text:
About Lee Lofland
Services – Consultations, Speaking Engagements
6 Reasons Why a Detective's Job Isn't As Glamorous as You Might Believe
Many people secretly long to clip a badge to their belts and then set out on the never-ending quest to save, well, everyone. But, there are a few things you should think about before you give up your day job to begin the hunt for your first serial killer. I'm betting you just might change your mind once you know that …
Don't Shake Their Hands!
1. Bad guys and gals are rarely as attractive and well-groomed as those you see on TV. Instead, they often have poor hygiene and smell like really old gym socks.
Some love to flirt with detectives, batting their long eyelashes (male and female) and blowing kisses through breath laced with last night's vodka and onion dip. Many do really disgusting things when you're not looking. Like the guy who, when left alone in the interview room, stuck his hands down the front of his pants, rummaging around down there for a few seconds. Then, when the detective came back inside to continue the questioning, the little darling wanted to shake hands and be all "touchy-feely." Thank goodness for video cameras. And you were wondering why cops don't shake hands with suspects? Well, now you know.
Roaches and Mice
2. Detectives spend a great deal of their time inside the homes of witnesses and those of criminals and victims of various crimes. Many of those residences should have been condemned by the health department years ago. It's not unusual, while questioning someone, to see roaches suddenly and almost magically appear on your clothing. You then look around to see if you can locate the source of the unexpected attack of creepy-crawlers, and to your horror the walls, ceilings, countertops, and furniture seem to be undulating with a huge sea of brown, antenna-twitching roaches.
Mice, not wanting to be excluded from the party, peek out from behind a stove topped with a mound of dirty pots and pans. And, lucky you, the mother of the little darling you think just killed someone, has offered you a nice, cold glass of iced tea, straight from the refrigerator that's speckled with tons of roach crap. The bad part of the tea offering is that, for a moment, you actually considered accepting it because the house has no air-conditioning and it is nearly 100 degrees inside that sweet little abode. But the heat doesn't stop eight bony, underfed cats from running, playing, puking, spraying, and defecating on the furniture and well-worn linoleum floors.
Stray Body Parts
3. Investigators are the lucky folks who have the pleasure of enjoying a nice dinner at home with the spouse and kids, and minutes later find themselves standing in a room where some poor soul's brains drip from his bedroom ceiling. All because the victim didn't have the decency to sleep with a man's wife somewhere other than the married couple's bed. And the wife, well, she's blubbering "I'm sorrys" all over the place while her husband is escorted, in handcuffs, to a waiting patrol car.
Meanwhile, detectives have the pleasure of bagging and tagging evidence in the bloody bedroom, taking care not to step on bits of the victim's skull, teeth, and a left ear. After all, even for you, an experienced homicide detective, it's still a bit disgusting to get home at 4 a.m. and find a murder victim's blood on your shirt sleeve, or a piece of the guy's head stuck to your shoe. Better yet, your spouse makes the gruesome discovery the next day while tidying up.
4. One of the perks of becoming a detective is that you no longer have to deal with drunks, the little darlings who can be a real pain in the keister, right?
Unfortunately, a large number of criminals are intoxicated on cheap wine or beer, or both, or high on something that promotes the undeniable urge to eat a human face, when they commit their little illegal faux pas. Unfortunately, they're often in the same condition when detectives pick them up for questioning. So, combine a lot of drinking and drug use with fear and nervousness and what do you get? Yep, last night's chili dogs, fries, pickled pigs feet, and chocolate ice cream all over your brand new suit. Not to mention the overflow that spatters your desktop and case files.
Fighting in a Suit
5. Ever try fighting while wearing a suit and shiny shoes? How about wrestling with a 300 lb. angry woman while attempting to get a pair of handcuffs on her, all while rolling around in a muddy driveway? Then, as always, junior and three sisters jump on the pile, trying to stop you from taking dear old mom into custody. After all, all she did was kill dear old dad with a meat cleaver.
I'll be the first to say this … never underestimate the strength of women. They will slap you three ways into Sunday, if you're not careful.
My jaw still aches today from the times when …
Cars Without Guts
6. Detectives drive really cool cars, like my old dark blue Chevrolet Caprice, the one that would only reach 80 mph when I held the accelerator to the floor on a three-mile downhill grade. It's not cool to be in pursuit of a wanted suspect, a guy running from you, and have every patrol car in the area pass you as if you were sitting still.
Investigators often get hand-me-down cars, like old patrol cars minus the markings—the cars that are no longer good enough for the streets. Knobs, buttons, and dials are often missing. Radios don't work. The carpets and seats are stained with urine and puke, so much so that the cloth now feels like dirty canvas. Glamorous, wouldn't you say?
So, there's six reasons why it's really cool to be a detective. And you thought all they did was sit around all day shining those pretty gold badges. Sure, they wipe them down, regularly, but not for the reasons you thought. Nope, they're actually cleaning off vomit, roach dung, and blood.
Nice day at the office, huh?
*** A fantastic and unique opportunity! ***
On January 23, 2021, Writers' Police Academy Online will once again offer an exciting and unique daylong live and interactive seminar. This course, "Criminal Investigations: Writing Believable Make-Believe," features three of the country's top investigators and forensics experts who will present detailed sessions on cybercrimes and security, 3D crime-scene mapping using drones and lasers, and an in-depth, behind the scenes chronicling of what happens when a victim of sexual assault seeks care in a hospital setting.
As a bonus, USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Lisa Regan details how to use the elements of fiction to craft a gripping crime novel.
Sign up today to reserve your seat!
Writers' Police Academy Online
January 18, 2021 /0 Comments/by Lee Lofland
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/New-Picture-14.jpg 336 413 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2021-01-18 08:15:582021-01-18 15:31:136 Reasons Why a Detective's Job Isn't As Glamorous as You Might Believe
Police Procedure, Writers' Police Academy Online
Is Your Town a Member of the Sweet-As-Apple-Pie Club?
Everyone likes to think their hometowns are the quintessential storybook villages from days long ago, back when we left our front doors unlocked and the car keys in the ignitions of the cars parked in our driveways. The times when kids walked to school, unafraid of perverts perusing the neighborhood. The days when the TV repairman came to your house to fix your set while you were away at work. He let himself in and locked up when he left.
Those were the days before school shootings and prior to the epidemic of human trafficking we see today. They were also the days way back when police recruits thought their towns and counties and states belonged to the Sweet-As-Apple-Pie Club, an organization consisting of towns and cities whose residents are clueless about the goings-on in their beloved "AnyTowns, USA."
Drug dealers? In our town? No way! Murderers, rapists, robbers, and terrorists? Abso-freakin'-lutely no way! Not in our town.
Sure, we read the paper, but the bad guys who broke into old man Johnson's house and killed him and stole all his prized collectible Elvis plates, well, they must've traveled here from another town.
However, it doesn't take the police recruits—rookies—very long at all to learn that their sweet little towns are often hotbeds of rampant crime. Why, there are actual drug dealers who live down the street from dear innocent Aunt Ida. The hoodlums sell their wares—crack cocaine, meth, and weed—smack dab in the middle of the street. They shoot guns and they stab people and they rob and rape and steal.
There's even a couple of gangs who rule most of the west side of town, and another on the east. The emergency room is busy with overdoses, wounded druggies, and cab drivers who were robbed at knifepoint. Gunshot victims and victims of sexual assaults. Shooting victims. Battered children and spouses. All of this from the onset of darkness until the sun returns to push away the night.
A rookie's first few shifts are eye-openers. Who knew Mr. Perkins, the bank president, drank moonshine and beat on Erline, his loving wife of 30 years. And Mrs. Listickenpick, a chronic shoplifter? Why? She and her husband have more money than all the gold in Fort Knox. Then there are the drug addicts. Went to school with half of them. Embezzlers, nurses addicted to pills, doctors who prescribe drugs for their friends. Fights and arson and drunk drivers. Cop haters and school shooters. Pedophiles and stalkers. Killers who have no respect for human life. Baby beaters. Animal abusers.
Yes, these folks live in our towns. Our sleepy little villages where, in our naïve minds, crime doesn't exist. But it does. They, the bad guys, simply walk the streets at times other than when you're out. They're the second shift. They punch the clock, signing on to work as we go to bed.
They come out in the darkness and, like roaches, scatter when an officer's flashlight beam strikes their flesh. They crawl through windows to feast upon the property of others. They hunt and stalk prey, hoping to catch unsuspecting victims off-guard. They attack without warning. They beat and they steal and they bruise and they kill.
You may think your town is a card-carrying member of the Sweet-As-Apple-Pie Club, but the officers in your towns know differently. And even they, at times, are surprised by things they see out there in the darkness. Things that are sometimes the makings of a good nightmare.
It is the patrol officer who stands between us and them. That's the line, our only line of defense against those things we don't and/or choose not to see.
ATTENTION!!!
Criminal Investigations: Writing Believable Make-Believe
A live and interactive virtual seminar
10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (EST)
Joshua Moulin, Senior Vice President and Deputy of Operations and Security Services (OSS)
Josh Moulin serves as Senior Vice President and Deputy of Operations and Security Services (OSS) at CIS. In this role, Moulin provides executive leadership for OSS while focusing on the mission of improving the cybersecurity posture of state, local, tribal, and territorial government organizations. Moulin is responsible for planning, developing, and executing OSS products and services, some of which include the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), US Cyber Challenge, security operations, incident response, and the cyber research program.
