THURSDAY, September 4, 2014

3:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M.

2014 WPA Registration Officially Opens – Hotel lobby (follow the signs to the right of the lobby entrance)

*Name tags are required for admission to sessions and workshops.

 

5:30

Ride-along and jail tour orientation – Hotel (rm TBA)

 

6:00

Ride-a-long with on-duty patrol officers – Lottery

Jail Tours – Lottery

Airplane Demonstration – Details TBA – (Attendance is by sign-up at registration – first come, first serve)

 

7:00

WPA Orientation and Announcements – It is important that you attend this session, if at all possible, so you’ll have a better understanding of what to expect throughout this fast-paced and exciting weekend. Those of you participating in the ride-alongs, jail tours, and the visit to the airport for the police airplane demo need not worry about missing information. Simply hop on one of the buses on Friday morning and follow the crowd when you arrive at the police academy.

By the way, this session is a lot of fun, so please do bring your sense of humor!

 

8:00

Investigation of Felony Murder – Have you got what it takes to investigate an entire criminal case, from start to finish? Well, this intensive, hands-on workshop will definitely test your investigative abilities. Details TBA ~ Andy Russell

Part 1: Case Assignment/Briefing – Team one and team two

Participation is by sign-up at registration – first come, first serve.

*Team one is comprised of the first 20 people to sign up. Team two is the next 20 to sign up. 40 total participants

 

Disarming The Bad Guys ~ Eli Jackson – Details TBA

 

FRIDAY

7:30 A.M.

Buses depart from hotel. Please be seated on the buses and ready to go PRIOR to departure time. The WPA schedule is extremely tight and doesn’t allow room to wait for slowpokes, and there are no shuttles running to the academy. Buses depart at precisely 0730.

 

8:00 – 9:00    

Group event/welcome/announcements. Have your cameras ready, but please remember ABSOLUTELY NO VIDEOS AT ANY TIME DURING THIS EVENT!

 

9:15

Meggitt (FATS) – live action shoot/don’t shoot scenarios, using real firearms specially tooled for simulation training. This is the same training taught to police officers. Meggitt is intense, but it’s extremely fun. One of the more popular workshops of the WPA. Rm 130

Driving Simulator – You’ll see how well you can drive an emergency vehicle when the full lights and siren are activated. Rm 243

EMS ride-a-longs – Take a ride in a real, working ambulance. Ride in the jump seat and see what it’s like with a patient in the back. Location – Outside EMS bay door

Registration for late arrivals – Academy lobby (name tags are required for admission to sessions and workshops)

 

9:15-1030

1. Domestic Murder ~ Tracy Fulk, Rm 114

2. Cyber Crime: A look at Cybercrime and how it affects our daily lives, even if we think we are not victims. Statistics, government and private industry response. ~ Jeff Flinchum, Rm 109

3. Women In Law Enforcement ~ Sgt. Katherine Netter, Rm 213

4. EMS ride-a-longs – Outside EMS bay

5. Romance Behind the Badge: Infidelity, cops and cops, cops and nurses, badge bunnies, waffle queens, spouses, divorce, dating, chick magnets, female cops looking for love, LGBT, romance and the ticket. ~ Secret Service Special Agent Mike Roche, Rm 241

6. Deep Undercover: Former ATF Special Agent Bill Queen discusses how he, while working undercover, spent over two years as a member of one of the most dangerous motorcycle gangs in America. ~ Instructor ATF Special Agent Bill Queen, Rm 225

7. 3rd Alarm Blaze: Assume the role as a firefighter by wearing the protective clothing, feel the force of a water-charged hose line, and participate in a hands-on session where you handle the fire-fighting equipment carried on a fire apparatus. Professional firefighters will be available to explain the complexity and technical aspects of the profession. ~ Tim Fitts, ERTC Outside bay doors

8. Firearms 101 ~ ATF Special Agent Rick McMahan, Rm 210

9. Why Good Cops Go Bad: An inside look at cop culture ~  Rm 244

10. Investigation of Felony Murder Part 2: The Scene (Team one) – Andy Russell, ERTC 1 (inside)

 

10:45 – 12:00 noon

1. EMS ride-a-longs – Outside EMS bay

2. Women In Law Enforcement ~ Sgt. Katherine Netter, Rm 213

3. Cyber Crime: A look at Cybercrime and how it affects our daily lives, even if we think we are not victims. Statistics, government and private industry response. ~ Jeff Flinchum, Rm 109

