The official announcement, sort of

I've been holding out until an official announcement was made before revealing more details, but it took a while. I still haven't seen anything about it online (Facebook or their website), but the publication acceptance I received last month is from Writers' Police Academy. They included it in their latest email:

 

 

I thought they might be rushing it out in time for the upcoming Writers' Police Academy in June, but apparently it won't be released until later this year. I haven't received my contract or heard from my editor yet, but this updated info pretty much explains that. 

More info as it becomes available!

Update: And of course, as soon as I post this, they put in on the FB page!

Great news - Writer's Police Academy lives!

My suspicion that this year's Writer's Police Academy - which I attended in August in Green Bay - would be the last, has fortunately turned out to be completely wrong. Today it was announced that next year's WPA will take place August 1-4, 2019.

And that's not all - the conference is returning to North Carolina. Instead of Greensboro/Jamestown, where it was located before moving to Wisconsin a few years ago, it's been relocated to Raleigh. So long, cheeseheads!

I don't know the exact location in Raleigh, but whatever it is, it's got a tough act to follow in Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. The peeps at NWTC were so damn organized, it couldn't have been easier to navigate. I almost feel kind of bad we're not going back there. They were just great. Beautiful city, too.

Submitted for your approval - June 2018 edition

Considering I spent the first half of the month blocked and the entire month prepping for a move, I was surprised I ended up getting anything submitted this month.

I submitted a very short story to the Writers Police Academy's Golden Donut Short Story Competition. This is a fun annual contest. They give you a photo (see this year's here) and you have to write a story based on the picture that is exactly 200 words, including a title, which is required. Winner will be announced at the WPA Banquet in August. The award is actually very pretty, with the winner's name etched in it in glass, and not in fact a donut, which I think would be hilarious. Bonus: I submitted it on June 18, a full thirteen days before the deadline. I think that's a new personal best.

There were a couple other markets I wanted to submit to, but packing for the move took over and I had to pass on those. Once I get moved and settled in my plan is to spend the rest of the year submitting as much as possible.

I also found out that I didn't make the quarterfinal cut of the Script Pipeline TV Contest. I had entered my old Better Call Saul spec last December. It was already out of date (but still less than a year old) at the time, and I'm guessing the fact that the contest was open until June 1 of this year didn't help that situation. It's also the second consecutive TV contest where it looks like they much prefer original pilots to specs, as those were the majority of the scripts that made the cut. A BCS script did make it, so I'm pulling for that guy.

Other news: Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles announced that they will reveal the authors and stories selected for their next anthology on July 18, so fingers crossed. And as I type this I realize that when they do, I will no longer be living by the ocean and that makes me sad. Wonder what kind of stories I'll be writing while cooped inside the next few months to escape the scorching San Gabriel Valley summer.

Image snicked from somewhere on the internet. If it's yours please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due.

Writers' Police Academy - Day 3 (Saturday) & Wrap-up

Our morning demo involved how police face off with an armed, uncooperative individual. One of the things they demonstrated was how quickly someone with a knife can cover the ground between themselves and an officer (very quickly), giving the officer precious little time to draw their weapon before the attacker is upon them.

Death Scene Investigation
Instructor: Curtis Green, Manitowoc County Coroner

• He averages one case per day.
• Curiosity, intelligence and a strong stomach are required for the job.
• Definitions of manners of death fall into one of these categories: homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, undetermined, pending.
• Religious and cultural objections to autopsies are usually honored, but may be overridden in the event of a homicide/criminal investigation.

Long Gun: Live Fire

Instructors: 

Back at the range! Today I got to fire an AR-15, which is not an AK-47, but looks similar and a lot of people lump them in together. According to the instructors, these are apples and oranges in terms of firepower. I still wouldn't want to be shot with one.

I forgot to mention it in my previous post, but while learning to take aim I discovered that while I'm right-handed, I'm left eye dominant. Also on both days, the casings were flying all over the place as they were being ejected from the guns. Several of them bounced off of me. 

