Castle: Deep Cover – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review

Castle: Deep cover

 

A father and son reunion. Spies. Wedding bells. Secret compartments. A proud new papa and his baby pictures. And, of course, murder. Cram them all into a one hour TV show and we have what was a pretty nice episode of Castle. And, if my instincts are correct, Good Cop Melanie Atkins was doing the happy dance throughout the entire show. Let’s see if my old cop intuition is still accurate.

Melanie Atkins

We first met Rick Castle’s father, Jackson Hunt (or whatever his name is), in Hunt (Episode 5×16), when Jackson helped rescue Alexis in Paris after her kidnapping. Of course, he was the reason she was kidnapped in the first place, but for now I’ll let that slide. James Brolin did an excellent job in both episodes. I really loved this one. Talk about intrigue, surprises, and startling family moments… this show had them in spades.

We were first treated to Rick and Kate attempting to choose a wedding date, and they couldn’t seem to agree on much of anything except that Kate wants to get married sooner, rather than later (accentuated by a butt slap, and then a kiss… tee hee!) Martha even threw in her two cents worth, telling them to just elope. Sure, that would be easy, but fans need more. Right?

A call to a murder scene interrupted them before they could come to a decision, of course, and the evidence around the body didn’t tell them much. Rick found a hidden laptop, but digging into it took a while. They finally got a lead and headed across town to check it out.

Rick got a phone call that confused him before they met the man they planned to interview, but I think he recognized his father’s voice. The look on his face when he saw his dad for only the second time in his life was priceless.

Nathan killed it the first time, showing the hunger Castle has had all his life to know his father, and he did it again. Surprise, elation, yearning, desperation, and disbelief played across his face, all at the same time. I was drawn in immediately, and wondered how long Rick could hold out before telling Kate who the man was.

Turns out he didn’t say anything, until Jackson showed up at Rick’s door with a bullet hole in his side. Martha’s gasp when she opened the door was spot on (Susan Sullivan is a gem). I loved her role in this scene. She was obviously drawn to Jackson, but wanted to tell him to kiss off, too. Such fire in her eyes! His wound scared her, however, and she went right to work helping Rick get the man to the bedroom so they could patch him up.

Then Kate walked in on her and Rick doing surgery to extract the bullet. Yikes! Kate, of course, is all cop, so once she got over the shock of finding her murder suspect lying all bloody on the bed she shares with Rick, she balked at believing a word that came out of Jackson’s mouth. I loved her fury and blatant disbelief. Stana knows her character inside and out, and it shows. (That’s one reason she just won a People’s Choice for Best Dramatic Actress!)

I love that Jackson told them the truth and swooped in to save Rick’s life, taking care of the murderer Kate was after — and giving Martha closure — in the process. Might have been a little over the top, but I enjoyed the ride. I’m glad he popped up again and hope we haven’t seen the last of him.

“I keep making the mistake of thinking he’s family, but he’s not,” Rick said of his dad at the end of the show, his eyes locked with Kate’s. “You are.”

Squee! My little Caskett-loving heart went all pitter-patter. They agreed on a September wedding, in spite of Rick’s book tour, and that made me smile even wider. Woohoo! Finally, we have a wedding date. Maybe dear old dad will make another appearance then. Who knows? Or maybe he’ll play a part in taking down Beckett’s biggest foe, Senator Bracken, at some point. The CIA isn’t supposed to operate on US soil, but with Jackson operating “outside” CIA parameters, anything is possible. This is TV, after all.

Martha and Rick’s scene at the end touched my heart. So poignant and real.

Can’t wait to see Kate and Rick vs. the paparazzi in next week’s episode. Maybe they’ll finally announce their engagement.

Lee Lofland

There wasn’t a lot of procedure to analyze this week. Even Lanie, the writers’ outlet for information, delivered the clues almost flawlessly.

Before I go any further I’d like to remind everyone that I pick apart the police and forensics procedures and methods at the requests of writers. I, like you, watch television for entertainment, not because I expect fictional TV shows to be totally accurate in every aspect of, well, anything. Castle is a fun show. I like it, and I like the characters. In fact, the cast has a unique chemistry that so many shows of this type seem to lack.

As I stated earlier, my part of this review is at the requests of writers who want to know if what they see on the show is how things are in the real world. So, without further delay, Lanie…

She told us the murder victim had been moved from the scene of the crime to where the body was discovered by officer responding as a result of 911 call. Lanie offered that lividity was the factor that helped her draw that conclusion.