4. Fingerprinting and the AFIS System ~ Amy Wilde, Rm 208

5. Romance Behind the Badge: Infidelity, cops and cops, cops and nurses, badge bunnies, waffle queens, spouses, divorce, dating, chick magnets, female cops looking for love, LGBT, romance and the ticket. ~ Secret Service Special Agent Mike Roche, Rm 241

6. Building Searches ~ Capt. Randy Shepherd (meet sheriff’s office vans at front of academy at 10:40).

7. Microbial Forensics: Using microorganisms as weapons ~ Dr. Denene Lofland, Rm 114

8. Deep Undercover: Former ATF Special Agent Bill Queen discusses how he, while working undercover, spent over two years as a member of one of the most dangerous motorcycle gangs in America. ~ Instructor ATF Special Agent Bill Queen, Rm 225

9. 3rd Alarm Blaze: Assume the role as a firefighter by wearing the protective clothing, feel the force of a water-charged hose line, and participate in a hands-on session where you handle the fire-fighting equipment carried on a fire apparatus. Professional firefighters will be available to explain the complexity and technical aspects of the profession. ~ Tim Fitts, ERTC Outside bay doors

10. Investigation of Felony Murder Part 2: The Scene (Team 2) ~ Andy Russell, ERTC 1 (inside)

 

Lunch 12:00-1:00

 

1:00-2:15

1. Domestic Murder ~ Tracy Fulk, Rm 109

2. Prostitution Sting ~ Emily Mitchum, Rm 241

3. EMS ride-a-longs – Outside EMS bay

4. Fingerprinting and the AFIS System ~ Amy Wilde

5. Tracking the Evidence:Footwear Impressions ~ Susan Powell, Rm 209

6. Microbial Forensics: Using microorganisms as weapons ~ Dr. Denene Lofland, Rm 114

7. Researching Exotic Crimes: Crime writers are always looking for unique situations and motivations. This seminar covers unnerving perversions and paraphilias, and discusses how to find sources and interview “unusual” people. ~ Dr. Katherine Ramsland, Rm 225

8. Why Good Cops Go Bad: An inside look at cop culture ~

9. Memoirs of An Undercover Detective: Retired NYPD Detective Marco Conelli sheds his masks to reveal crime solving techniques and survival in the organized crime control bureau. Marco goes undercover in delivering the facts to help your novel…with attitude to spare. ~ Marco Conelli, Rm 244

10. Investigation of Felony Murder Part 3: Developing the Case/Interviews (Team One) ~ Andy Russell, Rm 132

 

2:30 – 3:45

1. EMS ride-a-longs – Outside EMS bay

2. Prostitution Sting ~ Emily Mitchum, Rm 241

3. Fingerprinting and the AFIS System ~ Amy Wilde, Rm 208

4. Firearms 101 ~ ATF Special Agent Rick McMahan, Rm 210

5. Researching Exotic Crimes: Crime writers are always looking for unique situations and motivations. This seminar covers unnerving perversions and paraphilias, and discusses how to find sources and interview “unusual” people. ~ Dr. Katherine Ramsland, Rm 225

6. Broken Bones, Ballistics & Backdrafts: Technical Stuff That Writers Get Wrong – Fiction readers are getting more sophisticated all the time, and it’s a writer’s job to get the details correct. New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap brings his thirty years of experience as a firefighter, EMT, safety engineer and hazardous materials specialist to the classroom in a lively, interactive session to teach the basics of projectile ballistics, fire behavior, how explosives work, and what makes hazmats hazardous. What actually happens when a person gets shot or stabbed? Do silencers really work? What’s the difference between a fire, a deflagration and a detonation? These and many other questions will be answered. Note: This presentation contains graphic imagery. ~ John Gilstrap, Rm244

7. Policing “Back in the Day:”  What if your book takes place a few decades ago, or, more likely, what if your work involves flashbacks or cold case scenarios? Laws, procedure, and equipment have changed drastically over the years. Don’t be caught inserting or eliminating that one minor detail that tears the authenticity right from the pages of your story ~ Lt. David Swords, Rm 114

8. Firearms Forensics: How and why bullets do what they do ~ Dave Pauly, Rm 210

9. Investigation of Felony Murder Part 3: Developing the Case/Interviews (Team Two) – Andy Russell, Rm 132

10. K9 Demonstration ~ Matt Long, Rm 109 and outside

 

4:00- AT Auditorium

Lisa Gardner – From Fact to Fiction:  How to Turn Chilling Research into a Thrilling Novel

 

5:35

Buses depart for hotel

 

6:30 – 7:00

Cash bar

 

7:00 – 8:30

Reception at Marriott Hotel – Sponsored by Sisters in Crime National

 

9:00

Crime Scene Light Sources – Marriott Hotel parking lot (everyone)

 

Saturday, September 6, 2014

7:30 am

Buses depart from hotel. Please be seated on the buses and ready to go PRIOR to departure time. The WPA schedule is extremely tight and doesn’t allow room to wait for slowpokes. We cannot wait for anyone, and there are no shuttles running to the academy.

