopsy. 

IT IS TIME TO EXIT THIS PAGE IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO VIEW THESE IMAGES!!!!!!!

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Bodies are positioned on a gurney, at the autopsy station, prior to autopsy. Notice the lividity (the gravity-indiced purplish staining of the tissue at the lowest point of the body). This indicates the victim above was lying on his back after the heart stopped beating, and remained in that position until the lividity became fixed (12 hours, or so). Had this victim been found on his stomach with the lividity fixed on his back, well, that would be a sign that the body had been moved sometime after death.

Upper chest area of a murder victim. Ligature mark on the neck from strangling – upper left of photo.

Post autopsy “Y” incision sutures, above and below. Below image is of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Autopsy table, during autopsy. Body fluids are washed down the drain.

The end. Really … it is.

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Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying

 

What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is any type of bullying that takes place on devices such as computers, cellphones, tablets, etc. Those devices are used to transmit mean text messages and/or emails, or similar messages via social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Other examples of cyberbullying include transmitted rumors, extremely embarrassing videos and/or photos, and even fake profiles.

Cyberbullying can be a bit more difficult to escape than in-person bullying because it can occur 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Cyberbullies can post anonymously, and they can reach an audience of unlimited numbers.

Effects of Cyberbullying

Kids who are cyberbullied are more prone to:

– health problems

– poor or lower than average grades

– skip school

– use alcohol and/or drugs

–  experience in-person bullying

How You Can Help

– know what your kids are doing online

– know the sites your kids visit

– know the passwords used by your kids

– “friend” or “follow” your kids (but don’t intrude or embarrass them by posting to the sites)

– encourage your children to come to you if a problem develops. Reinforce the fact that you will not take away their computer or punish them in other ways simply because they’ve become a victim of a cyberbully.

– teach children about what they should and should not post online.

– teach kids how to post privately, or only to certain people, such as family and close friends.

– be sure your kids know that you’ll be monitoring their online activity. It is your duty as a responsible parent to do so.

*Monitoring the online activity of your kids is extremely important, not only to prevent your child from becoming a victim to a cyberbully, but to prevent your child from becoming the bully. Remember, for every victim, unfortunately, there is a bully.

*WikiCommons photo

 

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Castle: After Hours – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review

Castle: After Hours

 

After Hours was just one of those episodes. You know what I mean. There’s no middle ground. Either you absolutely loved it, or you hated it from the depths of your soul. And I hated it. And I hated almost every second of it. From start to finish. Backward or forward. It was extremely disjointed…all over the place. So much so, that I could not, for the life of me, seem to find a storyline anywhere in all that running and hiding and hiding and running.

However, there were plenty of romance moments for the shippers, so I’m sure I already know how Melanie feels about this mess. Melanie…

Melanie Atkins

Oh, wow! I absolutely loved tonight’s episode. It was funny and sweet, and chock full of Caskett moments. The show started with Rick and Kate hosting a disastrous “meet the parents” dinner with Martha and Jim at the loft that turned into Martha vs. Jim. She apparently found him boring and showed true disdain for his conservative lifestyle and love of baseball. Talk about uncomfortable! I was squirming, and I wasn’t even in the room with them. Rick and Kate were appalled and scrambled out of the loft at the first opportunity — when she received a call that a body had dropped. Turned out to be a priest.

Our dynamic duo sniped at each other about Martha and Jim while on the way to pick up a witness to the murder… bringing an edge to the old banter they’ve always shared. The edge came from this argument really meaning something. They wanted their parents to get along, and when they didn’t, it rattled them.

Mobsters accosted them at the door to the man’s apartment and took their phones, their wallets, and Kate’s gun and badge—Yes, Lee. Again. I know that made you cringe. Teehee!—and then they were forced to go on the run with the witness (an annoying little man) in the Bronx in the middle of the night after discovering someone had also stolen Kate’s departmental ride. Oops! So hilarious.

Esposito called the loft looking for Kate and Rick when they didn’t answer their phones, and Martha and Jim, who surprisingly was still at the loft, became alarmed and rushed to the precinct, where they holed up in the break room to wait for word about Kate and Rick.