Before we dig a little deeper into Lanie’s conclusions, let’s refresh our memories regarding lividity and rigor mortis, and what they tell us about murder and the time it occurred.

Determining The Time of Death

When the heart stops beating, gravity pulls blood to the lowest point in the body. Blood pooling in those low areas stains the surrounding tissue, giving an appearance that looks somewhat like bruising. This purplish staining of tissue is called livor mortis, or lividity. For example, a victim lying flat on his back at the time of death 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.

Livor Mortis (lividity) normally begins within the first two hours after death. The process reaches it’s full peak  in eight to twelve hours.

Lividity becomes totally fixed after six to eight hours after death occurs, meaning the tissue-staining is fixed and will not change.

However, if the victim is moved during the first six hours after death the purplish discoloration can shift (lividity is not fixed), causing the new, lowest portion of the body to exhibit lividity.

Moving the body after eight hours (lividity is fixed) 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.

Rigor Mortis is the stiffening of muscles after death. The muscle stiffening (hence the use of the term, stiff) is caused by the loss of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from the muscle tissue. Without ATP, the muscles can no longer function normally, and begin to contract and stiffen.

Rigor mortis begins in the smaller muscles of the face and neck in about two hours after death. The process then moves downward from the head to the feet. The body becomes completely stiff in approximately eight to twelve hours.

Bodies remain rigid (the rigid stage of rigor mortis) for approximately eighteen hours, at which time the process begins to reverse itself—small muscles first, followed by the larger ones.

In approximately twelve hours the body returns to a flaccid state.

Again, like livor mortis, air temperature is a factor that can accelerate or slow down rigor mortis. Certain poisons and illnesses can also affect rigor mortis.

Determining TOD using rigor mortis is not an exact science.

Dead Ted, the victim of the week

Okay, now let’s look at the information Lanie provided to Beckett and crew. She was totally correct about lividity and that it could have indicated the body had been moved.

However, she stated the time of death was between 8 and 11. The time was 11:50 when uniformed officers responded to the 911 call placed by the killer. That’s a window of 4 hours max, from the time of death until the officers’ arrival and discovery of the body. If this time frame is correct, lividity would not have been totally fixed when the body was moved. Instead, at least some of the purplish staining would have presented in more than one area of the body.

Next, Lanie showed Beckett and Castle a perfectly preserved print of an Iranian coin on Dead Ted’s heel. We were supposed to believe that a coin in Ted’s sock would have left the bright red outline. Lanie’s explanation was that rigor mortis caused the marking.

But we know that wouldn’t be the case because rigor is merely a stiffing of muscle tissue.

Could lividity cause an impression to show up after death? Maybe. But, had it been lividity that caused the print on Dead Ted’s heel, we’d have seen more purplish staining around it, and the print would have presented as lighter in color, not darker than the surrounding flesh. The same is true when any area of a dead body is in contact with an object. Those surfaces force blood away, leaving lighter spots at the points of contact.

An object pressed against the flesh, such as the coin, would have caused less blood to pool in the area of the disc, not more. Further evidence that lividity probably wouldn’t have caused an impression of any type on Dead Ted’s foot, is that he’d have needed to have been in an upright position (such as standing or sitting in a chair) with his feet at lower point in relation to the rest of the body during the process of lividity. Remember, gravity pulls blood downward, not horizontally.

One other point to ponder. I assume, to allow enough time to pass for Lanie to see lividity, the killer must have waited until after planting the body in the apartment shower before removing the shoes and then the coin. Otherwise, there was nowhere near enough time for any sort of impression to form on  the foot. Even if we give Lanie the benefit of the doubt and go along with her theory of rigor causing the coin impression, the time frame is off.

And, why in the world would the killer wait until he’d delivered the body to the apartment before searching for the coin? Why not do so immediately after shooting him?

Another question – How did the killer carry a dead man through the lobby of an apartment building, unnoticed, and then deliver poor old Dead Ted to his upper floor apartment?

Enough about Dead Ted. Let’s move alon… Wait, one more thing. What about Lanie saying Dead Ted had eaten funnel cake prior to his demise? What, did he swallow it whole? Did Live Ted not chew his food properly? Either way, how did Lanie know the doughy mixture of mangled clam flesh and fried batter in Dead Ted’s stomach was indeed a funnel cake and not a clam-topped pancake or waffle, or possibly a clam fritter? Why not doughnuts with an order of clams on the side?