 

8:00 – 8:30

Breaching Methods ~ Capt. Randy Shepherd – Driving Track

This session for everyone. Be sure to bring your cameras. Remember, NO VIDEOS.

 

8:45

Meggitt (formerly FATS) – ongoing

Driving Simulator – ongoing

 

8:45-10:00

1. Suspicious Fire Deaths – Jerry Coble, Rm 210

2. Building Searches – Capt. Randy Sheppard (meet sheriff’s office vans at front of academy at 8:40).

3. Disposing of the Dead Body – Instructor Bill Lanning, Rm 244

4. TSA/Airport Security ~ Mike Macintosh, Rm 213

5. Police Gun-fighting ~ ATF Special Agent Rick McMahan, Rm 109

6. Murder Typology: Varieties of Multiple Murder –  Sort out the confusion over how to decide what makes a multiple killer into a serial, spree, or mass murderer, focusing on methods, motives, and state of mind. ~ Dr. Katherine Ramsland, Rm 225

7. Special Ops – What Are They Good For?: K9, water/dive, SWAT, bike patrol, and more ~ Rm 241

8. Investigation of Felony Murder Part 4: Dealing with Suspects/Interrogations (Team one) ~ Andy Russell, Rm 132

9. Policing “Back in the Day:”  What if your book takes place a few decades ago, or, more likely, what if your work involves flashbacks or cold case scenarios? Laws, procedure, and equipment have changed drastically over the years. Don’t be caught inserting or eliminating that one minor detail that tears the authenticity right from the pages of your story ~ Lt. David Swords, Rm 114

10. EMS ride-a-longs – Outside EMS bay

 

10:15 – 11:30

1. Self Defense For Women ~Dee Jackson, Rm 117

2. The First Five Minutes of a Code Blue ~ Sarah Yow, Rm 250

3. Crime Scene Processing/Evidence Packaging ~ Instructor TBA, Rm 209

4. K9 Demonstration ~ Instructor TBA, Rm 109 and outside

5. Real Cops for Real Writers: The Psychology of Cops ~ Secret Service Special Agent Mike Roche, Rm 114

6. Forensic Art and Witness Recall: How investigators reach inside someone’s head to see what the witness sees ~ Robin Burcell, Rm 244

Have you ever wondered why so many people can see the same incident, and yet have a completely different description of what happened or who they saw? Sketch artists have to learn the art of interviewing in order to get the clearest picture of a suspect from a witness’s description. Witness memory is fragile and easily swayed. Examples from real cases, and demonstration of techniques will be used in this course.

7. Broken Bones, Ballistics & Backdrafts: Technical Stuff That Writers Get Wrong ~ John Gilstrap, Rm 241

Fiction readers are getting more sophisticated all the time, and it’s a writer’s job to get the details correct. New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap brings his thirty years of experience as a firefighter, EMT, safety engineer and hazardous materials specialist to the classroom in a lively, interactive session to teach the basics of projectile ballistics, fire behavior, how explosives work, and what makes hazmats hazardous. What actually happens when a person gets shot or stabbed? Do silencers really work? What’s the difference between a fire, a deflagration and a detonation? These and many other questions will be answered. Note: This presentation contains graphic imagery.

8. Equivocal Death Investigations: Manners, Causes and Mechanisms ~ Dave Pauly and Dr. Katherine Ramsland, Rm 225

9. Investigation of Felony Murder Part 4: Dealing with Suspects/Interrogations (Team Two) ~ Andy Russell, Rm 132

10. Building Searches – Capt. Randy Sheppard (meet sheriff’s office vans at front of academy at 10:10).

11. EMS ride-a-longs – Outside EMS bay

 

Lunch 11:30 – 12:45

 

12:45 – 2:00

1. Suspicious Fire Deaths ~ Jerry Coble, Rm 210

2. Underwater Evidence Recovery ~ Lieutenant Cameron Piner, (meet vans at 12:35 in front of academy for transport to YMCA pool)