Moulin has been working in the cybersecurity field since 2004. Prior to CIS, he was an Executive Partner at Gartner where he advised senior executives in the U.S. federal civilian government and Department of Defense to shape organizational strategy, improve executive leadership, change culture, drive innovation, maintain information security and assurance, and implement technology using best practices and Gartner's research. Before Gartner, Moulin spent five years at the Nevada National Security Site, part of the Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration's nuclear weapons enterprise. Moulin served in a variety of roles including as the Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Information Officer, responsible for all aspects of classified and unclassified IT and cybersecurity for this global national security organization.
Joshua Moulin will present "Cyber Crimes and Investigations."
Karmen Harris, BSN, RN, SANE-A – Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, Richmond & Moore County Medical Examiner
Karmen is a native to the coast of North Carolina and is a Registered Nurse board-certified as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for adult and adolescent populations as well as an appointed NC Medical Examiner for two counties. As a forensic nurse consultant, Karmen provides expertise in matters of sexual assault, domestic violence, child and elder abuse, and human trafficking. Karmen's educational background includes graduating from East Carolina University in 2009 where she studied Anthropology and Forensic Science, an Associate Degree in Nursing from Carteret Community College in 2014, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from East Carolina University in 2020.
Karmen Harris will present "Sexual Assault: When a Victim Seeks Care in a Hospital Setting."
RJ Beam, Author and Forensics/Crime Scene Investigations Expert
RJ Beam has worked as both a police officer and firefighter. During his career he served as patrol supervisor, field training officer, evidence technician, firefighter II, fire department engineer, and fire/arson investigator. He is currently the Department Chair of the Forensic Science Program at a college in the U.S.
RJ Beam will present "Using 3D Laser Scanners and Drones to Document Crime Scenes."
Lisa Regan, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author
Lisa Regan is the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series as well as several other crime fiction titles. She has a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master of Education degree from Bloomsburg University. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association, and Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter and Boston Terrier named Mr. Phillip.
Lisa Regan wraps up this fabulous live, interactive seminar with her her presentation "Creating Dynamic Crime Fiction: How to Use the Elements of Fiction to Craft a Gripping Crime Novel."
January 6, 2021 /0 Comments/by Lee Lofland
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AnyTown-copy-scaled-e1609989053321.jpeg 255 436 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2021-01-06 15:33:392021-01-06 22:11:04Is Your Town a Member of the Sweet-As-Apple-Pie Club?
Cops and Command Presence: What's Up With That Look?
Predatory animals watch and stalk their prey before moving in for the kill. They're extremely patient, waiting for the perfect target—the weakest animal in the pack—because the battle is easier.
Criminals often exhibit similar behavior when interacting with law enforcement. The cop who looks and acts weak—the meekest of the herd—often finds himself the target of all sorts of grief, from verbal abuse all the way to physical assault.
So what do cops do as a front line defense against all that unnecessary heartache? Well, for starters, they're taught to have and demonstrate what's known as Command Presence.
An officer who looks sharp, acts sharp, and is sharp, has an advantage over the officer who dresses sloppily and isn't all that confident about their work. The latter are the officers who most often find themselves having the most difficulties on the street.
Command presence is all about being at the top of the game. Taking a few minutes to be sure your shoes, badge, and brass are polished goes a long way toward projecting a positive image. So does wearing a clean and neatly pressed uniform. And let's don't forget regular trips to the folks who cut hair for a living. The combination of these things help to make an officer look confident. Think about it … who would you trust more, the officer with the dirty, wrinkled clothing and shaggy hair, or the officer who looks fresh and sharp, stands straight and tall, and projects a solid air of authority?
Crooks size up officers the same way you do. However, they have other things in mind when they do. They, like animals culling the herd, watch, looking for the weaker officers, and those are the officers who'll most likely be dealing with escape attempts, lies, and other criminal tricks.
Tips for developing a better command presence
Be professional at all times. And that includes updated training when available. A cop who knows his job inside-out projects more confidence. The same is true with physical training. Stay in shape and know, trust, and practice your defensive tactics.
Good posture is important. The officer who stands straight and tall has an advantage over the officer who slouches. Poor posture often comes across as weakness, especially when confronting an aggressive suspect.
Captain Randy Shepherd is a textbook example of Command Presence.
NWTC Public Safety Academy and Writers' Police Academy firearms instructor. Another fine example of Command Presence.
Always make and maintain eye contact when speaking to someone.
Honesty and consistency are important traits. Bad guys will quickly learn that what you say is what you mean, each and every time.
Always treat everyone fairly and with dignity.
First impressions only come around once, so make it your best effort. If a suspect's first impression of you is that you're meek and weak, well, you can expect to have a rough day.
Size up everyone. Always be aware of who and what you're dealing with, and stay one step ahead of the person in front of you. Remember, that person may want to kill you so be prepared to do what it takes to survive. Do this each and every time you come into contact with someone. No exceptions! You never know which person is the one who plans to do you harm.
Most importantly, believe in yourself. Have confidence in what you do and who you are. All the shoe-shining and training in the world will not help you if you're playing make believe. The bad guys will see through that in a heartbeat.
Colleen Belongea – NWTC Public Safety Academy and Writers' Police Academy instructor, Green Bay PD (ret.), and current co-owner of Assured Private Investigations, a PI firm based in Appleton, Wi. Colleen's partner,Jill Goffin, is also a NWTC Public Safety Academy and Writers' Police Academy instructor.
Remember, command presence is only the first step in the "stay safe" equation. Others include:
Be aware of your surroundings. What can the bad guy use as a weapon? Does he have a friend lurking in the shadows? Do YOU have an escape route, if needed?
Officers must be prepared, without hesitation, to do what it takes to control a situation. Many times, all that's needed to gain and maintain control is verbal instruction, and it would be wonderful if a handful of nouns and verbs were the ultimate "fix-all" tools. However, we don't live in an always-happy world filled only with glitter, delicious chocolate, and smile factories. So, unfortunately, use of force will come into play during an officer's career … many times.
Never, ever, be in the position where you're forced to react after-the-fact to a situation you weren't prepared to handle. If the situation is one where you absolutely must place your hands on a suspect, then be prepared to see the arrest through until the suspect is in restraints and tucked safely away in the rear compartment of your patrol car.
When encountering a violent suspect, think ahead and be prepared to increase the level of force used to effectively make the arrest. The idea is not to injure anyone. Instead, the goal is to engage, arrest, and restrain without unnecessary harm to anyone. If the suspect chooses to fight until there is only one person left standing, then be certain that person is you.
Effective command presence leaves no doubt as to who's in charge of the situation, even without speaking a single word.
So wear the badge proudly, stand tall, and do what it takes to come home at night.
By the way, civilians in authoritative positions should also exhibit a command presence, and many do so instinctively. Command presence also applies to public speakers, including writers when appearing at conferences and book signings and readings. One of the best in the business at the command presence game is author Lee Child. The moment Child enters a room you know he's confident, poised, and in full control of each word spoken. He looks sharp, acts sharp, and, well, he is sharp. And it shows.
Lee Child – Writers' Police Academy
Another fantastic example of someone with fantastic command presence is author/former prosecutor Marcia Clark (yes, that Marcia Clark). Clark comes across as a take charge person, always in control no matter the situation.
Marcia Clark addressing the entire group at the Writers' Police Academy
Both Lee Child and Marcia Clark are confident in what they do, but their personalities are also warm enough to transform even the largest iceberg to a puddle, even at a homicide scene (shallow grave workshop at the 2012 Writers' Police Academy).
Lee Child and Marcia Clark – shallow grave workshop at the 2012 Writers' Police Academy
So, you see, having command presence does not necessarily mean a person has to be tough and gruff, but can be when the situation calls for it.
After all, even the toughest of the tough have their tender moments.
GTCC/WPA instructors Stan Lawhorne and Jerry Cooper – Writers' Police Academy
January 4, 2021 /1 Comment/by Lee Lofland
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/New-Picture-16.jpg 336 448 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2021-01-04 07:00:502021-01-04 16:03:37Cops and Command Presence: What's Up With That Look?
Death Investigation, Police Procedure
Murder, It Sucks The Air Out Of Living
There's nothing in this world like entering an abandoned house in mid July to begin working a murder case, a scene where the pungent and putrid scent of rotting human flesh and organs fill your nostrils and lungs and adheres tightly to your clothing, hair, and skin like an invisible, gag-inducing, impossible-to-remove film.
If the stifling heat, humidity, and gut-wrenching stench of decomposing human don't get to you, well, the flies, maggots, and other creepy critters that crawl in and out of the vicim's mouth, ears, nose, open wounds and other body openings certainly will. But, it's a job that falls into the laps of homicide cops—it's what they do—and it's a job that requires a special skill set. Not to mention a stomach made of cast iron and steel plating.
So let's open the door to the house at the end of your street—the old Victorian that's been empty for two years and is now surrounded by waist-high weeds. The once beautifully manicured lawn is now a graveyard for litter and other garbage left behind by transients and the kids who toss their empty fast food wrappers and plastic soda bottles over the rusted chain-link fence. The window panes are broken and many of the shingles have fallen off.