You know, even with the somewhat off-kilter coin impression detail and funnel-clam-cake, I think Lanie delivered her lines extremely well this week. She was believable, and it was a good thing to see her wait until she had the body in the morgue before offering details that only an autopsy could reveal.

And, it was certainly refreshing to see Beckett showing a softer side. After all, she’s planning her wedding.

Okay, enough for this week. I’ll conclude by saying this was a really nice episode that continued the recent string of shows in the form of Castle its fans adore.

Nicely done.

What do you think? A hit, or a miss?

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So You Want To Become A Trace Evidence Examiner…

Trace elements examiner

 

Trace evidence can be simply described as a small, or tiny, piece of evidence left or taken away from a crime scene. If that definition sounds familiar, it should. In fact, everyone involved in a criminal investigation, including writers of fictional cases, should be aware of Edmond Locard’s Exchange Principle—“every contact leaves a trace.”

In other words, everyone who leaves an area takes something with them. Likewise, everyone who enters a scene deposits something. Now, those “somethings” may very well be microscopic, such as DNA, but something is exchanged by every single person who enters and/or leaves a crime scene.

In the field crime scene technicians and investigators collect every single piece of evidence that could help solve their cases. They bag and tag and transport everything from cars, mattresses, and carpeting, to threads, dandruff, and chips of paint.

However, until those pieces of evidence are tested and confirmed by a laboratory scientist or technician, they are nothing more than inanimate objects without substantial meaning or purpose.

It is the laboratory scientist/examiner who adds the icing to the investigator’s cake by attaching a certified and positive identification and, an official quantity to the unidentified and/or unnamed evidence. In short, it’s not blood until the lab says it’s blood.

So, what does it take to be a forensic laboratory examiner? (I’ll be referencing the Commonwealth of Virgina. Things could very well be different in your area).

1. New trainee examiners within the Division of Forensic Sciences’ Trace Evidence Section, begin their training in only two specific areas, from a list of several—Explosives, Fire Debris, Glass, Hairs and Fibers, and Paint, or Primer Residue.

2. Trainees are closely supervised by an experienced trainer. The supervisor/trainer assigns the newcomer a training schedule, which includes studying the department training manual and completing a summary form as each section is completed.

3. The training period for a new trainee is approximately 12 months. Both oral and written quizzes take place throughout the duration of training. Testing regarding the use and knowledge of laboratory instruments is conducted by the chemistry manager, who issues either a pass or fail grade. All of this takes place while the trainee learns and works side-by-side with, and under the watchful eye of their trainer.

4. Trainees are required to maintain a notebook containing all training summaries and required reading as assigned by the trainer.

5. Trainees are required to read, study, and become familiar with instrument manuals provided by the manufacturer(s).

6. At the completion of the training program, each trainee must successfully complete an oral competency exam. The exam must be completed within 3 hours.

7. A second part of the final exam is a practical test, where the trainee demonstrates his/her ability to work a mock case and then present their findings in a moot court, complete with a “prosecutor, judge, and defense attorneys.”

8. Once the training program is complete the Chemistry Manager recommends that the trainee be certified. It is also time for the trainee to submit a buccal swab for DNA testing. The result is stored in the staff DNA database for comparison and elimination in the event evidence contamination comes into question.

9. Required reading is an ongoing process for trainees. Included in their lengthy reading list are:

Handbook of Forensic Services, FBI Laboratory

Moenssens, Andre A., et. al., Scientific Evidence in Criminal Cases, 3rd Ed., The Foundation Press, Mineola, NY, 1986, pp. 1-74.

10. Trace Evidence Section trainees must be familiar with the Federal Rules of Evidence.

11. Trainees must thoroughly understand the admissibility of scientific tests to include the difference between “Frye” and “Daubert.”

12. A vital part of the duties of a trace evidence examiner is the courtroom testimony regarding their findings. And, to sharpen those skills they’re required to read more page-turners, such as:

Burke, J. L., “Testifying in Court,” The Legal Digest, September 1975, pp. 8 – 13.