Hello baby.

We weren't suited up in protective gear yet because we were
just practicing. On a shallow note, my hair looks fantastic.

This jackass again.

Cordite, Perps and Badge Bunnies: Everything You Thought You Knew About Cops

Instructor: Lee Lofland

• Murder and homicide are not the same things. A murder is always a homicide, but a homicide isn't necessarily a murder. Examples: self-defense, killing someone to prevent them from taking the lives of others, state executions. A murder is an unlawful homicide.
• Badge Bunny = cop groupie. 

Here is a list of no-no's for crime writers:

• Just say no to cordite! This is one of Lee's pet peeves.
• Do not have your hero shoot a gun out of someone's hand. It's possible to do so, but extremely improbable. 
• The FBI does not waltz in and arrogantly take over local cases. They will come in and assist if requested.
• Speaking of the FBI, they do not have to be automatically called in for a kidnapping. Local law enforcement is free to work with whoever has jurisdiction in other areas. However, the Feds have resources that smaller departments won't have and they have jurisdiction everywhere, and again, they will assist if requested to do so.

And some sobering bad news: We have already surpassed the number of cops killed in the line of duty last year, and it's only August. 

Talking with Serial Killers

Instructor: Dr. Katherine Ramsland

Dr. Ramsland co-authored Dennis Rader's "guided autobiography" and had much to say about dealing with serial killers, much of it not terribly flattering to some other writers and reporters who have done the same. Mainly she felt that they gave their subjects too much freedom (like calling whenever they felt like it) and that strict boundaries need to be set.

She seemed pretty dismissive of Rader, the BTK serial killer who murdered ten people. She admitted to letting him think he was "playing" her during the writing of the book and also had to "bracket" what she thought of him during the process. Now that the book is done, she feels that she can judge him. She said that he sees himself as a James Bond/spy type. I don't remember if she actually used the term "delusions of grandeur" but if not, it still came across. She described the book as 85% Rader and the rest was her setting things up and giving them context.

You know, in case you ever find yourself interviewing a serial killer.

And that, sadly, is the end of my WPA 2017 experience. Due to an extreme lack of sleep I was exhausted, so I not only skipped the banquet Saturday evening, but slept in the next day and had to miss the Debriefing and get to the airport. On the bright side, planning has already begun for WPA 2018, which will be its 10th anniversary, and based on my experience they will really knock it out of the park to celebrate.

Writer's Police Academy - Day 2 (Friday) - Part 2

Handgun: Live Fire
Instructors: Walters/Haines (I didn't get their first names - sorry guys, you were amazing!

So I finally got to fire a gun!

I actually got to shoot twice, once on Friday and again on Saturday. Friday was handguns - 9mm to be exact - and good God do they pack a punch. From now on, when I see a movie or TV show that has a character firing this gun one-handed, it's going to take me out of the story. Maybe a big guy, but not a small guy and definitely not a woman, not unless their shots are wildly off-target. I kept thinking about what it must be like to be on the receiving end of those bullets, and wondering how anyone survives it. Big bullets and serious firepower.

Our targets. The paper over his face was for our first shot,
to make sure we were at least in the general vicinity.

Taking aim.

It's hard to tell, but I got him in the throat.

CSI: From First Responder to Evidence Collection
Instructor: Michael A. Black

• The actions of the first officer on a crime scene are crucial. He/She must secure the scene, determine if medical attention is needed and preserve the scene.
• Paramedics are able to save more lives than ever, but they are focused on that and not on preserving evidence. As a result, they can really contaminate a scene.
• There are three types of evidence: Direct/Testimonial (eyewitness testimony), Circumstantial (logical inferences drawn from facts) and Physical (prints, DNA, video). The last is the most reliable because it is what it is. It is tangible and can be observed. 
• When bagging evidence: biologicals in paper bags, non-biologicals in plastic bags.
• Once a crime scene is released, law enforcement needs consent of the owner to return. If they can't get consent, they need a warrant.
• Not properly securing a crime scene can call how it was handled and processed into question during a trial. However, if the defense is attacking the police, it's a good sign the defendant is guilty.
• Your fingerprints will be entered into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) only if you are convicted and imprisoned. However, they also go in if you're a homicide victim.