For months now neighbors have seen a homeless man going and coming, but suddenly realized that he hadn't been around in the past two weeks, and there's that strong odor. Like something is … dead.
So they call the police and before long the neighborhood is overrun by patrol cars and crime scene tape.
Inside the murder house, detectives are doing what they do best. They're checking all the boxes on their mental checklist. And now their focus is on the victim.
The Effects of Death on the Human Body
Prior to the removal of a body from the crime scene, homicide investigators should note (and photograph) the presence of each of the following in his/her report:
1) Livor/Lividity (color, location, blanchability, Tardieu spots, other coloring). Are these consistent or inconsistent with the current positioning of the body.
Remember, lividity is the pooling of blood/purplish staining of tissue at the lowest portions of a dead body, caused by gravity. Livor continues to form for up to 8 – 12 hours after death. This process can be slowed to as much as 36 hours in a cool environment, including a morgue cooler.
To test for blanchability, a death investigator uses a finger(s) to push against the flesh. The pressure forces blood out of the capillaries in that area, causing the flesh to present as much lighter in color. If the pressure does indeed cause a change in skin color, the flesh is blanchable. This tells the investigator the body is still within the lividity period, meaning the victim died sometime within the past 12 hours, or up to 36 hours in cool surroundings.
You can try this on your own skin. Use a finger to apply pressure to the back of your hand. Release the pressure after a second or two and you'll see the change in skin color. Obviously you'll use the finger of one hand to press against the skin on the back of your other hand. By the way, if you needed that instruction then the warning to remove Pop Tarts from their wrapper before heating are probably very important to you. And, if there was no change in your skin color, well, I hope your life insurance policy is up to date.
Tardieu spots are dark, circular areas—capillary ruptures.
2) Rigor
Muscles contain bundles of long, narrow cells. While we're seated at our computers reading blogs and watching goofy videos, our muscles are, for the most part, at rest.
While resting, our muscles pump out calcium ions which build up electrical potential (energy). Then, when we're ready to make that run to the mailbox to retrieve the latest royalty check, a nerve impulse causes those ions to hook up with actin and myosin filaments and the muscles contract (become tighter). They remain in that state until adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binds to the myosin, and before you know it the muscles once again relax.
Got it now? No, well, don't worry. All we need to know is that ATP has an obsession with oxygen. It absolutely has to have it to survive (you know, like Justin Bieber needs bodyguards to protect his scrawny, arrogant self from being slapped into a different universe).
Actually, the body needs oxygen to produce ATP. Therefore, when a person stops breathing (no oxygen) the body ceases to make adenosine triphosphate. Without ATP our muscles can no longer relax. And when the muscles can't relax, what happens? Yes, the body stiffens. And that, my writer friends, is called Rigor.
3) Degree of decomposition (putrefaction, adipocere, mummification, skeletonization, etc.). Everything affects decomposition, from air temperature to insects to shellfish and turtles (body in water). Even soil types and clothing can affect the rate of decomposition. Interestingly, newborns who have not yet been fed, decompose slowly since the body is basically sterile. However, an injury or being fed will cause a newborn's body to decompose more rapidly.
a) Putrefaction – the final stage of decomposition. Presents as discoloration of tissue, disfiguration, liquefaction of tissue, bloating due to gases forming in the tissue and organs.
The general order of putrefactive changes are as follows:
First to go are the larynx and trachea, followed by …
– stomach, spleen, and intestines
– lungs and liver
– brain
– heart
– bladder, uterus, kidneys
– skin, tendons, and muscle
*The prostate resists putrefaction for a long time.
b) Adipocere – a waxy, soap-like substance that's sometimes formed during decomposition. Normally caused by moist or damp conditions surrounding the decomposing body.
D. Insect and animal activity. Obviously, insects and animals can and do consume body parts. Animals may also scatter human remains, sometimes making the murder scene a bit more difficult to understand at first look.
E. Scene temperature. Note the temperature at the location of the body, and the method used to obtain it.
F. Description of body temperature. Is it warm to the touch? Is the flesh cold, or frozen?
It is extremely important to preserve the security of the body. Remember, the body is most likely THE most important piece of evidence in a murder case. Investigators should oversee the labeling, packaging, and the removal of the remains by the M.E's personnel, or EMS, etc. An identification tag should be attached to the body to prevent any mix ups later, at the morgue (yes, this has happened, and on more than one occasion).
Finally … No, detectives do NOT use thermometers of any type, including rectal thermometers, to check the temperature of a dead body. It is not in their job description to do so. Yes, I once read the rectal thermometer thing in a book. So, no, no, and NO!
By the way, the image to the left is of a grilled pork chop. Had your stomach turning for a moment, huh?
Remember, Writers' Police Academy Online has another exciting live and interactive seminar coming up on January 23rd. Details TBA in a couple of days!
December 30, 2020 /4 Comments/by Lee Lofland
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Hamilton-One-168.jpg 319 448 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2020-12-30 09:55:592020-12-31 19:50:28Murder, It Sucks The Air Out Of Living
Going In: The Fatal Funnel
One of the most dangerous aspects of working as a law enforcement officer is not the suspect who's standing ready to fight, the armed robber who's decided to stop running and turns square-off with the cop who's been in pursuit for several blocks, or even heading to a shots-fired call. Instead, the most perilous, threatening, hazardous (you pick the synonym) situation officers face is the unknown—what they can't see. It's the what or who is waiting for them behind a doorway, a dark alley, or somewhere within a stairwell that sends the scary-meter off the charts.
The Fatal Funnel
The entrance to these areas of "the unknown" is often called the "fatal funnel." For example, a murder suspect was seen entering a backyard garage at the end of dead-end street. The garage is a large building and the owner tells officers that it's packed full of antique furniture, lots of boxes of all sizes, four old cars, a tractor, lawn care equipment, and an assortment of cabinets, shelving, and other typical garage bits and bobs.
There's only one way in and that's a side door made of solid metal. There are a few windows, of course, but unfortunately they're blocked by stacks of cardboard boxes.
The door, then, is the point that separates the officers from access to the concealed killer. It's the sole point of access to the interior of the garage. It is where the wide expanse of the outdoors narrows to a single point. The doorway and immediate area leading to it is the fatal funnel.
Unfortunately, for the officers, that doorway must be breached, and they must go inside to bring out the criminal. It's their job. It's their duty.
The Two "Cs"
"Cover" and "Concealment" are terms drilled into the minds of rookie officers during their academy training. They're also stressed during briefings and training sessions for SWAT and High-Risk entry teams. All officers should keep those words and their meanings at the top of the "things I must do" each and every day" list.
A cover is an object or barrier that has the capability of likely and hopefully stopping projectiles such as bullets, rocks, bottles, etc.
Concealment is something that prevents officers from being seen. It's any place where an officer could hide to prevent a suspect from knowing their precise position, and what he/she may be doing (reloading, calling for backup, moving into a more tactically advantageous position, etc.).
Doorways are the danger end of the fatal funnel. It's the point where an officer can be easily seen. It's where they're the most vulnerable to attack, and it's the place where it's difficult to move out of the path of incoming projectiles. This is the place where an officer is most likely to die during a high-risk entry.
Author Lee Goldberg learns safe building entry procedures while at the 2016 Writers' Police Academy
It's why officers are taught to never stand in front of a doorway during a high-risk incident. After all, the advantage in these situations is definitely in the hands of the suspect. They know where the officers are positioned but it's up to the officers to learn the bad guy's location.
Prior to entering the home/room, the first officer to enter should take a quick peek inside using just a small portion of the head to penetrate the doorway. With firearm at ready, the shooting hand also penetrates the doorway simultaneously with the head. This action enables the officer to address an active and immediate threat. The officer should then have an idea of the layout of the room that's immediately beyond the doorway. They may also learn the location of the suspect and other possible threats, such as animals, boobytraps, etc.
Two officers preparing to enter the fatal funnel – 2016 Writers' Police Academy
After the quick peek it's time to pass through the fatal funnel. It's the decision of the first officer whether he/she goes right or left. The second officer entering must go in the opposite direction. If the first officer goes right, the second officer enters to the left. Each officer then clears the corner nearest to them.
Room clearing instruction at the 2016 Writers' Police Academy
The eyes should be in the direction of the muzzle of the gun. Where it goes the eyes should follow. Peripheral vision is a MUST to detect movement and activity in all directions. Again, though, the immediate focus of the eyes is where the weapon is pointed.
Each area of each room must be searched in the same slow and methodical process, and each doorway within a house is its own fatal funnel.
Two techniques used to safely enter a building or room are "Criss-Crossing" and "Buttonhook."
It is the goal of the officers to safely locate and apprehend the suspect. However, that's not always the outcome, such as the recent shootout in Houston, where five narcotics officers serving a search warrant immediately came under fire the moment they entered the fatal funnel of the home to be searched. After the first officer entered and was shot, it was up to the remaining officers to first go in to bring out the injured officer, and then to apprehend the shooter(s). As a result, four of the officers were shot (two in the face) and a fifth suffered a knee injury.
