Friday, August 10, 2018

Writers' Police Academy

I almost forgot that it was write my blog day.  I am in Green Bay Wisconsin awaiting the beginning of Writer’s Police Academy.  It’s their 10th year and I think my sixth or seventh time.  It is always great and I pick up interesting stuff.

It also ended up affecting my being selected for a jury.  Last year, I got a jury summons for the downtown L. A. courthouse.  They say they can send you 25 miles or less from your house, but what they don’t  mention is that it is as a bird would fly it.  Even after years and years of living in L.A., I am still confused about downtown and if my phone hadn’t been directing me, I would have gotten lost on the way to the train station. 

I don’t remember what the case was that I was questioned for, just that I had to come back a second day to be questioned.  I had explained that I wrote mysteries on the questionnaire we had to fill out.  When I was finally the one being interviewed, the judge asked me if I ever used consultants.  It was really just a play for him to tell a story how he’d been  consultant for a TV writer.  Anyway, I told him that I had gone to something called Writer’s Police Academy and how useful it was and I mentioned that I’d asked an ATF officer how to make a homemade silencer.  I thought the judge’s eyes were going to pop out of his head.  He rushed to tell me not to share that information with them.  The next thing I knew, I was excused.

Even though WPA has officially started—the orientation starts in half an hour—I already picked up  some interesting tidbits at the Crazy Cop Carnival this afternoon which was put on by instructors and students in law enforcement program at the local technical college. 

I can’t wait to to see what else I learn.  I spent the rest of the day soaking up downtown Green Bay.  Best part was watching a a ship go by on the Fox River.  I haven’t seen a drawbridge go up for a long time.


Time to go and start learning more interesting stuff.  After orientation, there is a program called The Wonderful World of Crime Scene Evidence. 

2 comments:

Linda Osborn said...

The Writer's Police Academy sounds womderful. Can anyone attend ? My birth mother is in Fond du Lac, and I could make a visit to her and try the academy too ! I do love to write, and realize now (way too late in life) that I could have been good at detective work, or forensic study. I have such a nose for digging out clues and solving crimes in books ! Have a wonderful time !

Linda O. Johnston said...

I'd love to attend the Writers' Police Academy one of these years. It sounds as if what you learn could be really useful. And congrats on your unique way of getting excused from jury duty!