Evidence bag.

7-Step Crime Scene Protocol

Interview and Interrogation

Instructor: Paul Bishop

Paul Bishop is a veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department (primarily sex crimes), a published author, and even appeared on a reality television show. The man is also world-class when it comes to interrogation techniques and detecting deceptive behaviors.

• False confessions happen and are often the result of the suspect protecting someone close to them. You do not want an innocent person to confess.
• The more confessions they can get, the less time the victims have to spend in court reliving the trauma.
• The key to interrogation is anxiety. You want to get suspects to the point where they exhibit deceptive behaviors.
• 7% of communication is verbal. The rest consists of gestures, facial expressions and intonation. Not just what they're saying, but how they're saying it.
• "I did it," is an admission, not a confession. It's only a starting point.
• It's not always necessary for police to bring a suspect into the station for interrogation. Sometimes questioning them at their home or job increases their anxiety level because if they're guilty, they want the cops to go away.
• Bishop prefers not to have a table between him and a suspect. The table is a barrier between them and can give the suspect the feeling of being protected. Bishop likes them face to face.
• He also discussed the psychology of anxiety (along with how if affects people physically) and how they ease suspects into confessions. It's not a lot of good cop/bad cop drama, or yelling and slamming fists on tables like you see on TV and in the movies. He also discussed behavioral differences between people who are guilty and who are innocent.

Bishop covered a lot of ground during this session. I took about eight pages of notes. If you get the chance to see him speak, do it. 

Next up: Saturday! With more firepower!

Writers' Police Academy - Day 2 (Friday) - Part 1

Our Friday morning surprise was a demonstration of how law enforcement approaches an officer down situation. In this scenario, an officer had pulled over a car whose driver opened fire on him, then ran. What we learned:

• Officers carry a BOB (Bail Out Bag) in case they're in a situation where they may have to remain in place for an extended period of time. The bag includes water, snacks and additional ammunition.
• There is no such thing as a "bulletproof vest". The vests are "caliber resistant". The vests along with the duty belts add about 25 pounds.
• In addition to mirror and flashlight sticks to look around corners, police have taken to using selfie sticks with cell phones instead of sticking their heads into attics and rooms. They can also take video and send it to other LEO.

Scumbag is pulled over. He will fire on the officer
 and flee like the coward he is.

Backup arrives to assist the downed officer.

Scumbag passenger is removed from the vehicle.

Instructor Colleen Belangea, beloved by WPA attendees,
handled the Q&A.

I just liked this guy's shirt.

Horsey Cops!!!
No demo, but it was nice just to be up close to horses again. This is how much of a horse-crazy girl I still am: I know the horses' names, but neglected to get the names of the officers.

One of the things I was surprised about was how young both horses are - 7 and 9. For you non-horse people, that makes them comparable to people in their early and late twenties. Horses are what I refer to as "live and learn" animals and tend to mellow out as they age. I expected older horses to be used for police work. One of the officers told me that they have a great trainer who does a terrific job of getting the horses accustomed to things they might come across on duty that could spook them.

Say hello to Officers Cooper and Cole! (and their partners):

Yep, they have badges!

Officer Cooper. Look at that face! The guy
next to him ain't too shabby either.

Officer Cole.

Calm, cool and collected.

Understanding the Link in Animal Abuse
Instructor: Karen Hensen

Hensen's background not only includes working with law enforcement in the field of animal abuse, but she spent three years as an elephant trainer. No joke.

