400 THINGS COPS KNOW by Adam Plantinga
is another book from Quill Driver Books that will join Books, Crooks and Counselors by Leslie Budewitz and others in my
personal reference library.
Plantinga spent thirteen years as a patrol officer, which he boiled down
to observations about life as a street cop, which are practical and blunt when
they aren’t funny, heart-rending or chilling.
As a writer, my
next manuscript with a police officer as character will be checked against this
book to see if I have avoided the errors that pop us so frequently when the
uninformed try to write about the uniformed. Do you know how Columbine changed the responses of police
departments all over the United States?
I do because I read this book and it is just the sort of detail that a
cop might drop into conversation with a citizen. It is also the sort of detail that adds a sense of
authenticity to a piece of writing.
About the
importance of teamwork the author writes, “…if some citizen feels the need to
challenge you on why it took seven officers to take the lone suspect into
custody the answer is because eight weren’t available.” I remember a news conference in which a
police spokesperson was asked why so many shots (Sorry, I don’t remember the
exact number.) were fired by a group of officers at a gunman who first opened
fire on a police unit. The
spokesperson answered in effect — eventually you run out of bullets.
Why do cops toss
their cups of coffee out the windows of their squad car when they get a high
priority call? Can a car with a
powerful engine outrun a cop car?
(You may notice I ask questions but I don’t provide answers.) 400 THINGS COPS KNOW provides answers as
well as giving hints about how an experienced officer might answer question
since an experienced officer wrote the book. I highly recommend this book.
Sounds like a useful reference manual.
ReplyDelete~ Jim
Hadn't heard of this book. Must check it out. Thanks for the information. Joe
ReplyDeleteThis does sound like a good reference. I tend to ask questions of a brother who is a cop (several years on NYPD, patrolling Times Square, midnight shift) and a brother-in-law who just retired. But it would be handy to have more info at my fingertips.
ReplyDeleteOne comment they both made--the number of times a suspect has been shot has gone up tremendously since police were issued automatic weapons. On their old service pieces, you had to pull the trigger deliberately for each shot. With an automatic, you squeeze and it keeps firing until you either let go or you run out. In a tense situation,e specially where someone keeps coming at you, the natural tendency is to not let up on the trigger.
Not one answer, Warren? Just give us one, okay? This sounds like a must read for mystery writers. Thanks for the review and recommendation, but give us one answer! (Yes, I am whining.)
ReplyDeleteE.B. is right. Answer the coffee question at least!
ReplyDeleteGreat recommendation! Thanks, Warren!
ReplyDeleteWarren, a good recommendation for mystery writers. Thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know the answer to the coffee question, too. Thanks for the book recommendation, Warren.
ReplyDeleteSounds great, thanks. FYI, I found some free-to-read sample chapters, about 30 pages. Google: sample new book 400 things cops know or copy and paste the (very long) URL:
ReplyDeletehttp://quilldriverbooks.com/taste-a-sample-of-400-things-cops-know-a-hilarious-and-action-packed-look-at-life-on-the-beat-coming-in-october/
Thanks, Peter, I'll read the sample first. Thanks, Warren. It sounds like a good reference.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Warrren…since I write police procedurals, new reference books are always helpful.
ReplyDeleteBecause when you're driving that fast, the last thing you want is a lapful of hot coffee. And I'm married to a cop, so I know that coffee goes out, and so do ice cream cones! :(
ReplyDelete