While they were hiding with the annoying witness, he picked up on their sniping and the fact that Rick had said he and Kate came from different worlds—and then he played therapist, advising them their problem didn’t lie with their parents, but with the two of them. The look they shared after that comment was priceless. Kate later asked, “We’re in this relationship that makes absolutely no sense on paper. So… are we just kidding ourselves? What if this bubble bursts? What are we then?” Rick countered with, “Kate, we’re not our parents. And when I said ‘two different worlds’, I meant…” And then he was cut off. Of course.

After that, they’re torn apart without being able to talk further when Rick is elected to go for help after an argument about who should go, and Kate kisses him before he leaves. I loved that. Finally, some PDA!

Next, we got another quick glimpse of Martha and Jim at the precinct, and I was surprised by how well they were getting along… apparently bonding through their love for their children and bolstered by the idea that even though Rick and Kate were missing, they were still together somewhere, watching each other’s backs.

Except they weren’t. Rick had gone for help, and Kate had stayed with the witness. After Rick left, they guy talked to Kate about Rick and their relationship—after eavesdropping on their conversation—and he tells her, “Trust me. Living your life for now makes a lot more sense than worrying about the future”—a prophetic statement if there ever was one, seeing as he later turned out to the bad guy.

Rick is kidnapped by Mickey Dolan, the mobster the cops want for killing the priest, before he can summon help. Dolan gets info from Rick just by reading his facial expressions—using Rick’s non-existent bluffing skills—and then sends one of his guys after the witness… and Kate. This scares Rick. He’s afraid the guy will kill Kate.

Kate, however, fights off Dolan’s man with the help of the witness, who then turns on Kate and holds her at gunpoint. He binds her hands (in front, I might add) and forces her out of the basement. His plan is to find Dolan and kill him so he can’t turn state’s evidence against a rival mob family.

Dolan convinces Rick that he doesn’t want to hurt Kate or the witness. He wants to find out who killed the priest, too, because they guy was his best friend. So they sit tight and wait for the phone to ring… and when it does, it’s Kate. Rick is so relieved to learn she’s still alive. She won’t agree to help Dolan unless he gives her proof that Rick’s okay, so Dolan puts him on the phone. She tells him they need to do something fun soon, like take their parents to a baseball game. That was clearly a message of some kind, because Martha had just shown her disdain for the sport at dinner.

The witness takes Kate to meet Dolan, Rick, and the others at gunpoint and shoots up their car, terrifying Kate—only, they weren’t in the car, because Rick had picked up on Kate’s signal that trouble was brewing.

When he and Dolan show up moments later, relief fills Kate’s face. The witness is out of bullets, so Dolan starts to kill him, until Rick talks him down. Then the cops show up. Really? What took them so long?

Kate runs to Rick, leaps at him, and throws her bound hands over his head in a giant hug, saying, “I thought I’d lost you.” He grinned and said, “Never, never, never.” Wow! My heart melted. What a great scene. Beautiful!

He gives her back her badge and gun, courtesy of Dolan, and they take a cab back to the station — only to have Gates tell them Jim and Martha are there. Before Rick and Kate go talk to them, though, Rick tells her, “But you know what? Who cares if they don’t get along? They aren’t us. And… so what if we don’t make sense on paper? We don’t live our lives on paper. And if we did, we’d never be astounded… or surprised.”

And then they’re surprised to find Jim and Martha getting along. Amazing!

Such a hilarious, fun episode that was also filled with wonderful Kate-Rick moments. Squee! I’ll replay this one many, many times, I’m sure. Next week’s Christmas episode looks just as good, too. A dead Santa, Kate with possible cold feet, and more relationship talk. Yes! I can’t wait.

Lee Lofland

See, I told you. Even Melanie and I are on total opposites of this scorecard. She loved the show and I hated it. But what about the police procedure? How’d that measure up?

Well, the show opens with the murder of a priest. Next up…Lanie.

Beckett asks for the time of death. Lanie responds. “Between 7 and 10 last night. The likely cause of death was three (gunshot wounds) to the chest.”

And that was it. Short. Sweet. And to the point. Nothing stupid. Nothing bad. And no witch-doctory. And she was believable. So a big hooray for Lanie. Finally.