• Abusers of animals are five times more likely to harm humans than people who don't mistreat animals. 
• Not all animal abusers become serial killers, but almost all serial killers have abused animals.
• 80% of abused women who have pets won't leave abusive situations because shelters won't take their pets.
• Children who witness animal abuse are at greater risk of becoming abusers themselves.

She also played a horrific 911 tape of a little girl identified only as "Lisa" who called because her mother's boyfriend was beating her (the mother). There was also a younger sibling in the house and at one point in the call Lisa screamed, "He's got the baby!" Karen assured us that Lisa and her family were rescued and that she grew up to work with domestic violence victims. We needed to hear that. It's not the first 911 tape I've heard, but it was probably the worst. You see and hear all kinds of crazy stuff at WPA, but this was really traumatic. I don't know how 911 operators handle these calls, but I'm glad they do.

Markers for Fake vs. Genuine Suicide Notes

Instructor: Dr. Katherine Ramsland

• With a lot of law enforcement if there's a suicide note, as far as they're concerned it's a suicide, but this isn't always so. They want it to be a suicide because they can quickly close the case on move on to the next one.
• Only 25-30% of suicide victims actually leave notes.
• She mentioned that she is not a fan of the show 13 Reasons Why - thinks it's harmful to kids.
• When a suicide note is faked to cover a murder, the killers almost always mention themselves in it, often attempting to deflect blame from themselves.

Wes killed her.

• Suicide notes can come in strange forms. One person left a suicide note in the form of a six foot tall needlepoint project. You think I'm kidding?

More to come!

Writers' Police Academy - Day 1 (Thursday)

Okay, I totally flaked out on blogging lately. Now I'm really back. There's no reason it should have taken me a month to blog Writer's Police Academy, but better late than never - here we go!

Thursday at Writers' Police Academy used to be just registration and orientation, but they've really expanded on it in the past few years. And it was fun.

Drones!
Retired Green Bay PD Captain Bill Bongle introduced us to the wonderful world of drones, and as someone who wasn't previously all that interested in them as anything other than a story device, I came away from this session kind of wanting one if for no other reason that I live by the ocean and the photography possibilities are amazing.

Bongle got interested in drones after his retirement and now runs Titletown Drones, which offers training and repairs. He opened the session with some of his drone photography, plus some drone fail videos that everyone really enjoyed.

The Drone Master

Buzzing around.

Drones-eye view.

Some things I learned about UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems, aka drones):

• You can see your drone photos/vids in real time - the remote control has a screen. Video is transmitted via digital signal.
• The most popular drone these days is the DJI Phantom, which runs in the $1400-$1500 range. 
• A good starter drone is the DJI Spark, which Bongle described as a "cool little toy." So tempting.
• If you're traveling you can take your drone onto the plane as a carry-on, although the airline may want you to pull the battery out.
• Needless to say, drones are very popular with law enforcement. They can be used to fly into a dangerous situation for risk assessment. However, because they're noisy (they buzz really loudly) they're not much use for surveillance.  
• Other Wi-Fi can cause interference, but on the other hand they're almost impossible to hack and hijack.
• Flight time is actually very limited. Extending this is probably the next big technical advance for drones.
• You can do live Facebook video from DJI drones.

DJI Spark sitting on my lap. So tempting.

Oneida Color Guard and Welcome/Blessing
The WPA takes place on Oneida Nation land and the tribe has been part of the event since it moved to Green Bay last year. Members of the Oneida Tribal Police, Tribal Leaders, Color Guard and dancers were kind enough to kick off the 2017 WPA with a welcome, blessing and performance.

The Color Guard. Not gonna lie, I got a little teary.

The dancers were terrific, but that little girl in the Aaron Rodgers jersey (remember, this is Green Bay) stole the show. Bonus: the Packers played that night and won.

Usually WPA is photos only, no video, but we were allowed to film their performance. Next time I need to get there early and get better seats.

