Yes, the time has come for us to drop the mic. It’s the end. The Grand Finale. After 15 years of delivering heart pounding, hands-on excitement and helping writers learn and experience behind the scenes details about law enforcement, forensics, firefighting, EMS, and more, the Writers’ Police Academy is closing the doors on this chapter Read More >
Author: admin_sccus
Using Light to Stop Mass Shooters
Short of stationing armed guards at each entrance and surrounding properties with moats stocked with aggressive crocodiles, protecting public buildings, such as shopping malls, schools, and churches, against attackers and mass shooters has become extremely challenging. In all fairness to the folks in charge of security in venues and buildings designed for gatherings of large Read More >
Twenty-Nine Years Ago, I Looked Into the Eyes of a Serial Killer and Watched Him Die
Have you ever sat in a room designed especially for killing people, looking into the eyes of a serial murderer, watching and waiting for some sign of remorse for his crimes, wondering if he would take back what he’d done, if he could? Have you ever smelled the searing flesh of a condemned killer as Read More >
New Writers’ Police Academy Online Class – Digital Publishing Academy
Are you interested in entering the world of digital publishing but don’t know where or how to begin? Well, I’m pleased to announce and offer an exciting Writers’ Police Academy Online course—Digital Publishing Academy. This class is a unique opportunity for writers to learn from and chat with a top industry professional, Commissioning Editor Susannah Hamilton Read More >
Read the Newsletter – 2023 Writers’ Police Academy, the FINAL Year
With the final Writers’ Police Academy event rapidly approaching (June 8-11), the reality of “the end” is replaying images and clips in my mind of the past fifteen years. Much has happened during that decade and a half and those memories will live with me until my final days on this planet. I will cherish Read More >
The Soldier: A Tale of Determination, Survival, and Imagination
Standing ankle deep in black, slimy swamp muck, Sgt. William “Billy” Franks paused to catch his breath and to look over his shoulder, for the umpteenth time. Nothing moving, not even a leaf. Good. The humid jungle was silent. Even better. They were still a ways behind him, he hoped. But they were coming. He knew so Read More >
Cow-9 Units: Using Bovines to Track and Capture Fleeing Criminals
“Stop, or I’ll release the cow!” Officer Harold “Moo” Collins, the department Cow-9 handler, yelled as the burglary suspect headed toward a wooded area after breaking free from the two patrol cops who’d apprehended the thief. The man could’ve been a track star, because at the sound of Collins’ voice he hit second gear and Read More >
The New Undercover Narcotics Agent … SEWAGE?
Sewage. Now there’s a topic that typically wouldn’t pop up during intimate dinner tête-à-têtes, nor would we expect to hear grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles discussing it at a family holiday party. And it is not a subject that’s often, if ever, found among the paragraphs of a crime novel. However, sewage, aka wastewater, Read More >
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 giving up your day job to begin the hunt for your first serial killer. I’m betting you just might change your Read More >
Revolver v. Pistol: Do Your Characters Know the Difference?
Fictional characters aren’t always as savvy as they’d like us to believe. They’re not human. They make mistakes. And some of those errors, especially those made by characters in crime fiction, involve guns. For example, I’ve known a handful of make-believe cops and criminals who didn’t know the difference between smokeless powder and cordite, and Read More >