Unfortunately, that’s where my praise for the episode comes to an immediate halt. It was all downhill for me from this point forward.

For starters, did any of you catch Beckett’s instant hairstyle change? No? Well, it’s time for a replay, then. When she and Castle pulled up to the alley and got out of her police car, Beckett’s hair was pulled up into a short ponytail-like do. She takes two or three steps and suddenly her hair is down. Check it out.

A little less than eight minutes into the show, Beckett loses her gun to a couple of bad guys. And, of course, she also loses her police car. So now she and Castle go into hiding from the thugs. Oh yeah, tagging along is a little worm-like guy who’s is supposed to be a witness to the priest’s murder (Witness? Sure. He’s a witness, all right. Doesn’t every single wimpy, creepy guy on this show turn out to be a killer?).

So Castle leaves Beckett and mousey-man behind so he can save the day by using the phone at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Well, guess what? On a totally deserted city street, late at night, Castle doesn’t hear an approaching car. Yep, here come the bad guys, and they totally sneak up on Castle…while driving a vehicle! Now I ask you, have you ever been out at night, walking along lonely and quiet streets? Sure, you have. And you can hear cars at great distances, right? Maybe Castle is simply hard of hearing. Deaf, even.

So now Castle is kidnapped/abducted.

Then Beckett is abducted by mousey-man, who shoots a bunch of rounds at an empty car he thinks is occupied by the mobsters. Then, boss mobster appears from his hiding place (Castle tipped him off that mousey-man was the killer). So Mousey points his pistol at boss mobster guy, who promptly says, “We both know you emptied your clip into that car.” So mousey gives up. But…the gun couldn’t be empty because the slide wasn’t locked in the back position, which is what happens when a semi-auto is out of rounds—the slide automatically moves to the rear and locks open.

Okay, that’s about it for the police stuff, what little there was (thank goodness there wasn’t any more).

I’m curious. How many of you are on my side, and how many of you are with Melanie and absolutely loved this one?

Oh, and again…Hooray for Lanie!

*One more thing. Every time someone mentioned the mobster’s name, Micky Dolan, I couldn’t stop myself from picturing the drummer from The Monkeys (Micky Dolnez).

*ABC photo

 

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Murder, It Really Bugs Me!

Murder Bugs Me

In response to questions I’ve received over the past few weeks, I thought sharing a small portion of one of my old conference presentations would be in order. These slides are from a Powerpoint presentation I made back in 2007, but please don’t worry about the information being current…death hasn’t changed a bit in five years.

As always, if you want total realism, I recommend checking details with the agency in the area where your story is set. However, you’re writing fiction so it’s perfectly fine to make up your own town and police department. But please, write believable make believe!

A great example of something that’s not believable…

An author once wrote that the villain in the story had committed a misdemeanor murder. Well, there’s no such thing!

So, what is a felony?

A misdemeanor is?

Prisons and jails are not synonymous.

Jails are normally run by local sheriffs and are for short term incarcerations, and/or for prisoners awaiting trial. Prisons are run by state and federal governments and are for inmates who have been convicted and received longer-term (felony) sentencing.

They’re not? Then why do I see this written incorrectly in so many books? What’s the difference?

I committed homicide when I shot and killed a bank robber during a shootout. The act was ruled, of course, a justifiable homicide.

Had the robber been a better shot and killed me, well, he’d have been charged with murder.

Hmm…I’ve seen this written wrong too.

Oh, so…

Carey A. Body just murdered his longtime girlfriend, Ida Kissedanyman, and fled on foot through an alley, over a fence, and into the rear parking lot of Beulah Bells’ Hog Jowl Emporium. Body, sweating heavily and breathing like a huffing locomotive traveling a 72% steep uphill grade, ditched the murder weapon inside a fat, rusted dumpster that was stuffed to the brim with discarded hocks, pinto beans, and hunks of Crisco-drentched fried cornbread.

Therefore, even though the dumpster was four blocks away from the actual scene of the crime, the dumpster is now considered a crime scene. Why? Because evidence of a crime is located there. And, yes, detectives and/or CSI’s must paw through the garbage, by hand, searching for evidence.