After the orientation, there was a TV writing class but since I'm in both the UCLA Extension and Shonda Rhimes classes, I figured I was covered and opted to try and get some rest so I'd be ready for Friday and Saturday, the two full days of WPA. More on that to come!

More pictures and videos from both sessions are here.

Okay, I'm back and other musings

Tonight marks two weeks since I arrived home from Writer's Police Academy (which I'm still planning on blogging) and it's been kind of a couple of wasted weeks. I got sick as soon as I got home - first a couple days of tension headaches (the flight home was rough) and then a really nasty cold that I'm still not completely recovered from. Throw in some car repair drama this week (the quote was a little over $3k, the biggest repair bill I've ever had) and I have just not been having a great time lately. I also haven't written much of anything and am now looking at a looming deadline. On the upside, I do my best work at deadline, so hopefully the story will come together in the next few days.

Anyhoo, the reason for all this whining is just to get caught up. I had this huge, ambitious to-do list for after WPA and I've barely even started to make a dent in it, but I'm feeling like I'm finally through the funk and can get moving.

Needless to say, my issues pale compared to what's happening in Texas right now thanks to Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Harvey. It reminds me of watching the coverage of Hurricane Katrina, except a lot more organized. I do have to wonder why there was no evacuation order for Houston, but hindsight is 20/20 and it's not fair to pass these judgements at this point. Yet.

Some crazy visuals are coming out of Texas via social media:

The Salvation Army put this picture of one of their vans up on Facebook. Note the lightning strike in the background.

Talk about making the best of a bad situation - this guy literally caught a fish in his flooded home.

This is a highway in Texas, and there's still more rain to come.

Boats have been deployed in the streets of Texas.

But this was the picture that really sent social media into overdrive. It was posted this morning on Twitter by the daughter of the woman who owns the nursing home, who had sent it to her asking for help. I heard on the news later that the residents were rescued.

But just so this post isn't a total downer, enjoy this: New owner Amazon to slash Whole Foods prices. No more whole paycheck jokes!

10-42 - Another Writers' Police Academy is in the books

Yet another wonderful Writers' Police Academy has signed off until next year.

I got to fire both a 9mm handgun and an AR-15 rifle this year. I actually got better results with the latter, although I was more comfortable with the handgun. Given the strength it took to handle both weapons and the sheer power emanating just from my end, if I learned nothing else, it's that I do not want to be on the receiving end of either one. Quite an experience.

I'll blog more details during the week, but for now I'm sitting here in Austin Straubel Airport in Green Bay waiting for the security checkpoint to open and looking forward to getting home.

Thank you again to WPA, Lee Lofland, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Radisson Green Bay, Oneida Nation, all the wonderful people I met at WPA, and everyone involved with putting on this event. It was another amazing year.

P.S. Carrots and pets to GBPD horsey cops Cole and Cooper and their partners, whose names I forgot to get of course because it was such a treat to be up close and personal with equines again. Wonderful horses and people.

Joy!!! Writers' Police Academy announces 2017 dates!

Via email:

We are pleased to announce the dates for the 9th annual 2017 Writers' Police Academy---August 10-13, 2017.

We are equally pleased to say we'll be returning to the absolutely stunning international training academy situated on the campus of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, Wi.

More info here. Seriously, it's like an addiction.

Calendar has been marked!

Writers' Police Academy 2016 - Wrap-up

A few more items to wrap-up my Writers' Police Academy experience:

• The ongoing spate of police shootings and the whole Blue Lives Matter issues was very much on everyone's minds over the weekend. During the orientation Thursday night a moment of silence was observed for fallen officers.
• I really liked our new hotel, the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center Green Bay. In addition to being ideally located right across the street from the airport and only ten minutes from the college, they also provided us with a really nice complimentary breakfast each morning. Highly recommended if you're in the area.
• Props also to everyone at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. They were wonderful hosts and the neon yellow-shirted volunteers were beyond helpful. Just a great group of people. Like I said in my previous post, it's looking like this is the new home of WPA for the foreseeable future and I think it's a great match. They seemed to be having as much fun as the attendees.
• And a huge round of applause for Lee Lofland and everyone involved in putting on this year's academy. Every year I wonder how they're going to top previous years, and every year they do it. Can't wait to see what they come up with next year. I swear, this thing is like an addiction.