Hodge, E. and Blackburn, B. “Courtroom Demeanor,” AFTE Journal, pp. 7–14

Finally, it’s time for the trainee to…

…begin his/her first case, solo. Their next hurdle could/would be to tackle two new areas of trace evidence examination. To do so, they’d begin an abbreviated version of this process again, and would continue to do so until they’d mastered each category of trace evidence.

After all, who wouldn’t want to expand their horizons in 5 or 10 years by moving from examining bits of dandruff all the way up the ladder to analyzing tiny flakes of dried paint? The pace must be exhilarating.

My heart is pounding just thinking about it.

 

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Dog Days Of Summer

Dog days of summer

 

It’s fun to step back in time and read some of the tales we so proudly wrote “back in the day.” You know, to see how we’ve progressed (or regressed). Here’s one of my early attempts at writing. The exercise was to tell a story, complete with a twisted ending, in 300 words or less.

Dog Days of Summer

The beach had always been much-needed mental therapy for Clara Ruth. Medicine for the soul she called it. Brilliant sunshine to warm her face and bare shoulders. Foamy seawater sizzling around her ankles. And that delightful salty air was nothing short of heaven on earth.

She cherished the screeching and shrieking seagulls. She adored the feel of the wet sand oozing between her toes. Not to mention the ocean breezes that brought the scents of coconut tanning oils, warm popcorn, and greasy French fries wafting down from the crowded creosote-soaked boardwalk.

As a child she’d liked nothing more than visiting the seaside arcades to play Skeeball, winning long ribbons of blue tickets that she’d exchange for cheap novelties, like a bamboo back-scratcher or a squirt gun. If she was lucky, and, if her parents had brought enough quarters, a plastic pail and shovel for making sandcastles. Secretly, though, she’d kept her eye on the big, white stuffed unicorn. But no one, not even the grownups, ever won enough blue tickets to take home the top prize.

But things had changed over the years. Those days were gone forever.

Wonderful memories, all of them. She’d have given anything to have those days back again.

The sun was bright and hot and nearly directly overhead. Not a single cloud to block the heat. But, for all she knew, it could have been midnight beyond the dark glasses she wore.

A lone tear, caught in the lower lashes of her right eye, finally spilled down onto her cheek. She mopped it away with the back of a hand. Using the other, she extended her red and white cane and urged the dog to guide her home.

She’d had enough therapy for one day.

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

You gave your all to protect and serve us, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Supervisor Michael Clifton Baskett, 54

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Medical Center, Butner N.C.

November 26, 2013 – Supervisor Michael Baskett was killed when a motorized delivery truck struck him and pinned him beneath it. A box placed on the cart accidentally depressed the accelerator, causing it to take off at top speed. A second before the runaway cart struck, Supervisor Baskett pushed a delivery driver out of the way, saving her life. Inmates and officers were able to remove the cart and began CPR, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Supervisor Baskett leaves behind his wife, two children, and two step-children.

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Blood Analysis: DUI/DUID, Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault, And More

Drug analysis

 

Operating a motor vehicle is privilege granted to you by your home state. When applying for, and signing a drivers license, you agree to comply with a law enforcement officer’s request to submit to a breath or blood test, and possibly a urine test. The law governing this agreement is called the Implied Consent Law. Each state has some form of the law and, whichever state you happen to drive through, you are subject to their motor vehicle laws. In other words, what may be legal in your home state may or may not be legal in another. You are, however, responsible for complying with the laws of each.

For the purpose of this article I’ll refer to the laws and procedures in the Commonwealth of Virginia, for that is where I was a police officer and licensed breathalyzer operator.

When pulled over by a police officer you are required to do a few things upon request by the officer—provide a valid drivers license, proof of insurance, and you must submit to a breath or blood test, or both, if arrested for suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. A refusal to do so may result in the suspension of your drivers license and other penalties.

Let’s skip a few steps and say the accused has submitted to the blood test and now that blood sample has been delivered to the lab for testing. The arresting officer requested tests for the presence of drugs. She also stated that preliminary breath tests indicated the absence of alcohol, yet, the driver’s actions strongly pointed to the influence of “something.”

In Virginia, the Department of Forensic Science (DFS) provides all DUI/DUID Blood Specimen Collection Kits. This kit contains two gray top blood vials, two Certificates of Blood Withdrawal, povidone iodine swab to cleanse the suspect’s arm, and evidence seals.