When the first officer entered the house, he was attacked by a large pit bull. Then one of the suspects, 59-year-old Dennis Tuttle, opened fire, striking the officer in the shoulder. The officer fell and the second suspect, 58-year-old Rhogena Nicholas, tried to grab the officer's service weapon. She was shot and killed by the officers who were on the way in to rescue their fellow officer. Tuttle was also killed during the shootout.
The officers obtained the search warrant because they knew black tar heroin was being soldfrom the house.
I've been the first officer through the fatal funnel, many times, and I can assure you that the feeling associated with doing so is practically indescribable. The adrenaline released when the decision to "go in" cannot be compared to any other. It's a combination of fear and courage that, when teamed together, instantly forces your feet to move forward without hesitation. Your heart pounds and your vision and hearing become razor sharp. Your muscles are hard but fluid, and your mind is focused on nothing but the task at hand.
Once, when entering a house, I was attacked from the rear by man holding a steak knife in his hand. He'd been concealed behind a large piece of furniture to my right (I'd chosen to left after a quick peek). The second officer entering the room quickly stopped the attack and the third officer took the second man's place and continued going to the right while the attacker was pulled from the room. We located the main suspect hiding in a room at the back of the house. After clearing all the rooms and cuffing everyone inside, we located a fairly substantial supply of crack cocaine.
Looking back, I think about all the times I could've been shot, like the officers in Houston. Would I do it again, if in that position? Absolutely.
It's what cops do. It's part of the job.
Fatal funnel and all.
Sadly, on the same day I posted this article about the extreme danger associated with the fatal funnel, the Virginia State Police announced this sad news. I trained at the same academy as did this brave young trooper.
Trooper Lucas B. Dowell was a member of the Virginia State Police Tactical Team that was assisting the Piedmont Regional Drug and Gang Task Force with executing a search warrant at a residence in the 1500 block of Cumberland Road/Route 45, just north of the town limits of Farmville. The Tactical Team had made entry into the residence shortly before 10 p.m. Monday when an adult male inside the residence began shooting at them. The Tactical Team members returned fire, fatally wounding the male suspect.
Trooper Dowell was transported to Southside Community Hospital in Farmville where he succumbed to his injuries.
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_1312.jpg 349 465 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2020-12-28 10:26:022020-12-28 23:08:06Going In: The Fatal Funnel
Say NO to White Horses: The FBI Does This, But Not That!
Many local and state law enforcement have the luxury of maintaining laboratories for forensic testing. Within those labs scientists of various expertise carry out the examinations of a wide assortment of evidence recovered during criminal investigations.
Sometimes, though, even the best equipped labs fall short of having the ability to test certain materials. Therefore, scientists in those labs call on experts in other locations whose labs have the proper devices (and scientific know how) to carry out the needed tests.
Many times the go-to facility is the Forensics Services of the FBI Laboratory Division in Quantico, Va., one of the largest and most extensive crime labs in the world.
The Forensics Services of the FBI Laboratory Division is responsible for:
Biometric analysis services—Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), DNA examinations and profiles, and latent print examinations and training.
Crime scene documentation; evidence and hazardous evidence response; investigative/forensic photography and imaging support; scientific, technical, and forensic support for investigations involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials; and expertise in health and safety matters.
Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC), the single interagency organization to receive, fully analyze, and exploit all terrorist improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, of interest to the United States.
Chemical and metallurgical analyses and training, expertise in cryptanalysis and firearms/toolmarks, and examinations of trace evidence and questioned documents.
Forensics Services of the FBI Laboratory Division are available to:
FBI field offices and attachés.
Federal agencies, U.S. attorneys, and military tribunals (for civil and criminal purposes).
State, county, and local law enforcement (criminal matters).
*Forensic services and testimony of expert witnesses are provided to the above free of charge.
Cases Not Accepted or Conducted by the Forensics Services of the FBI Laboratory Division:
When local and state, or other non FBI laboratories have the capabilities to conduct the requested testing/examination.
No expert testimony will be provided when another expert is scheduled to testify for the prosecution on the same subject.
Forensic services and testimony of expert witnesses is not available to private agencies or individuals, nor are requests accepted from non-law enforcement agencies in civil matters/cases.
Arson and explosive cases involving unoccupied buildings and property are not accepted by FBI Forensic Services (unless terrorism is suspected).
Vandalism and malicious mischief toward personal and commercial property.
Headlight examinations in cases of nonfatal traffic crashes, unless the vehicle involved is that of law enforcement or government officials.
Nonfatal hit and run auto accidents.
Vehicle theft, unless the case involves a theft ring or carjacking.
All breaking and entering cases.
Theft and fraud cases under $100,000
What the FBI investigates:
Violent crime such as mass killings, sniper murders, serial killings, gangs, crimes against children, Indian Country crimes, jewelry and gem theft, assisting state and local agencies in investigating bank robberies
Details are Important
It's important for writers hoping to offer a bit of realism in their stories to at least know the basics of criminal investigations, including "who does what?" For example, absent in the list cases investigated by the FBI is MURDER. No, typically the FBI does NOT investigate local murder cases, nor do they ride into town on white horses to take over bank robbery or abduction cases. Instead, they're available to assist local and state agencies. However, if a local department is not equipped to handle a bank robbery, for example, the FBI will indeed take the lead upon request.
In a case of child abductions there does not have to be a ransom demand nor does the child have to cross state lines or be missing for 24 hours before the FBI will become involved. When the FBI is alerted that a child has been abducted they'll immediately spring into action and open an investigation. They will do so in partnership with state and local authorities.
Sure, I and officers/investigators across the country have investigated numerous abduction cases where the FBI was not involved. But there are times when it's best to call on every available resource, and there's no one better equipped or trained than the FBI. After all, the priority is the safe return of the child.
So there you have it, writers—details to help add an extra level of zing to your next twisted tale.
*Resource – FBI and, of course, my personal knowledge and experience.
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/admin-ajax.jpg 245 400 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2020-12-26 15:39:122020-12-26 15:59:05Say NO to White Horses: The FBI Does This, But Not That!
Holiday Posts, Police Procedure
An Orange For Christmas: A Sad But True Story
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night …
A general rule of thumb is to not begin a tale with the weather. I know this and humbly apologize for violating protocol. It's just that the elements are such a crucial part of this story and, well, please bear with me for a moment as I take you back to an honest-to-goodness dark and stormy Christmas Eve.
I was working for a sheriff's office at the time, patrolling a county that sits smack-dab in the middle of the north-south I-95 drug corridor. Needless to say, crime, especially violent crime, was quite commonplace.
In those days, I drove a hand-me-down Crown Vic with a light bar that had a mind of its own. Sometimes the rotating beacons turned and sometimes they didn't, with the latter occurring more frequently during cold weather. In fact, it wasn't unusual for me to respond to an emergency with the gas pedal mashed to the floorboard, the siren screaming like a cat with its tail caught in the ringer of grandma's antique washer, and me with my arm out the window banging my fist on the side of the light bar hoping to set it in motion. It often took a good two miles and ten whacks with the heel of my fist before the initial barely-turning speed of the lights caught up with the seriousness of the situation at hand.
Believe me, there's nothing more frustrating than driving at warp speed while your emergency lights rotate at the speed of drying paint. But, if the call was far enough away the lights eventually caught up with the direness of what could be and often was.
Christmas Eve calls, for the most part, were an eclectic mix of complaints and incidents, ranging from window peepers to drunk uncles high on too much eggnog, to crooks who preferred to do their last minute shopping after the stores were closed and tightly locked until the day after Christmas. And, of course, there were murders and robberies, calls that necessitated the use of those darn lights.
Blowing Wind and Freezing Temps
It was this one particular Christmas Eve that comes to mind, though. The one when the wind blew so hard that traffic lights hung horizontally instead of their typical right angles to the streets. Gusty breezes toppled garbage cans and sent them clanging and banging and rolling and tumbling across asphalt and concrete. Dried leaves clicked and ticked and swirled in masses as they made their way down avenues and boulevards and through intersections without regard for red lights or stop signs, continuing on through alleys and across lawns and driveways. The lighted sign at the bank on the corner of Broad and 14th blinked between the current time and a steady temperature of five degrees. Believe me, it was cold enough to make a snowman shiver.
For warmth, homeless people camping under the overpasses and down by the river burned scraps of broken pallets and whatever twigs, branches, and tree limbs they could find. Many of them had no real winter clothing—no coats, parkas, gloves, or wool caps. Instead, they added extra layers of filthy, soiled clothing over their already grimy attire. They used socks to cover their hands and they draped old army blankets or blue furniture movers' pads over their heads and shivering bodies.
Ridley Perkins
And then there was Ridley Perkins, a homeless man who'd been around the city for so long that his name and/or face was quite well-known by many of the locals. He was also a regular visitor to the city jail. Corrections officers, men who'd "seen it all," shied away from Ridley when it came time for him to be strip searched. No one wanted the job of watching him peel off layer after layer of grunge-caked clothing. After all, Perkins' body odor alone was enough to gag anyone, and it was not unusual to find live maggots squirming around in his soiled underwear or on his skin.
Ridley never committed any real crimes—he didn't steal, rob, or burgle. He was a beggar by trade and a darn good one too. And he knew how to successfully transform a dollar into alcohol. Not the kind consumed by most drinkers, though. Ridley preferred to strain his alcohol from canned heat (Sterno), or to drink mouthwash or shaving lotion. And, when the last drop was gone he'd do something to annoy a business owner or scare a woman or child by lunging at them from behind a bush—his way of going to jail where he'd get a hot meal and warm bed.