Normally, uniformed patrol officers are the first to respond.

And…

Obviously, there’s a difference in the roles of patrol officers and detectives. Does that indicate that their training is different too?

Well, every officer receives the same basic training. The differences begin to show up in specialized training, later on in the career.

Basic training is a lot of repetitive motions, such as draw, point, and shoot…over and over again. This is to help the officers instantly react to various situations. And they must do so without wasting precious seconds attempting to decide how to handle potentially life-ending scenarios. Speed is important, because extreme danger can unfold in mere seconds.

Detectives, on the other hand, absolutely must take the time think. No tunnel vision and an open mind are extremely important.

What methods do detectives use when solving crimes? Are there standards?

First,

Next…

Nowadays, things have changed dramatically. There are tons of crime-solving tools out there, and they’re all available to each and every officer…well, to the departments that can afford them, that is.

Even today, though, the absolute top crime-solving tool in every detective’s toolbox, above fingerprinting, bloodstain and DNA evidence is…hitting the streets and talking to people.

And a little good cop/bad cop goes a long way, too.

Remember, the secret to writing good fiction is “writing believable make believe.” Doesn’t mean it has to be true…you’ve just have to make us believe it is.

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Newburyport: Grab The Kayaks!

Newburyport

 

Drive an hour north of Boston on I95, then turn right and head for the coast and you’ll end up in Newburyport, the area where we spent many weekends kayaking and browsing the beaches. Kayaking the Merrimack to the ocean was simply fantastic.

So, since I’m so sick this weekend I thought I’d post a repeat of one of our favorite places in the U.S.

I’m heading out to see the doctor in a few minutes, so please enjoy the warm weather photos while I’m trying to fight this fever.

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of the officers who sacrificed everything to keep us safe.

Officer James “Jim” Davies, 35

Lakewood Colorado Police Department

November 9, 2012 – Officer Jim Davies was mistaken for an assailant while securing the perimeter of a crime scene. He was shot and killed by a fellow officer. Officer Davies is survived by his wife and two children.

Officer Elgin L. Daniel, 53

Henry County Georgia Police Department

November 12, 2012 – Officer Elgin Daniel was struck and killed by a hit and run driver while assisting a stranded motorist.

Deputy Sheriff Anthony Rakes, 31

Marion County Kentucky Sheriff’s Office

November 14, 2012 – Deputy Anthony Rakes was shot and killed as he was approaching a car stopped in the roadway.

 

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Are You Writing What You THINK You Know?

Are you writing what you think you know

I’ve been writing this blog for nearly five years, and I have to say it’s sometimes tough to come up with a new topic each and every day. However, as long as writers continue to write stories about cops and crime, I suppose there’ll always be questions that need answering.

Today, though, I thought I’d put the shoe on a different foot and have you, the blog reader, answer the questions. I want to see just how much you know about the world of cops and robbers. After all, it’s what you write…right?

So here goes…

(By the way, I’ve seen each of these used incorrectly in at least one book, or on someone’s blog)

1. Revolvers eject spent brass with each pull of the trigger. T or F

2. Thermal imagers can “see” through black garbage bags, allowing officers to identify the contents without opening the bag. T or F

3. How many locks are on a pair of handcuffs? One, Two, Four, or Six?

4. Speed Loaders are competition shooters who are extremely skilled at loading their weapons in a very short amount of time. T or F

Read about speed loaders on a past blog post https://leelofland.com/dump-pouches-v-speed-loaders/

5. Vehicles almost always explode when hit by gunfire. T or F

6. DNA evidence is used to convict defendants in nearly every case. T or F

7. The FBI can take over any case, any time, from local police. T or F

8. Kevlar vests worn by officers (or similar types) are designed to stop punctures from knives and other sharp objects. T or F

9. Are cops required to advise a suspect of Miranda (you have the right to…etc.) the moment they’re arrested? No, only when suspects are in custody AND prior to questioning. No questioning = no advisement of Miranda. Some departments may have policies that require Miranda advisement at the time of arrest, but I’ve never encountered one.