Things I learned at Writers' Police Academy (Day 2)

Saturday started off with a bang - we were getting a lecture about terrorism when we were terrorized ourselves with an active attacker. Several "victims" staggered in, where they were helped by NWTC staff as well as some attendees who I believe were recruited during a first aid class Friday. Then the cops showed up.

There we were, minding our own business...

Man down!

The bodies are starting to pile up.

The calvary arrives!

I didn't get a lot of pics of the cops in action,
because we were ordered to keep our hands on
our heads - with our fingers interlocked - while 
they got things under control. For real.

These guys are actually recruits here at NWTC.
And they are serious badasses.

One of the things we learned in this class is how fast a person can bleed out: as little as 3-5 minutes, so tourniquets can be a lifesaver if pressure isn't enough to control serious bleeding.

The recruits came in on their day off for us. They didn't screw around, either. These guys are tough. If you hadn't known it was a demo, you would never have guessed.

More pics are here in my Writers' Police Academy 2016 album on Flickr.


Mashed Potatoes of Death: Are You Going To Eat That? (Instructor: Dr. Denene Lofland)

You know, it's actually pretty terrifying how easily you can poison someone just by feeding them. I'm not saying you'll get away with it, just that it can be done.

• One of the biggest offenders is mushrooms. People who forage for their own mushrooms are taking big risks, as poison mushrooms can closely resemble non-poisonous ones. They may even taste the same, so the person never knows they got the wrong kind until it's too late. We got a couple of examples of that in the class. Death Cap Mushrooms = slow, agonizing death.
• There are good molds and bad molds. Molds in certain types of cheese are good. Mold on bread, not so much. There is no antidote for this type of poisoning, so once mold has been ingested, the person is going to get sick and the illness will have to run its course.
• There is no general screening for "poisons". A doctor would have to have an idea of what they're looking for and specify the particular poisons they're screening for.
• A lot if not all of the poisonings we reviewed in class are hepatotoxic, meaning they are toxic to the liver. One of the things your liver helps with is blood clotting, so if it gets knocked out, internal bleeding becomes an issue. A big fat serious issue.
• We learned how ricin is made. It's terrifyingly easy. Ricin can come in the form of powder, mist or pellets. It's also tasteless, just to make it even more dangerous. There is no antidote and the victim will be dead in a couple of days. And a very, very small amount goes a long way.
• Not all bacteria can be killed by cooking or freezing food. One of the more bizarre things I've ever learned at Writers' Police Academy was this: A 20 year old college student decided to microwave a container of spaghetti that had been sitting out on the counter for five days. He became ill later that evening and was dead before noon the next day. Nuking it didn't kill the bacteria that had taken up residence in the food.

You can visit the Center for Disease Control's website for information regarding food recalls (or as Dr. Lofland called it, "What's poisoning us this week."). They will even give you the lot numbers of the products. Good resource, because by the time you hear about recalls on the news, people are already sick.


Fingerprinting (Instructor: John Flannery)
I didn't get as much actual dusting and lifting as I did at this previous WPA class, but I did finally learn about the actual patterns, something I'd always found confusing. Some fun factoids about prints:

• Identical twins do not share the same fingerprints. That's one thing about them that isn't identical
• No identical prints have ever been found.
• One of the things the CSI shows got right was AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System), which is available in all fifty states.
• Each of your fingers has a different print.
• Salt, amino acids and oil are what cause prints to be left behind.
• Some things you can't tell from observing prints: gender of the person who left it, or how long it's been there.
• Water does not wash off prints. Police can get prints off a weapon that has been thrown in a river.
• Ridge detail can also be found in toe, heel and palm prints. They are also unique, but there is no AFIS-type database for them.