The Christmas Present
Okay, I know, I strayed from the story. Let's see, where was I? Oh, yeah … Christmas Eve. I'd made a pass around my section of the county and had returned to the office to warm my bones with a cup of jailhouse coffee (so thick you could almost stand a spoon upright in the center of the mug) and to back my hind-end against a hot radiator. Even my long-johns, Kevlar, and jacket were no match against the cold that night.
After I'd thawed out, I'd settled into a seat and was skimming through newspaper headlines when someone pressed the buzzer out at the main gate. One of the on-duty jailers pushed the "talk" button on the intercom and said, "Whadda you want, Perkins?" I glanced over at the monitor and saw Ridley holding a round object up toward the camera. It appeared to be a ball of some sort. He pushed the outside talk button and said, "I brung you something. A Christmas present."
The jailer, a soft-hearted older man, slipped on his jacket and said he was going out to try and talk Ridley into going to a shelter for the night, something Ridley rarely did. He despised their "no tolerance for alcohol rule." Before going out, the jailer poured some hot coffee into a Styrofoam cup and took it with him to give to his visitor.
A few minutes later the jailer returned with an orange, saying Ridley told him that he'd used some of his begging proceeds to buy it for him as a Christmas present. He claimed to have done so because the jailer had always been kind to him and treated him like a man and not as a criminal, or a drunk. We both knew that chances were good that he'd either stolen the orange from a local grocer or that someone had given it to him. But that he'd brought it to the jailer was still a kind gesture.
Ridley accepted the coffee from the jailer, and the advice about the shelter, and then headed off into the cold. He ambled past the reach of the camera, and that was the last time anyone saw him alive.
I found Ridley's body the next night, inside an old abandoned car. He'd apparently gone there to get away from the wind and the blowing snowfall that had started up in the early morning hours. Hypothermia had claimed his life. He'd frozen to death.
On the floorboard near Ridley's hand were an empty Styrofoam cup and a small pile of orange peelings.
*This is a true story, however, the name Ridley Perkins is fictitious.
December 22, 2020 /by Lee Lofland
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/1387076431od50b.jpg 340 492 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2020-12-22 06:00:592020-12-22 13:01:03An Orange For Christmas: A Sad But True Story
Working The Graveyard Shift: Shots Fired!
The call came in as "Shots fired. Several people injured."
The news, however, was nothing new. Hell, it was Saturday night. Well, technically it was Sunday morning—2 a.m. It would be, after all, a rare occurrence if closing time at Fat Freddie's Hip Hop Lounge passed by without some sort of fracas—cuttings, stabbings, fist-fights, shootings, or any combination thereof.
In fact, I'm the not so proud owner of a nice scar across the palm of my right hand that I received on Fat Freddie's dance floor while taking a rather large knife from a guy who believed he was tougher than all other humans on the planet. Unfortunately for him, it was the liquor he'd consumed that placed the foolish notion in his head.
Back to the night in question. I and another deputy, Sam Steele (not his real name), were on patrol out in the county and, since closing time at Freddie's was a part of our weekend agenda, we were already headed in that direction.
As soon as the dispatcher mentioned the name of the club. I switched on my lights and siren and stepped on the gas.
"10-4, en route," said Sam in the typical monotone voice that's so often heard coming from police scanners.
"I'm also en route," I said into my mic. "Send rescue, but have them wait down the road until we send for them. It might not be safe." A moment later the dispatcher paged EMS and fire.
A trooper who was running radar on the interstate called asking if we needed backup. I said yes and he told me that he was twenty minutes away, at best.
Freddie's parking lot was filled with screaming and yelling people running in all directions. Looked like hundreds of angry, drunken fire ants after someone kicked over their mound. Cars nearly rammed us as they left with tires yelping against the asphalt pavement. I threaded my patrol car through the crowd and traffic, stopping near the front entrance, a set of double doors that had been freed from their hinges by the escaping crowd of panicked people.
Sam and I arrived at the same time. I from one direction and he from the opposite. The moment we stepped out of our cars we immediately heard a couple of bursts of automatic gunfire. Dirt exploded near our feet. My first thought was of my Kevlar vest lying under my bed at home. It was a hot night and I'd decided not to wear it. Dumb. Dumb. And DUMB.
Sam dove inside his car. My portable radio crackled then I heard Sam calling for backup, an almost a moot request. I saw Sam clutching his in-car mic as he began shouting "Mayday! Mayday!" Later, I learned that the gunfire sent poor Sam back to his days on the battlefield, and it was his unchecked PTSD that caused the unexpected and untimely mini breakdown. Besides, if we wanted help we'd have to wait for the lone state trooper to drive in from his ticket-writing location out on the interstate. Of course, a nearby city could send some of their officers out to help, but they were even further away. But I knew the incident would surely be over before help arrived. What "over" meant for Sam and me, I didn't know at that point.
I ran toward the building.
With gun in hand I went up the front steps and into the building. A woman whose hairdo resembled an inverted hornets' nest piled on top of her head, pushed past me while screeching "He gotta gun, he gotta gun! Her size too small tiger print skirt and spiked heels made for difficult running, but she deserved an "A" for effort.
The dance floor was littered with 9mm bullet casings, plastic cups, beer bottles, melting ice, crack pipes, cigarette butts, plastic baggies, and blood. Not my idea of a party.
Other than the bartenders, DJ, and a couple members of the club's security team who emerged from a door at the side of the stage, the place was empty of people, including, the shooter. However, one of the heavily muscled bouncers identified him as Shelton Johnson, a local drug dealer. Apparently, he'd slipped outside with the stampeding herd of people exiting the building. The injured folks had also been taken away.
The unwritten rule at Freddie's, and similar clubs, was to remove the wounded so they couldn't talk to the police. Yet, I knew I'd soon find each of them in the hospital emergency room and they'd be easy to spot. They're the folks at the ends of the freshly-leaked blood trails that lead from the parking lot, through the ER doors, onto the polished floor tiles, to the moaning and groaning men and women who're dressed for a night on the dance floor. Of course, bullet wounds are also good indicators.
An hour or so after arriving at Fat Freddie's, Sam and I located Johnson driving through one of the neighborhoods he claimed as his territory. After a brief pursuit he stopped his car and fired a short burst of bullets in our direction. He dropped the gun, a fully automatic Uzi and, as they do, he ran.
The foot pursuit was a short one, two blocks or so, and I caught him and had him cuffed just before Sam reached us. He and I helped the little darling to his feet and led him back to my car.
For all the chaos and injuries he'd caused, the judge sentenced Mr. Johnson to one year in jail with eight months suspended. Two days after his release he drove by my house and fired a single shot through our bedroom window.
And people wonder why I don't give out my personal information. Geez …
* This is a true story. The names of the players and business have been changed to protect the innocent … me.
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/dj-night-mixes-1467390-1920x1440-1.jpg 364 485 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2020-12-21 16:14:082020-12-21 16:16:05Working The Graveyard Shift: Shots Fired!
Police Procedure, Research
Would Sir Isaac Newton Reject Your Shooting Scene?
Experts are often asked what kind of entrance and exit wounds are produced by various types of ammunition. The rounds in the photograph below contain hollow point bullets similar to the rounds fired from the Thompson sub-machine gun I'm holding in the top and quite ancient photo. I pulled the picture from the buried crypt where I keep my old cop stuff.
The .45 caliber rounds above are approximately the diameter of the Sharpie pens many authors use to sign books. That's pretty close to the size of most entrance wounds which, by the way, is very near, if not identical to, the size of the bullet that punctured the flesh.
Pictured below is an entrance wound caused by 9mm round at point blank range, a close contact gunshot wound. Obviously, this was a fatal wound since I took this picture during the autopsy of the victim. Note the post-autopsy stitching of the "Y" incision (above right of the photo).
Also notice the charred flesh around the wound. This was caused by the heat of the round as it contacted the victim's skin. The bruising around the wound was, of course, caused by the impact.
9mm bullet wound to the chest—close range.
Next is one of the .45 rounds after it was fired from the Thompson machine gun.
Firing the Thompson at a sheriff's office indoor range in Ohio. Notice the piece of ejected brass to the right of the major's arm. I took the photo and was lucky enough to capture the shot of the brass casing during its fall to the floor.
The round passed through the paper target, through several feet of thick foam rubber, through the self-healing wall tiles of the firing range, and then struck the concrete and steel wall behind the foam. The deformed bullet finally came to rest on the floor. Keep in mind, though, that this all occurred in the blink of an eye, or quicker.
The above image shows a .45 round (above left between the 3″ and 4″ mark on the ruler) after a head-on strike with concrete and steel. The other distorting of bullets occurred when striking various surfaces from a variety of angles—ricochet rounds.
Remember yesterday's article where I detailed the parts of a cartridge? The bullet is the projectile portion of a cartridge, not the entire round.
Hitting the hard solid surface head-on caused the .45 bullet to expand and fracture which creates the often larger exit wounds we see in shooting victims.
Many times, those bullet slivers break off inside the body causing further internal damage.