10. Are police officers required by law (in every state) to wear seat belts while operating a police car? No. In fact, some state laws also allow certain delivery drivers to skip buckling up (USPS letter carriers, for example).

11. Are all deputy sheriffs sworn police officers? No. Normally deputies who work in the jails are not police officers.

12. Some California sheriffs also serve as county coroner. T or F

13. Small town police departments never investigate murder cases. T or F

All police officers are trained to investigate crimes, and small town officers investigate homicides all the time.

14. Robbery and burglary are synonymous. T or F

15. Narcotics dogs are fed small amounts of cocaine at an early age to get them used to the drug. T or F

16. Shotguns and rifles are basically synonymous. T or F

17. It’s fairly easy to knock someone unconscious with a quick blow to the back of the head, or neck. T or F

18. No one has ever escaped from death row. T or F

19. CornerShot is a bendable device that allows officers to shoot around corners. T or F

Read about CornerShot https://leelofland.com/corner-shot-who-says-bullets-dont-bend/

20. Cops are trained to aim for arms, legs, and/or to shoot a knife or gun from a suspect’s hand. T or F

Officers are taught to shoot center mass of their target. It is extremely difficult to hit small, moving targets while under duress. Again, officers DO NOT shoot hands, legs, elbows, or weapons (well, not on purpose).

21. Officers always shoot to kill. T or F

Police officers are NEVER trained to “shoot to kill.” Instead, they’re taught to stop the threat. When the threat no longer exists the shooting stops, if it ever starts. Often, the threat ceases before shots are fired.

22. It would be fantastic if the Writers’ Police Academy could get one of the world’s leading DNA experts to speak at the 2013 event. T or F ?????

 

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Castle: Swan Song – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review

Castle: Swan Song

Last night’s episode was, well, bizarre. And not in a good way.

The shaky-cam filming style combined with the characters over-acting and hamming it up for the cameras was downright horrible. This was definitely the worst episode of Castle to date. In fact, had this been the first episode I’d seen I would never tune in again. Of course, there were a few funny moments. Unfortunately, the bad outweighed the good this week.

But that’s my opinion. Let’s see what Melanie has to say about what we saw last night.

Melanie Atkins

Tonight’s episode, about the death of a legendary rock and roll singer, was told documentary style like The Office and Community—a first for Castle. Nathan and Stana said in interviews that looking into the camera was hard to do, because as actors, they usually spend so much time trying not to look at it. Their characters had other ideas, of course. Rick preened for the camera, while Kate did her best to avoid it. Ryan didn’t seem too thrilled about the attention either, but like Rick, Lanie craved the spotlight… as did Esposito, who turned out to be the biggest ham of all—and pretty good singer. I thought the episode would be funnier than it was, but I did enjoy parts of it.

I wanted more romance, of course. They gave us a few tidbits, such as Rick telling one of the cameramen when talking about Kate, “I just want you to see what I see,” meaning strong, independent, capable Detective Beckett. Or at least that’s what I got out of that line. And later, when Rick and Kate were talking privately and he hooked a lock of hair behind her ear, she smiled, leaned into his touch, and put her hand over his… before noticing the camera and jerking away. Uncomfortable, much?

Then near the end of the show, Captain Gates told the whole precinct she would review the entire tape for its appropriateness… and that sent Kate into a tailspin. She was afraid Gates would see the aforementioned scene between her and Rick—an understandable fear considering she believes her boss wouldn’t approve of their relationship, especially a PDA in the precinct.

Didn’t turn out that way, since she and Rick cornered the filmmaker and convinced him to “lose” that piece of tape, but it was a close call.

Otherwise, this was just a weird episode. I laughed in spots and enjoyed Esposito’s singing and hamming it up, but don’t really enjoy the documentary style as a rule so this one didn’t really grab me. The case bored me, and I simply could not fathom why in the world Lanie would check for antibodies for polio, measles, etc, in the victim’s blood. Too odd, even for TV. I mean, please!

I can understand the producers wanting to try something new with this documentary style, and I don’t fault them for it. I’ll just be glad to get back to regular Castle episodes. Next week’s show involves a murdered priest, and the promo for it had ominous overtones. Very scary. Then comes the Christmas show, titled Secret Santa — their first holiday show ever. I can’t wait for that one. A very Castle Christmas. Teehee!