Only the following may draw the blood sample(s): a physician, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, phlebotomist, graduate laboratory technician or a technician or nurse designated by order of a circuit court acting upon the recommendation of a licensed physician. Police officers DO NOT collect blood samples.

Vials are sealed and placed in a container provided by DFS. They are then mailed or hand delivered by the officer to the DFS.

At the DFS laboratory, scientists screen the blood sample for a standard panel of drugs (unless the officer indicates the possibility/suspicion of a specific drug based on investigation—she found a labeled pill bottle, etc.).

When possible, officers should be specific when requesting lab testing. For example, if the officer has reason to suspect the offender has consumed specific drugs, the description on the lab request form might read—Item 1. One DUI kit containing two vials of suspect’s blood: Toxicology – test for cocaine and marijuana.

If the drug is unknown, only the following are included in the initial drug screen panel.

Cocaine metabolite

Opiates

Oxycodone

Methamphetamine/MDMA

Phencyclidine (PCP)

Barbiturates

Benzodiazepines

Carisoprodol/meprobamate

Fentanyl

Cannabinoids

Methadone

Zolpidem

If a drug is detected during the screen, the scientist’s report will include the drug name and the quantity found in the blood. The report will also list the drugs NOT found in the blood. For example:

Oxycodone 0.12 mg/L.

The following substances were not detected:

Cocaine/Benzoylecgonin

Methamphetamine/MDMA

Phencyclidine

Barbiturates

Benzodiazepines

Carisoprodol/meprobamate

Fentanyl

Methadone

Cannabinoids

Zolpidem

Blood samples are sometimes collected in non-motor vehicle-related cases, such as child endangerment, manslaughter, drug-facilitated sexual assault, and possession/ingestion of illegal drugs (suspect swallows unknown but suspected drugs).

Sexual assault cases involving the drugging of the victim require the assistance of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) who will collect two blood samples and a urine sample from the victim, if the rape occurred less than 24 hours prior to examination. If the rape occurred more than 24 hours prior to examination, the SANE nurse will collect a urine sample only. These samples are kept separate from the Physical Evidence Recovery Kit (PERK Kit, which is sometimes and unofficially referred to as a “rape kit”).

Suspected poisoning cases are handled differently and require special handling and evidence collection procedures. This, my friends, is a topic for another day.

*Remember these procedures and testings apply to the Commonwealth of Virginia. They may vary in other states. But they are a good rule of thumb for fiction, or, if your story is set in Virginia, reality.

*DUID is an acronym for Driving Under The Influence of Drugs

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Castle: Under Fire – A Good Cop, Bad Cop Review

Castle: Under fire

 

Last night’s episode was a hot one to say the least. And Castle fans everywhere needed the heat, especially after waiting weeks for their favorite crime-solving duo to return to the TV screen. Well, that and the fact that last night brought record-breaking cold temperatures to many areas across the country.

So let’s see what Good Cop Melanie has to say about the show.

Melanie Atkins

Wow. What an emotional return for Castle after their holiday hiatus! I’ll let Lee handle the case, and I’ll tackle the emotion bubbling from all of the major characters. Fear, anguish, pain, dread, sick inevitability, and finally… disbelief and joy.

Of course, Ryan and Esposito walking out of such a terrible fire, even with help, would be highly unlikely in real life, but I cheered when they did. I cheered again when Kevin met his daughter for the first time, even though I didn’t really buy Jenny’s labor. She didn’t seem physically distressed at all. The episode had its faults, to be sure, but Andrew Marlowe and company still took us on a great, suspenseful ride. I could feel the heat from the fire, and every time the building groaned, I gasped. Those scenes were so well done.

The emotion portrayed by Rick and Kate, once they learned Kevin and Javi were trapped inside the building, had me riveted. Heck, when Jenny was in the ambulance about to have the baby and Kate handed her the phone, I held my breath. Then she talked to Kevin, and I lost it. Talk about a tear jerking scene… I needed a tissue for that one.

Lanie ran straight to Javi when she jumped out of the ambulance, and her reaction didn’t surprise me one bit. Those two still have feelings for each other, no matter how much they try to deny it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see more of their relationship in the future.

As for our dynamic duo… I was disappointed when Rick abandoned Kate inside the groaning, burned out building in the middle of the episode. She seemed surprised, too, and turned to Kevin after Rick disappeared with her eyebrows raised. “And I’m marrying him?” Shame on Rick. After all they’ve been through together, all of their close calls and vows of always, he leaves her behind? Not funny, and out of character at this point in this relationship.