The size of an exit wound also depends on what the bullet hits inside the body. If the bullet only hits soft tissue the wound will be less traumatic. If it hits bone, expect much more damage. Easy rule of thumb—the larger the caliber (bullet size), the bigger the hole.
Bullets that hit something other than their intended target, such as a brick wall or metal lamp post, can break apart sending pieces of flying copper and lead fragments (shrapnel) into crowds of innocent bystanders. Those flying ricochet fragments are just as lethal as as any intact, full-sized bullet.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Bullets don't always stop people. I've seen shooting victims get up and run after they've been shot several times. And for goodness sake, people don't fly twenty feet backward after they've been struck by a bullet. They just fall down and bleed. They may even moan a lot, or curse. That's if they don't get back up and start shooting again. Simply because a suspect has been shot once or twice does not mean his ability, or desire, to kill the officer is over, and that, writers, is why police officers are taught to shoot until the threat is over.
The bank robber I shot and killed during a shootout fell after each of the five rounds hit him. But he also stood and began firing again after each of my bullets struck—one to the head and four to the center of his chest area. After the fifth round he stood and charged officers. Four of the five rounds caused fatal wounds. Yet, he still stood and charged toward officers. I and a sheriff's captain tackled and cuffed him. In another instance, a man engaged in a gun battle with several officers. He was shot 33 times and still continued walking toward officers.
Always keep Sir Isaac Newton and his Third Law of Motion in mind when writing shooting scenes. The size of the force on the first object must equal the size of the force on the second object—force always comes in pairs.
Here's Professor Dave to explain …
So, if your scene shows the shooting victim flying that twenty feet away from the person firing the rounds, the shooter would also fly twenty feet in the opposite direction. Ah, sounds silly, right? So toss this one in the trash can along with the use of cordite. No, no, and NO!
Equal and Opposite Reaction—Newton's Cradle
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/lee-and-machine-gun.jpg 265 432 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2020-12-17 10:50:072020-12-17 14:15:13Would Sir Isaac Newton Reject Your Shooting Scene?
If My Handcuffs Could Talk: Marvin The Martian Loses Control and Elvis Returns … Sort of
As police officers, we're often presented with the opportunity to meet various celebrities and other important people. Sometimes, we're even placed in the unfortunate position of having to arrest a few of those VIP's.
For example, I once served as training officer to a rookie who stopped a large, fancy tour bus for speeding, and the officer was quite surprised to see one of his favorite musicians behind the wheel—a very famous musician. The singer/guitarist was quick to announce his identity, as if the verbal identification had been necessary, hoping his fame would be enough to satisfy the appetite of the officer's squalling radar unit.
The still wet-behind-the-ears officer, totally starstruck, tongue-tied, and rubber-kneed in the presence of the legend of stage and Radioland, immediately knew what he had to do. That's right, my babbling trainee, with the speed and grace of a wild cheetah, was quick to snag the driver's autograph, and then send the celebrity and his bus on their way to the next concert on the tour. And, when the officer returned to our patrol car he was grinning from ear to ear, like a mule eating briars.
The rookie officer shoved the signature-clad paper into my hands so I, too, could have a look at his prize. Sure enough, scrawled across the bottom of the traffic summons was the signature of one of the all-time greats of the music world. A golden voice and fancy guitar, though, do not qualify as exemptions to posted speed limits, especially when driving 82mph in a 45mph zone. I'd taught the young officer well.
Of course, I've had my own share of encounters with well-known celebrities and other people of fame, and such was the case of the man from Mars who insisted his use of a rusty ax to hack his sister-in-law to death was a direct order from his superiors on the red planet.
"You see," he told me, "she wouldn't allow the mother ship to return to earth. I had no choice. She's evil, you know. Besides, she wouldn't give me no money for cigarettes."
Then there was the time I responded to the call of a man walking in the median between the north and southbound lanes of a major interstate highway. When I finally located the man, I pulled my patrol car off the roadway and approached on foot. He stood waiting for me in the center of the median strip, in the soft light of a near full moon. My gaze was immediately drawn to his sandal-clad feet and long, wavy brown hair fluttering gently in the night breeze. He held out his right hand for me to shake and, in an unusually soothing and calm voice, introduced himself as …
I must admit, I paused for a second before moving along to serious questions, like, "Do you have any identification?" Of course, when I did ask, he gave me that look. You know the one. The "Seriously, you need to see MY identification?" look. Well, as luck would have it, the guy wasn't the Son of God after all. Instead, he was a slightly out of touch homeless man from Richmond who actually thought he was Jesus. And to think that I could have been the first in line to meet Him when He returned.
Of course, there was Elvis, the rock and roll legend I had to remove from an elderly lady's refrigerator once or twice each month so she could watch TV without the interruption of endless choruses of "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Jailhouse Rock." Not to mention how annoying it can be when Elvis slips in behind the cheesecake to steal our radio and TV signals.
Things could have been worse, I suppose. At least I never encountered one of today's politicians. Although, I did stop the speeding car of a diplomat, and that was a can of worms I wished I'd not opened. And then there was the time I arrested a man who was wanted by the Secret Service and FBI for threatening to kill President Clinton.
If my handcuffs could talk … oh, the stories they could tell.
December 8, 2020 /by Lee Lofland
https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/20140327_130332.jpg 364 485 Lee Lofland https://leelofland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/the-graveyard-shift-1.png Lee Lofland2020-12-08 08:42:332020-12-08 11:11:18If My Handcuffs Could Talk: Marvin The Martian Loses Control and Elvis Returns … Sort of
Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures, and Forensic Techniques, Fifth Edition
Crime Scene Staging Dynamics in Homicide Cases
How to Catch a Killer: Hunting and Capturing the World's Most Notorious Serial Killers (Profiles in Crime)
Police Procedure and Investigation, a Guide for Writers
2020 Law Officer's Pocket Manual
Cold Heart Break by Lisa Regan
The HOTTEST crime anthology of the year- AFTER MIDNIGHT: TALES FROM THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT!
New Arc Books
We are actively seeking submissions, from agents or authors, of novels between 70,000 and 100,000 words.
Fiction – Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Literary Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Nonfiction – Police Procedure, Forensics, Narrative Nonfiction
Archive Select Month January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008
Categories Select Category 2012 Writers' Police Academy 2013 Writers' Police Academy 2014 Writers' Police Academy 2015 Writers' Police Academy 2016 Writers' Police Academy 2017 Golden Donut Winners 2017 Writers' Police Academy 2018 Writers' Police Academy 2020 Writers' Police Academy 9/11 After Midnight Book Reviews Books Boston Bombers Bounty Hunting and Private Investigation Casey Anthony Trial Castle Reviews Castle: Season 6 Reviews Castle: Season 7 Castle: Season 8 Characer Development Children Conferences Contests Cooking With Cops coronavirus Courts Crime Writer's Dictionary Death Investigation Digital Evidence and High-Tech Crimes DNA Dr. Katherine Ramsland Drugs Ellen English Notebooks Eric Garner Case Evidence Fake News Fire Fighting firearms Forensics Friday's Heroes George Floyd George Zimmerman Golden Donut Short Story Contest Guest columns Holiday Holiday Posts Homeland Security I'm Just Saying Infographics Josh Moulin Just Stuff Katherine Ramsland Legal Lisa Black Lisa Provost Lt. David Swords Medical Memorial Day Misc Mollie Tibbetts MurderCon New Ark Books Newtown Notes On Forensic Medicine Pebbles People Are Strange: Tales From the Graveyard Shift Police Academy Training Police Dogs Police News Police Procedure Police Tools and Equipment Political Prisons and Jails Rayshard Brooks Research Safety Tips Sheriff's Office Shopping With Cops Shorts Sirchie Southland SouthLand Season 5 Spiral Notebooks Sunday Kaminski Taser Tales The Oak Ridge Boys The Rookie Tips and Tricks True Crime TSA Uncategorized Uniforms Way Back When Weapons Weekend Road Trip Weekly Report Writers' Police Academy Writers' Police Academy Online Writing Writing Secrets of Bestselling Authors
Follow Lee
This site is in the top 20 of all police blogs!
Lee Lofland is a proud member of International Thriller Writers
Follow WPA
Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers
Countdown to the WPA
Writers' Police AcademyAugust 9, 2018
The Writers' Police Academy
The Writers' Police Academy is held every year and offers an exciting and heart-pounding interactive and educational hands-on experience for writers to enhance their understanding of all aspects of law enforcement, firefighting, EMS, and forensics. Visit The WPA website to register!
Get to Know Lee Lofland
Lee Lofland is a nationally acclaimed expert on police procedure and crime-scene investigation, and is a popular conference, workshop, and motivational speaker.
Lee has consulted for many bestselling authors, television and film writers, and for online magazines. Lee has appeared as an expert on national television, BBC Television, and radio shows.
Lee is the host and founder of the Writers' Police Academy, an exciting, one-of-a-kind, hands-on event where writers, readers, and fans learn and train at an actual police academy.
To schedule Lee for your event, contact him at [email protected].
© Copyright 2008 - 2017 — Lee Lofland. All Rights Reserved.