We dusted in a room that I think was being used for the Death Scene Investigation Classes. The guy on the floor is Deadhead Joe. He's very dead. We just worked around him.

Prints on the stove. Somehow I need to tie this
in with the previous class.

PIT Maneuver (Instructor: Colleen Belongea)

I was really excited for this class, which made it even sadder that I didn't pull off the maneuver. I was the second person to go, and we were advised to back off around curves, then gun it to catch up on the straightaways. In the final turn, the guy driving the other car slowed way down to let us PIT, but I didn't realize that until I'd already had my chance, then watched most of my classmates doing it. I gunned it after the final turn and blew past him. Twice. Once I figured that out, I was hoping to get another shot at it, but the next class showed up and we had to leave (the PIT track was at a separate location from the rest of the classes). Still, it was fun and strangely bonding, as we cheered each other on. And Colleen is a rock star instructor among a field of rock star instructors. We just loved her. I do feel kind of like a jerk that I don't remember the name of the guy who drove the other car, because he took a lot of abuse. He must have been dizzy as hell after being spun around all day.

The approach.

Backing off around the turns. And gosh, look at
that sky.

The touch on the straightaway. I was really good
at this part.

Colleen showing us how it's done.

PITTED!!!

10 Common Mistakes Writers Make About the Law (Instructor: Leslie Budewitz)
I only caught maybe the last 15 minutes of this class because of coming in late from the PIT track. How good was this class? In the brief time I was in it, I took three pages of notes.

Leslie is the current President of Sisters in Crime and I met her very briefly at the Thursday Guppies lunch (at which she told us the class was expanding to twelve common mistakes). She is a lawyer in Montana and writes cozies. Crazy, huh?

Some of the common mistakes:

• In a criminal case, the defendant is never found innocent. The verdict will be either guilty or not guilty.
• In real life felony trials, sentences are rarely handed down right after the verdict is announced. There's usually at least a few weeks between the verdict and sentencing.
• Regardless of how they feel about a verdict, in real life lawyers and defendants don't argue with the judge. It's, "Thank you, your honor," pack up and leave.
• The police don't actually have the authority to tell a suspect not to leave town. Doing so would be a de facto arrest.
• The purpose of bail is to ensure that the suspect shows up in court for their trial. It can't be used to punish them. In cases of a violent crime where bail isn't offered, it's usually due to state laws/statutes rather than the judge's decision.
• Just because a victim doesn't want to press charges (which most often comes up in domestic disputes) doesn't mean the state won't proceed with the case. I know they do this in California because it came up once when I was called for jury duty (I wasn't picked for the jury).
• Don't assume the rule of common law marriages exists in every state. Some states recognize them, some don't.
• The burden of proof is lower in civil cases than in criminal cases, where the prosecution must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.  
• Jurisdiction isn't necessarily the pissing contest film and television would have you believe. Although egos and turf wars can be involved, most prosecutors take keeping the public safe seriously and will pursue the angle most likely to take a dangerous criminal off the streets.
• A plea deal must always go before a judge, and the judge isn't bound to agree to the sentence made in the deal. Also, it's a plea deal. Lawyers hate the term plea bargain.

Later that evening I attended the WPA banquet, where Guest of Honor Tami Hoag spoke to us. I also won this in the raffle, and needless to say after the Mashed Potatoes of Death class got all sorts of unsavory ideas about Killer Tomatoes. In fact, I think I've got a short story out of that one.

New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag
addresses the troops.

Gotta say, as much as I hated to say goodbye to WPA's North Carolina location (I have a crazy love for that place) Northeast Wisconsin Technical College rocked, plus having the hotel right across the street from the airport and ten minutes from the college was really convenient. Looks like Green Bay is going to be the home of WPA for the foreseeable future and I think it's a great fit.