I did love the way they supported each other at the fire scene. Rick was by Kate’s side the entire time, except when he was attempting to find another way into the building. He loves her, that much is clear, and the high emotion between Jenny and Kevin obviously got to him. And when Kevin met Sarah Grace and we got to see her little face… Rick and Kate grinned with joy, too. Beautiful. I loved it.

Great episode. Can’t wait for the next one!

Lee Lofland

First order of business is to get Lanie out of the way so we can move on to something semi-realistic. She’s standing over a burned-to-the-crisp dead body and, in response to Beckett’s inquiry about the small, round hole in the victim’s head, she says, “It’s a GSW (gunshot wound). Probably a nine (meaning 9mm).”

Well, Ms. Lanie P., you cannot tell the caliber based on the size of a bullet wound. Trajectory can make a difference in the size hole a bullet makes, and, well, there are many other factors that can and do impact the size and shape of bullet wounds. So, writers, please don’t make that mistake in your writing. If the M.E. absolutely must say something about the wound, it’s best to have your M.E. say something simple, like, “I can let you know more about the round after I get the body back to the morgue.”

On the other side of the coin, Lanie came through just fine with her comment about the victim being dead prior to the fire due to his having no smoke damage in the lungs. All-in-all, she was 50/50 this week. But she was dressed nicely and looking good while examining the body inside the burned building.

FYI – It’s a good idea to wear some sort of protective outer clothing (coveralls, etc.) when working inside a burn scene. They’re extremely messy and it’s difficult to remove the black residue from clothing. And the scent stays in your hair and on your skin until you’re able to scrub it away in the shower, if then.

By the way, did anyone notice the resemblance between the victim in this episode and the burn victim at the Writers’ Police Academy? I’m pretty sure they’re closely related.

Castle burn victim

Writers’ Police Academy burn victim Chris P. (on left). The other dummy victim is instructor Stan Lawhorne

The mannequins used at the WPA are manufactured by the same people who make the ones used on TV shows, such as CSI and, apparently, Castle.

The actor who played arsonist Adam Ferguson did a great job of portraying “creepy.” I’ve arrested a few arsonists over the years and they’re often a different breed of criminal. They do indeed like to watch their “work” go up in flames. And, they’re often just a bit on the unusual side, leaning toward creepy.

Esposito and Ryan used a Slim Jim to break into the murder victim’s car, searching for clues and evidence. Slim Jims are flat pieces of metal with strategically placed cut-outs designed to hook onto and release locking mechanisms when the device is inserted inside a car door.

Slim Jims are more effective on older model vehicles, since most modern car doors unlock electronically. Still, a person with lots of practice and skill can use a Slim Jim to gain entry to almost any car.

Slim Jim with rubber grip

Cut-outs are used for hooking certain lock parts

In the old days we all carried a Slim Jim in our patrol cars, and we unlocked several cars each week for the unfortunate folks who’d locked their keys inside their cars. Then, when cars moved away from the manual locks to electric, the risk of damaging electrical systems caused most police agencies to abandon the service. Well, that and the number of officers who managed to get the devices firmly stuck inside car doors.

By the way, carrying a Slim Jim around in your car, along with a screwdriver or two could be considered as “possession of burglary tools.”

Finally, people who’ve nearly met the Grim Reaper due to smoke inhalation and heat from an intense fire usually require a bit of medical attention, including a puff or two of oxygen. No amount of hugs and “goo-goo eyes” will provide an instant recovery, as we saw at the end of the episode last night. Still, the final scene was an appropriate ending for the show.

All-in-all, this was one of the better of the season. It was indeed, a hot one…

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We’ve Come A Long Way, Baby: Legal Pot

We've come a long way baby

 

Country music legend Loretta Lynn knows how to step up to the mic and belt out a tune, and her songs normally tell a story of heartbreak, heartache, and every other “cry-in-your-beer” type of tale imaginable. She’s also crooned about change, especially where a woman’s rights are concerned. A great example is her song, We’ve Come A Long Way, Baby.