Site Designed by Rusti Boot


text:
Bleached x gorilla vs. bear takeover
GORILLA VS. BEAR
GORILLA VS. BEAR Published: April 2, 2013
Bleached's sweet new album Ride Your Heart is out today on Dead Oceans, so -- like we've done with Grimes, Peaking Lights, and others -- we're handing over the reins to the Clavin sisters for the day to do whatever they want. You can stay up on all of their posts here. Take it away, Clavins...
This is the first video we made for the new album. It's for the song "Next Stop". We actually wrote it a while ago, like super early Bleached, but I couldn't come up with lyrics I liked so it never got recorded until this album. For the video Jess and I helped Lana the director come up with the idea. I just knew I really wanted to be riding a motorcycle. And Jess knew she wanted to be giving a stick and poke tattoo. I'm really happy with how it came out. Also it's rad some of our best friends are dancing in it and Patrick o'dell plays my boyfriend! -- Bleached
Filed Under: bleached, BLEACHED TAKEOVER, bleached x gorilla vs. bear, california, jennifer clavin, jessica clavin, lana kim, los angeles, mika miko, takeover
Categories: news, video

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


easy-to-use multi-vendor reporting, monitoring and diagnostics tool.
cloud era with best-in-breed support for hybrid, premise and cloud-based environments.
Is Your SIP Infrastructure Living Up To Your Expectations?
As Avaya contact centers become larger, more distributed and complex, Nectar provides the tools to fully monitor and troubleshoot them, all in real-time.
Nectar offers the most comprehensive multi-vendor UC monitoring, diagnostics and reporting solutions for Enterprise UC Operations and IT Support Teams. Designed for cloud, on-premise and hybrid deployments, Nectar enables you to deliver great user experiences across your platform, network and endpoint health domains.
Engaging content, real solutions. Browse our media here.
Stay ahead of the game with help from Nectar's comprehensive resource library.
Check here for industry news, tips, and the latest on all things Nectar.
Everything you need to know about UC Network Management, all in one place.
Nectar's Unified Communications Management Platform (UCMP) provides complete, real-time visibility across complex, multi-vendor application, network, and endpoint domains for all Cisco call control environments. Unlike other vendors, Nectar shows how the network is affecting calls via a 'single pane of glass,' multi-site, multi-location centralized management view that can support hundreds of thousands of users worldwide.
Nectar's Unified Communications Management Platform (UCMP) is revolutionizing the way in which enterprise businesses and service providers achieve application, network and endpoint health within multi-vendor Avaya UC deployments. It provides immediate, in-depth analysis utilizing a real-time, centralized, multi-platform management and monitoring system – delivering actionable performance information to executives and technical resources and bringing clarity to complex Avaya UC interdependencies and business processes.
Nectar's Unified Communications Management Platform (UCMP) assures application, network and endpoint health by solving critical SIP network issues, including poor audio quality associated with ineffective design and implementation. It provides comprehensive, end-to-end visibility into the health and performance of the network and Session Border Controllers (SBC), and ensures that corrective actions occur in a timely manner.
Nectar's UC Foundation (UCF) is the fundamental layer of the Nectar UCMP framework. It delivers incomparable system health and availability through a single, 360-degree view of all voice and data assets. This centralized approach combines customizable dashboard views, business-centric customer notifications and alarm and performance data in real-time. It's designed to meet the needs of both enterprises and service providers alike through exceptional application and endpoint health.
UC Diagnostics (UCD) offers exceptional network health by enabling complete IP network information correlation and comprehensive cross-platform insight across Microsoft, Cisco, Avaya, and other industry-standard platforms – providing faster issue resolution and a superior end-user experience. The service provides comprehensive business solutions which include real-time monitoring, management, and diagnostics to assure uncompromised network health.
Perspective is a synthetic traffic generation engine that supports network health by delivering network assessment, voice quality troubleshooting, and real-time problem identification – so you can monitor anticipated end-to-end voice sessions over IP easily and efficiently. Perspective provides easy-to-deploy synthetic testing capabilities in order for the best quality network health and superior responsiveness.
Nectar's innovative Evolution technology is the first UC-aware software product of its kind to ensure endpoint health by delivering unified Quality of Service (QoS) automation and verification across a Cisco wired or wireless infrastructure. Evolution supports multi-vendor UC platform deployments that include Microsoft Skype for Business and other third party ecosystem applications. The platform ultimately provides advanced, real-time dynamic QoS Orchestration with substantial endpoint health and cost savings for multi-vendor UC environments.
Advance your business solutions through a conversation with Nectar.
Reach out today to learn more about all we have to offer.


text:
Janis Joplin Live at Winterland '68
Live at Winterland '68 is a live album by Janis Joplin with Big Brother & The Holding Company.
As the album title suggests, it was recorded at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco on April 12, 1968, and April 13, 1968 but not released until 1998.
Joplin left Big Brother in after concerts in December 1968 and performing with the Kozmic Blues Band and the Full Tilt Boogie Band, she died on October 4, 1970. She was just 27 years old.
Janis Joplin with Big Brother & The Holding Company Live at Winterland '68
Down On Me – 3:01 (originally on the first Big Brother studio album Big Brother & the Holding Company )
Flower In The Sun – 3:12
I Need A Man To Love – 5:52 (Cheap Thrills)
Bye Bye Baby – 4:14 (Big Brother & the Holding Company)
Easy Rider – 5:17 (Big Brother & the Holding Company)
Combination Of The Two – 6:58 (Cheap Thrills)
Farewell Song – 5:58
Piece Of My Heart – 6:41 (Cheap Thrills)
Catch Me Daddy – 5:45
Magic Of Love – 3:07
Summertime – 4:38 (Cheap Thrills)
Light Is Faster Than Sound – 7:15
Ball And Chain – 9:42 (Cheap Thrills)
Down On Me – 4:03 (Big Brother & the Holding Company)
The band at this stage was:
Sam Andrew – guitar, vocals
James Gurley – guitar
Peter Albin – bass
Dave Getz – drums
What Other People Say
Buying Live At Winterland 68
To help you to find the album quickly and easily, I've given you the following links::
Amazon.com as a CD or mp3
Amazon.co.uk as a CD or mp3
iTunes as a digital download
eBay as a CD
Do you think that this album is the best of the Janis Joplin live albums?
What do you like or dislike about it?
The Best Live Albums Ever
This album is included in two polls – the best blues rock live album and the best psychedelic / San Francisco live album. (See below for the polls).
What Are The FIVE Best Psychedelic Live Albums Of All Time? (Click on the links to go to the reviews)
Byrds Live at the Fillmore February 1969
Country Joe & The Fish Live! Fillmore West 1969
Gong Floating Anarchy Live 1977
Gong Live Etc
Grace Slick And The Great Society Collector's Item
Grateful Dead Live / Dead
Grateful Dead Fillmore West 1969 The Complete Recordings
Grateful Dead Two from the Vault 1968
Iron Butterfly Fillmore East 1968
Iron Butterfly Live 1969
It's A Beautiful Day Live At The Fillmore '68
Jefferson Airplane Bless Its Pointed Little Head
Jefferson Airplane The Woodstock Experience 1969
Jimi Hendrix Live At Woodstock
Love The Forever Changes Concert
Moby Grape Live
Moby Grape Live at Stony Brook University 1968
Monterey International Pop Festival (2 Cds - 26 tracks)
Pink Floyd Ummagumma
Quicksilver Messenger Service Happy Trails
Quicksilver Messenger Service Live At The Fillmore June 7 1968
Santana The Woodstock Experience (or Santana Legacy Edition)
Sly & The Family Stone The Woodstock Experience
Sly And The Family Stone Live At The Fillmore East October 4th & 5th 1968
Spirit Live From The Time Coast
Spirit Rock and Roll Planet 1977-1979
Steppenwolf Live (1970)
Steppenwolf Live at The Matrix San Francisco 1967
The Doors Absolutely Live
The Doors In Concert (American Night)
The Doors Live At The Hollywood Bowl 1968
Traffic Welcome To The Canteen
Velvet Underground Live 1969
Velvet Underground Live at Max's Kansas City 1970
My aim is to help you to find the best live albums through readers polls, my own reviews and from bringing in Amazon reviews.
You can see the complete list of readers polls at Live Album Polls.
Posted on October 28, 2014 March 2, 2015 Author Paul SimisterCategories 1960s Live Albums, Blues Rock Live Albums, Psychedelic / San Francisco Live AlbumsTags 1960s Blues Rock, 1968 live albums, blues rock 1968, Janis Joplin Live Albums, winterland
Previous Previous post: Best Pop Live Albums
Next Next post: Best Janis Joplin Live Album


text:
Episode #349: From African Royalty to the Bronx with Remi Adeleke
Remi Adeleke is many things, former royalty, an ex-Navy Seal, an author, entrepreneur and producer.
But most of all, he's a symbol of perseverance.
Having gone from Nigerian opulence at the age of five to drug-dealing on the streets of the Bronx as a teenager, Remi knows a thing or two about tough times, and how to overcome them with nothing but sheer tenacity and hard work.
Remi is the author of Transformed: A Navy SEAL's Unlikely Journey from the Throne of Africa, to the Streets of the Bronx, to Defying All Odds; the title a play on words on his most recent acting credit in Transformers.