3. Self Defense For Women ~ Dee Jackson, Rm 117

4. The First Five Minutes of a Code Blue ~ Sarah Yow, Rm 250

5. Real Cops for Real Writers: The Psychology of Cops ~ Secret Service Special Agent Mike Roche, Rm 114

6. Forensic Art and Witness Recall: How investigators reach inside someone’s head to see what the witness sees ~ Robin Burcell, Rm 244

Have you ever wondered why so many people can see the same incident, and yet have a completely different description of what happened or who they saw? Sketch artists have to learn the art of interviewing in order to get the clearest picture of a suspect from a witness’s description. Witness memory is fragile and easily swayed. Examples from real cases, and demonstration of techniques will be used in this course.

7. Murder Typology: Varieties of Multiple Murder –  Sort out the confusion over how to decide what makes a multiple killer into a serial, spree, or mass murderer, focusing on methods, motives, and state of mind. ~ Dr. Katherine Ramsland, Rm 225

8. Memoirs of An Undercover Detective: Retired NYPD Detective Marco Conelli sheds his masks to reveal crime solving techniques and survival in the organized crime control bureau. Marco goes undercover in delivering the facts to help your novel…with attitude to spare ~ Marco Conelli, Rm 109

9. Investigation of Felony Murder Part 5: Developing the Prosecution Summary (Team One) ~ Andy Russell, Rm 241

10. TSA/Airport Security ~ Mike Macintosh, Rm 213

 

2:15 – 3:30

1. Underwater Evidence Recovery ~ Lieutenant Cameron Piner, (meet vans at 2:10 in front of academy for transport to YMCA pool)

2. Handcuffing and Arrest Techniques ~ Stan Lawhorne Rm 117

3. ABC’s of Death Investigation From a Nurse ME’s Perspective ~ Jacque Perkins, Rm 127

4. EMS and Crime Scene ~ Joe Yow, Rm 210

5. Police Gunfighting ~ ATF Special Agent Rick McMahan, Rm 109

6. Cold Cases: Hits and Misses ~ Dr. Katherine Ramsland, Dave Pauly, Rm 225

7. Special Ops – What Are They Good For?: K9, water/dive, SWAT, bike patrol, and more ~ Rm 114

8. Crime Scene Processing/Evidence Packaging ~ Instructor TBA, Rm 209

9. Investigation of Felony Murder Part 5: Developing the Prosecution Summary (Team Two) ~ Andy Russell, Rm 241

10. Disposing of the Dead Body ~ Bill Lanning, Rm 244

 

4:00 – AT Auditorium

Alafair Burke – Topic TBA

 

5:35

Buses depart for hotel

 

6:30

Book store opens

 

6:30

Cash bar

 

7:00 – 8:30

Banquet, awards, silent auction and raffle, and announcements. You must present your ticket to enter the banquet room

 

8:30

An evening with Michael Connelly

 

*Book signings with featured guests and presenters immediately after the conclusion of banquet activities

 

Sunday, September 7, 2014

 

9:00

Investigation of Felony Murder Part 6: Court Presentation

Team One and Team Two ~ Andy Russell

Judge and Prosecutor TBA

 

10:00 – Noon

Debriefing panel – All Available Instructors

The debriefing panel has often been described as the best session of the entire event. It’s where you have the opportunity to address the panel of experts, asking questions pertaining to your work in progress, about police officers, detectives, sheriffs, police chiefs, crooks, thugs, thieves, and well, pretty much anything related to the world of cops and robbers.

You’ll definitely want to bring your sense of humor and a tissue or two. You’ll need both.

 

12:00 Noon

2014 WPA staff officially signs 10-42, off duty…

 

* The WPA schedule remains a work-in-progress until just a few weeks prior to the event. Even then it’s subject to change due to the unpredictable nature of law enforcement. Should an emergency occur that affects the schedule/program, we will do everything we can to substitute another equally exciting workshop(s). Check back to view changes to the schedule, if any. We often add new workshops as they become available.

 

Curious about the 2014 WPA workshops? Here’s a very small preview of what you can expect…

1. Cyber Crime

2. Disposing of the Dead Body

3. Deep Undercover

4. Microbial Forensics: Using microorganisms as weapons

5. TSA/Airport Security

6. Researching Exotic Crimes

7. Equivocal Death Investigations

8. Special Ops – What Are They Good For?

9. Aerial Surveillance

10. I’m extremely pleased to announce that New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap is joining us this year as one of our special guest speakers.