I’m thinking Lynn’s song title could also apply to the evolving laws in the U.S. regarding marijuana use, possession, and sales. After all, this country has come a long way since Nixon’s drug war began. A war that, in my opinion, hasn’t worked since day one. And this is especially true regarding marijuana. I say this because I was once soldier in that fight, spending countless hours trekking through thick woods, underbrush, poison oak and ivy, searching for pot growing operations. Sure, I like many investigators, was pretty darn good at finding the telltale signs and following them to plants as small as tiny shoots to nearly 20-foot tall green giants. Then, after I found what I was looking for, I’d set up surveillance on the sites and, when I had enough information and when the time was just right, I and a team of officers raided the operation(s).

In fact, the leaf pictured above is one from a rather large operation I found after seeing a man standing on the side of a country road. He was doing nothing wrong. Had nothing in his hands. Didn’t even look suspicious. But he was standing on the side of the road in an area where the nearest house was probably five miles away in either direction. Of course, I wasn’t driving a marked police car, nor did I look like a cop. So I stopped and asked if he needed a ride. He declined, saying he was walking to “the store” and that he expected his girlfriend to come by any second. To me he was a huge red flag. My intuitive radar was beeping in high gear.

So I continued on my way, but planned to come back after dark and see what I could find. I had someone drop me off near where I saw the man standing and off I went, creeping along through the woods. After two hours and a few dozen mosquito bites and cuts and scrapes from briars, I found what I was looking for, a creek. I knew growers needed a water supply, so I followed the narrow stream until I reached the “pot” of gold, a huge plot of marijuana plants.

A nighttime photo of me standing among the hundreds of marijuana plants I found that night. No, my head is not that tall. I quickly stuck the cap on top of my head so some sort of badge showed up for the evidence photo. Believe me, I totally disliked wearing a hat.

To make a long story short, I later arrested the growers, found a packaging operation on their property, along with numerous pounds of dried and drying marijuana. We go to court and the judge slaps them on the wrist and lets them go. No telling how much time, effort, manpower, technology, and money went into that one investigation alone. And there were, and still are, many of those police investigations going on today across the country.

You know, I’ve often thought I’d live to see the day when marijuana was taken off the list of illegal drugs. At the very least, I truly expected to see it reduced to a classification lower than Schedule I, the group that includes drugs such as heroin. Even cocaine is classified lower than marijuana. Why is marijuana at the top of the list? Who knows?

Well, as we all know, the will of the voting public has been heard in Colorado and Washington, with New York following at their heels. Those two states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. I expect we’ll see more states adjusting their marijuana laws in the near future.

I’m thinking pot smokers everywhere should, at the very least, think about Loretta Lynn as they fire up their newly-legal bongs, because, as her lyrics say, “Times have changed and I’m demanding satisfaction, too. We’ve come a long way, baby.”

How about you? Do you think the country is moving in the right direction? Should marijuana be made legal?

 

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A Cop, An Ape, And A Hotel Cat Walk Into A…

A cop, an ape, and a hotel

 

Take a cable car ride to the Upper Rock at Gibralter and you’ll find an unusual welcoming party—Gibralter apes. The apes are actually a tailless monkey called Barbary Macaques, and it’s believed they were brought to the area by the Arabs sometime after 711CE or the British after 1704. Either way, the apes of Gilbralter are well-cared for by the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society, and we’ve been treated to a visit with them by our good friend, coroner’s investigator Paul Beecroft.

Paul photographed the ape in the above photo while at the top of the Gibralter rock. Now, let’s all sit back and enjoy the view as Paul takes us along on his latest journey.

This mother and baby were spotted in the town.

Also in the town. This particular Ape ransacked the bin searching for food.

This was taken at the top. We had just stepped out of the Cable Car. A tourist in the Cable Car had been warned by the onboard attendant to hide the carrier bag that she was carrying when she stepped out. When we arrived at the top she did not heed his warning. Four apes went for the bag in a second. You can see some of the remnants in the top left hand corner and some of it still in the hands of the girl holding the yellow bag.

This young Ape is sitting on the car wing mirror. It jumped on as we were driving and stayed until the windscreen wash and wipers annoyed him/her.

Gibraltar Police on parade waiting for the new Governor of Gibraltar Sir James Dutton to arrive.

Police Motorcycles escorting the Governors car.

Sir James Dutton arrives.

Part of Gibraltar Main Street.

Our Hotel from the beach.

View from the Hotel Breakfast Room.

Local Church

View of the road from our Hotel.