Lee Lofland

As I said above, there wasn’t much to like about this episode. And, of course, Lanie did the show no favors. However, I have to come to the actor’s defense this week, because the writers truly stuck her with horrible material. I know, that’s the trouble each and every week, but this time was far worse than before. She’s an information dump for writers who are too lazy to write necessary information into the script. A fiction writer (books) would most likely be rejected by agents and editors if he/she tried this move. Believable make-believe, it’s not.

So let’s started, and there’s no better place than…

– The film crew was standing in the middle of a bloody crime scene, contaminating and destroying the evidence. Wouldn’t happen, not in a million years, no matter how many “official letters” they possessed.

– Lanie and her use of lividity to determine the time of death. Well, here’s some information about lividity, and what it is. After reading, you be the judge. Ask yourself, could Lanie pinpoint the time of death within two hours, long after lividity is fixed?

When the heart stops beating, gravity pulls blood to the lowest point in the body. Blood pooling in those low areas stain the surrounding tissue giving the appearance of bruising. This staining of tissue is called livor mortis, or lividity. For example, a victim lying flat on his back when he dies exhibits lividity on his back, buttocks, and the back of his legs. The same is true on the front of the body, if the victim is found lying face down.

The staining of tissue normally begins within the first two hours after death. The process reaches it’s full peak in eight to twelve hours. Once lividity becomes fixed it is basically no longer useful for determining a time of death, other than to say the death most likely occurred “over twelve hours ago.” Lividity alone cannot be used to pinpoint an exact time of death.

If the victim is moved during the first six hours after death the purplish discoloration can shift, causing the new, lowest portion of the body to exhibit lividity.

After a period of six to eight hours after death, lividity becomes totally fixed. Moving the body after eight hours will not change the patterns of discoloration. Therefore, investigators know a body found lying face down with lividity on the back, has been moved.

Rookie officers have often confused lividity with bruising caused by fighting.

Remember, ambient air temperature is always a factor in determining the TOD (time of death). A hot climate can accelerate lividity, while a colder air temperature can slow it down considerably.

– Esposito, speaking about a murder suspect, stated that a preliminary test indicated that the blood found on his clothes was indeed his and not the blood of the murder victim. Well, there is no preliminary blood test (presumptive test) to determine the origin of blood. There are tests, however, to determine whether or not blood is human (Sirchie Fingerprint Laboratories offers such testing material).

– Lanie, and how she stated this while maintaining a poker face is beyond me, said the victim had no polio vaccine antibodies in his system. And, she went on to say that there were no other immunization vaccines present in his system. This, to say the least, was RIDICULOUS! There’s no way she’d have tested for any of those things. Why would she, unless maybe the victim presented with signs and symptoms of polio. This was the absolute wackiest thing Lanie has said over the years. Again, the writers used her to get this information before the viewers, and that’s lazy writing on their part.

The show wasn’t all negative. When Esposito heard gunshots and screaming coming from inside a locked apartment, he kicked in the door. Police officers may enter without a warrant if they truly believe someone’s life is in jeopardy (exigent circumstances). The same is true if they honestly believe that evidence in a crime would be lost or destroyed if they didn’t act immediately to seize it.

– It was a pleasant surprise to see C. Thomas Howell make an appearance last night as the cult leader. For those of you who don’t know, Howell plays the part of Dewey on Southland, the most realistic police show on TV (TNT).

– One final thing that bugged me…the roadie supposedly taught Swan (the murder victim) how to play guitar. In fact, Swan had stated that the roadie (sorry, I don’t remember his name) was a far better guitarist than he could ever be. So, when it was discovered that the bass player was the killer, the band replaced him with the roadie. It’s not likely that a dynamite lead guitar player would ever replace a bass guitar player. They’re two different instruments that are each played differently. Sure, it’s possible, just not likely. That would be sort of like Team USA replacing a shot putter with a swimmer. They’re both on the same Olympic team, so why not?

What do you guys think? Was it a bad episode that’s far beneath what this show is capable of producing? Or, did you love it in spite of the obvious flaws?

*ABC photo

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