Broken Bones, Ballistics & Backdrafts: Technical Stuff That Writers Get Wrong – Fiction readers are getting more sophisticated all the time, and it’s a writer’s job to get the details correct. New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap brings his thirty years of experience as a firefighter, EMT, safety engineer and hazardous materials specialist to the classroom in a lively, interactive session to teach the basics of projectile ballistics, fire behavior, how explosives work, and what makes hazmats hazardous. What actually happens when a person gets shot or stabbed? Do silencers really work? What’s the difference between a fire, a deflagration and a detonation? These and many other questions will be answered. Note: This presentation contains graphic imagery.

John Gilstrap is the New York Times bestselling author of End Game, High Treason, Damage Control, Threat Warning, Hostage Zero, No Mercy, Nathan’s Run, At All Costs, Even Steven, Scott Free and Six Minutes to Freedom. In addition, John has written four screenplays for Hollywood, adapting the works of Nelson DeMille, Norman McLean and Thomas Harris. Most recently, he has signed two movie deals for his books. He will write and co-produce the film adaptation of his book, Six Minutes to Freedom, and executive produce the film adaptation of Scott Free.

A frequent speaker at literary events, John also teaches seminars on suspense writing techniques at a wide variety of venues, from local libraries to The Smithsonian Institution. Outside of his writing life, John is a renowned safety expert with extensive knowledge of explosives, hazardous materials, and fire behavior. He currently works as the director of safety for a large trade association in Washington, DC. John lives in Fairfax, VA.

 

*We will make an announcement tonight regarding the day and time when registration officially opens.

 

 

The empty apartment looks abandoned. It smells abandoned too, like dust and sunbleached carpet and old sawdust, like no one has ever lived here. And yet there you are, on orders from your SWAT team leader, at the head of the stack, shield in front of you, semi-automatic in hand. Your second is ready with a breaching round in her shotgun, and the officer behind her has his rifle poised, in case the door she’s about to blast open reveals a threat more imminent than your intel has foreseen.

You hold up three fingers. Your team knows what this means. On three. You can’t count out loud, not on a dynamic entry. You gotta shock and awe, surprise and dominate, and that means tiger-soft stealth at the door. So you count with your entire body, a slight bend in the knees for each tick of the countdown. Three . . . two . . . one . . .

And then you unleash the whirlwind.

Can you feel it? The twin currents of adrenalin and epinephrine smoking through your veins like a spark eating up a fuse? I could. Because the “you” in the above scenario was actually me (see the photo above for proof). And while the scenario itself was staged—with fake guns and fake intel—the physical response I described was very very real.

And so was the team leader. His name is Captain Randy Shepherd, and he works for the Guilford County Sheriff’s department. He was the instructor for the Building Searches workshop during my most recent Writers’ Police Academy. He’s awesome in many superhero SWAT-cop ways, but most striking to me is his good-natured generosity in sharing what he knows with a bunch of detail-hungry mystery writers who are more likely to drop their fake guns (oops) than demonstrate a proper clearance strategy.

Patient. Did I mention Captain Randy is patient?

So are all the other instructors. Writers’ Police Academy features a slate of professionals across several categories (law enforcement at local, state and federal levels; EMTs and emergency responders; firefighters; legal specialists) but they all share one common trait—they run toward danger. They confront the ruthless and the lawless. They stand up when ordinary citizens can’t. And for one weekend a year, they gather at Writer’s Police Academy to share what they know with a conference full of mystery writers.

Which is how I ended up with a bright orange fake assault rifle, barking orders at a bunch of complete strangers while they scoured closets and balconies and kitchen cabinets for bad guys. I posted up in the living room, alert for any danger. And wouldn’t you know it, but the baddest of the bad guys tried to sneak in behind my team—Captain Randy himself. I saw the doorknob turn, and I couldn’t help grinning as I raised my rifle and waited for him.

Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Gotcha!

Captain Randy: Did you think to check that closet behind you?

Me (whirling around): Oh crap! What closet?

Captain Randy: And you just turned your back on a threat. You are now dead.

Me: (smacks forehead and mutters curses)

Oh well. Guess I’ll be signed up for this workshop again next year. One more chance for me and my orange gun to save the day.

* * * * * *

Tina Whittle’s Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver series—featuring intrepid gunshop owner Tai and her corporate security agent partner Trey—has garnered starred reviews in Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. The third book—Blood, Ash and Bone—premiered March 2013 from Poisoned Pen Press.

You can find Tina online at her official website — www.tinawhittle.com.