Finally, a very, very friendly ‘Caleta’ the Hotel cat.

*     *     *

Paul Beecroft has spent a good deal of his life in law enforcement, in England. He’s worked Foot Patrol, Area Car, Instant Response Car, and also as a Police Motorcyclist. Paul currently works as a coroner’s investigator and has traveled all over England, Wales, Scotland and even Germany to investigate crimes.

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

You gave your all to protect and serve us, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Officer Darrell Jean Windhaus, 71

Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection

December 29, 2013 – Officer Darrell Jean Windhaus suffered a fatal heart attack after climbing a 100-foot ladder to board a ship to conduct an inspection. He leaves behind his daughter, sister, and brother.

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Grandma, Dope-Smoking Dolphins…And Murder

Grandma dope smoking

 

We can’t be certain of our future, but if we base it on the past, especially the recent past, well, we’re doomed. And here are a few small reasons why (the big reasons are simply too scary to list).

– The Philippines’ civil aviation authority announced that it is now permissible to use all electronic devices, including cell phones, during flights. The only restriction is that the devices must be turned off during pre-flight operations, such as fueling the planes.

Imagine sitting next to “chatty grandma” while she rambles on for three or four hours, at the top of her voice, about pumpkin pie recipes, support hose, and her upcoming colonoscopy. Attention all writers: Imagine this as a new motivation for murder by your fictional characters—sex, greed, money, revenge, and now, silencing the obnoxious phone-talker seated next to your villain.

– U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman ruled that U.S. border patrol agents may search and copy the files from travelers’ laptops and other electronic devices, and they may do so without probable cause or suspicion of illegal activity. What happened to a U.S. citizen’s protection against illegal search and seizure?

– A sixteen-year-old Seattle girl escaped serious harm when her eyeglasses deflected a bullet during a drive-by shooting at her home. The girl was asleep on the couch when incoming rounds penetrated the walls of her home. Remember, mystery and thriller writers, drywall, plywood, and wood doors do not stop bullets.

– Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) is calling on auto manufacturers to install anti-virus and other security-based software on all cars and trucks to prevent hackers from gaining control of vehicles. Another concern is driver privacy. A recent DARPA study showed that two professionals were able to hack into the computer systems of various cars, and that they were able to use a wireless connection to take control of the vehicle’s brakes, steering, engine, and other computer-controlled systems. This is certainly better than having a fictional villain attempting to cut a brake line or rig the steering controls to make the vehicle crash as it rounds a sharp curve in the mountains (besides, isn’t it time to dump that tired, old scenario?).

– Scientists have developed a new means of detecting surveillance and/or explosive devices. By mimicking the way dolphins hunt using bubble nets, experts came up with a new type of radar—twin inverted pulse radar (TWIPR)—that’s able to detect even the smallest well-disguised explosive devices, such as those hidden in soft drink cans and pipes. Of course, scientists have recently discovered that dolphins get high by milking the toxins from puffer fish. Then they pass the fish to the next dolphin in the group. So, can we really trust the word of stoned dolphins?

Finally, California recently approved granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, and critics say that by doing so the state is increasing a threat to American citizens.

To obtain a California drivers license, the illegal immigrant need only to present a few unverifiable, or easily forged documents, as a means of establishing their ID. Some say this would make it extremely easy for terrorists to enter the U.S. and then acquire a legal ID and license to drive.

To add to the critic’s woes, the new law bars police from using the licenses as a basis for arresting or detaining someone for immigration violations. In other words, if an officer stops a vehicle for a traffic offense and found the driver to be in possession of a license as an illegal immigrant (the license shows this status), he/she is not able to detain the driver merely because he is indeed an illegal immigrant. This is sort of like saying police could not arrest a man who’s carrying an official state document stating that he is in possession of a kilo of cocaine, even when the cocaine is on the car seat next to him. As long as the offender has that state document in his possession, well, he’s basically immune from arrest.

So what do you think? Is the U.S. headed down a path of self-destruction? Should we draft laws to protect the security of our automobiles and the data stored in a car’s computer system? Should cellphone use be allowed on planes? Is it okay to issue drivers licenses to illegal immigrants?

I certainly don’t have the answers to all of our troubles, but I’m thinking we could turn to the dolphins for temporary relief from our woes.

So, “Hey, Flipper, stop hogging the puffer fish and pass it this way!”

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