Expect to take lots out of this conversation, including:
1 - Remi's fascinating story of going from rock star to rock bottom and back again
2 - Why it's often darkest before the dawn; and
3 - Why if you know the way broadly, you will see it in everything.
We also geek out on early 90s hip-hop wars and the Eddie Murphy classic, Coming To America.
But this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what we explored in this conversation, so strap yourself in for an hour with the one and only, Remi Adeleke.
Losing his father and the throne at the age of 5
Growing up in the Bronx
Running scams and dealing drugs as a teenager
Starting his first record label
The East-West hip-hop wars of the early 90s
The crack epidemic of the late 80s / early 90s
Joining the Navy
Making it as a Navy Seal
Hell Week
The benefit of having people believe in you
What Remi learned about himself in the Navy
What leadership means to Remi
How to get the best out of your people
The challenges of becoming an author and writing his first book
Becoming a Hollywood actor
Why what stands in the way becomes the way
How to deal with and overcome adversity
If you know the way broadly, you will see it in everything
Remi's morning routine
1: Get the book: https://amzn.to/2J8Dnaw
2: Instagram: @remiadeleke
3: Twitter: @remiadeleke
4: LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/remi-adeleke-56900075/
5: Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pg/Remi-Adeleke-129399157227652/


text:
A Letter from a Devil on the Assisi Event
(in the style of Screwtape Letters)
A Letter from a Devil on Assisi: Traditionalist Misunderstandings
Dear Sneakylick,
I am very happy that you took my advice. Your patient is now leaning toward Radical Traditionalism. And I know what will make him cross that line! One word: Assisi. When someone hears that word, they usually think of that stupid hippy Francis. "Make me a channel of your peace." Yuck! But we can redefine Assisi. You see, the Enemy's Vicar has done something which is very controversial. He invited unbelievers to pray with him! This sickens me. This is why.
You see, the 20th century was our century. We made countries fight each other in almost every decade. We got people to think of man as an object, instead of a subject. We got people to think that man was a mere production of economy. We also got people to think that if you are a certain race, religion, or culture, you are not a person. Not only that, we got them to persecute them! We murdered millions and millions and millions of people. Everywhere you go, there were condemnations. We hate Jews! We hate Blacks! We hate Catholics! I loved it! If not, they were also troubled because they had little money because of the depression. We made man depressed! They had no more hope!
The Enemy's Church knew this. She knew that that man wanted hope. To do this, she had to change her approach on teaching doctrines. She didn't want to follow the "Spirit of the Age" of condemnation. Instead, she wanted to teach truth against the false philosophies, to show that her doctrines are better than the false ones. When I made a person teach false humanism, she striked back teaching authentic humanism: that the perfection of man is life with the Enemy.
She also found a way to evangelize: ecumenism. She prefers to dialogue with other religions. You see, I made people have an "open mind." This means that they hate anything which sounds close-minded. In other words, they are close-minded when it comes to close-mindedness. So when the Enemy taught that His Son is the Only way, people rejected it because it did not feel right and not very open minded. We got people of hating Catholic doctrines such as existence of hell, that the Catholic Church is the only true Church, and so on. In fact, I made them hate Catholic doctrine so much, that they don't even want to hear it.
The Enemy's Church then made a new strategy. She knows that they don't like to hear those things, so she will present something which both parties agree on and work from there. For example, that ArchIdiot Fulton J. Sheen said that the only way to convert Muslims is through Our Lady of Fatima. He said,
"In any apologetic endeavor, it is always best to start with that which people already accept. Because the Moslems have a devotion to Mary, our missionaries should be satisfied merely to expand and to develop that devotion, with the full realization that Our Blessed Lady will carry the Moslems the rest of the way to her Divine Son." (The World's First Love, page 204)
This is what the Enemy's Church did at Assisi. That old charismatic idiot John Paul wanted to have a dialogue. He invited them to pray. Why? Because he wanted to soften their prejudice and dialogue is needed for it. At the same time, he will sneak in the Gospel. Of course, the Church does not condemn this, but your patient doesn't know that. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange once said,
"It might be expedient for such to associate commonly with pagans and Jews in order to forward the work of their conversion, at least negatively, by softening of prejudice." (The Theological Virtues: Volume One On Faith, B Herder Book Co [1965], page 417)
But don't let your patient see this! Don't even let him try to see the rationale for this event. Make him the judge. Make him condemn the Pope! This is what we want! He doesn't know that communicating with unbelievers isn't necessarily evil, but they should be cautious of it. And if a doubt were to arise about the sufficiency of reason, the bishop should have the decisive last word (ibid). But he doesn't know that. He lives in a country where professors have to be refuted. He has a "debate" mentality. Every error must be refuted. Make him think that the only approach of evangelization is, "Go to Jesus Christ or go to hell!" And if they hear someone saying otherwise, he will refute it. Even though this is not in itself wrong, the Church prefers not to do this. However, make your patient think that the "debate" mentality is the only approach of evangelization. But most of all, never make him read what John Paul preached at the Assisi event itself! Don't make him read things like:
"...I profess here anew my conviction, shared by all Christians, that in Jesus Christ, as Savior of all, true peace is to be found, 'peace to those who are far off and peace to those who are near'" (Cf. Eph 2.17).
"His birth was greeted by the angels' song: Glory to God in the highest and peace among men with whom He is pleased" (Cf. Lk 2:14). He preached love among all, even among foes, proclaimed blessed those who work for peace (Cf. Mt 5:9), and through His death and resurrection He brought about reconciliation between heaven and earth (Cf. Col.1:20). To use an expression of Paul the Apostle, 'He is our peace.'" (Eph.2:14).
If he does read it, make him critique it! Make him say, "But look! It doesn't say Jesus is the ONLY peace! This implies that there can be other ways of achieving peace without Jesus!" Of course, it does not imply that at all, but who cares about truth! By condemning the Pope's teaching, he is condemning Paul's teaching and he doesn't even know it! John Paul is only restating what Paul preached.
But you can make your patient say things like, "But it doesn't say enough! It doesn't say, if you don't convert, you will go to hell!" You see, the Pope could have done that, but didn't. If he said something like that dialogue will be lost and we might have won their soul. But the Pope hates us. He doesn't want them to lose their souls to us. So he says only enough truth that is sufficient for them to hear. They believe in peace, and the Pope says Jesus Christ is the true peace. This might make them re-think their views of Catholicism. This might make them think that Catholicism isn't just condemnation and hell, but also a good and peaceful religion. But your patient doesn't know this. And don't let him know! Don't let him see the rationale for doing it!
Also, when the Pope wanted to have a dialogue, he permitted them to pray according to their own religion. Of course, if a person has religious freedom in any land, he should have religious freedom on the Church's home turf as well. John Paul permitted them to pray so that they can have a dialogue and he can preach the truth. This is because prayer itself is not wrong. No one knows or can control what a pagan for example, will pray to. If he pray to the false god, the Enemy might answer if it pleases Him.
This is the big distinction which you cannot afford to let your patient know. John Paul did not say, "pray to your false god." If he did, then he would be preaching falsehood. He invited him to pray, which again, isn't wrong. But your patient doesn't know that and don't let him. Instead, since he is theologically ignorant, make him condemn it. Make him say things like, "Look! He didn't stop them from praying to their false gods!" But if the Pope did do this, all dialogue will be ended and we could have won their souls. However, that old man didn't. He permitted it so that they can have a dialogue.
One final thing. You can make him disagree with Assisi, but your main goal is to make him condemn it publicly. You see, Cardinal Biffi disagreed with John Paul, but he did not publicly dissent from the Pope by writing articles in newspapers, websites, or blogs. What you want him to do is be unlike Cardinal Biffi.
Make him condemn it. After this, his soul is closer to our Father here below.
Your Uncle, Water Strider, senior devil
AVBCL111@aol.com
Back to Philosophy Articles


text:
Image: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images
Greece requests credit extension
02/19/2015 February 19, 2015
Greece has formally asked its European creditors for a six-month loan extension. The cash-strapped nation is opposed to further austerity measures. Germany, however, has already refused the proposal.
https://p.dw.com/p/1EePl
Greece has formally submitted a request for a six-month loan extension on the part of its European creditors. The request was designed to give the indebted nation extra time to develop anti-austerity reforms.
"The request has been sent" to Brussels, a government source said.
Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem confirmed the request had been received.
A spokesman for German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble rejected the proposal saying it lacked substance.
Eurozone finance ministers will meet Friday in Brussels to consider the Greek proposal.
In making the request, Greece is attempting to secure further financing while at the same time avoiding harsh conditions that eurozone countries are likely to impose on such additional aid.
International creditors have urged Greece's new leftist government to extend its current bailout package, which expires on February 28. Greek leaders however have said they would not agree to an extension without renegotiating the conditions for the bailout.
"Our proposition will be written in such a way that it will cover both the demands of the Greek side and the head of the Eurogroup," Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told reporters Wednesday.
Government spokesman Gavril Sakellaridis said earlier that his nation had been working closely with its eurozone partners in an effort to reach an acceptable deal, but insisted that Greece would not agree to further austerity measures as a means to secure future bailouts.
Greece needs an additional 11.9 billion euros ($13.5 billion) to finance bond repayments by August.
bw/sms (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)
GreeceEuropean Union (EU)