Police Procedure in the Crime Novel

[A F Waddell]

For authenticity, I am wondering how much police procedure should be shown, and/or how much is desired or necessary? Given that dialogue and scene imply --- must one get deeply into ballistic and DNA results, for example? Feedback appreciated!

Cheers,
A

[Brandt Dodson]

Since most people read for character (people find other people interesting) I tend to follow Wambaugh's suggestion. I don't write about cops working on the job, I write about the job working on cops.

[Robin Burcell]

I really like Sandra's response: "how do you make it authentic without bogging it down in technical detail, or is it necessary to have the detail to give off authenticity." That really is the key (and what I try to do in my books.) Combine this with what Brandt quoted from Wambaugh (and Michael Connelly also prescribes to this) "don't write about cops working on the job, write about the job working on cops" and you will have some top notch fiction. You can have all the technical advisers in the world, hell, you can even have worked the job yourself, but what it boils down to is how you put it down on the paper. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, the characters and writing are going to decide if that book ends up being thrown across the room. I'm willing to forgive the safety on the Glock, or the cool necklace some prisoner is wearing in a penitentiary (where there wouldn't ever be a cool necklace on a prisoner) if I like the characters and the story. But if I don't, (like the prisoner with necklace story) yeah, it's gonna end up a doorstop. So, maybe, if you're gonna make your mistake, or gloss over research, do it way late into the story after I've invested time, as opposed to the first friggin' chapter.

So, here's the thing: Balance. You must have balance. If I were to write my books as I talked to other cops on the job or on the radio, I wouldn't get anyone past the first chapter. One, you couldn't understand what they were saying, because code is different for every department. Two, who would care? Three, as I've said before, there is no way you can have it exactly right and get through a story. (I have to take a lot of literary license during my fictional investigations. And, hey, so far I have solved every case.)

A reader has to be willing to suspend some disbelief. You make that happen by making them believe in your characters first. You do that, and they're willing to overlook any number of safeties on wrong guns, or civilians being paired with cops, or DNA coming back in hours, not weeks. And you make that happen by making them believe you know what you are talking about, even if you don't. The best way to do that is to gloss over the really technical details, and to add the cool words like DNA, electro-static charge, and CSI in your story. Then you balance that with an explanation of the cool technical word, told in a simple way so that those who have never heard it used before will understand, but those who are familiar with it don't feel like you are force feeding explanations to them. That means you have to be clever with your descriptions. (As in avoiding the Screenplay kiss of death: As you know, Bob...)

Just thought of something else. Treat it like a spice. Too much and the recipe sucks. Too little and it can still suck, maybe just not as bad. Sprinkle it throughout, as needed, and you should be fine. Put in the wrong spice (such as that on the bottle labeled "Gun Safeties" and you might not have a perfect recipe, but if all the other ingredients are still there, it is certainly a palatable read.

Again, my two cents, worth jack diddly with inflation...

[A F Waddell]

Sandra, Jordan, Brandt, Robin,

Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback. I'm finding it all informative and motivating --- not to mention you are confirming things that I felt intuitively. This info goes into my notes. Cheers, A

[Lois Karlin]

I'm a newbie novelist, so I'll answer from a reader's point of view. I like forensic details that teach me something, just as I like other technical details that help to color the world in which the protagonist does her thing. I just don't like technical details presented in big gloppy chunks, and I tend to zone out and skip over them. Seems to me a general rule might be...use a light touch with technical detail just as you do with backstory in the early chapters. Thread it in sparingly...maybe a single sentence embedded here, another there. Which would sort of preclude any 'deep' ballistic and DNA reporting in a typical mystery, but should not of course preclude it in one in which the plot requires it. But even in the latter case, erring on the light side may better allow you to hold onto your readers.

[A F Waddell]

Hi Lois, thanks for taking the time to share this . . . very helpful! Best of luck with your book(s)! Cheers, A

use a light touch with technical detail just as you do with backstory in the early chapters. Thread it in sparingly...maybe a single sentence embedded here, another there. Which would sort of preclude any 'deep' ballistic and DNA reporting in a typical mystery, but should not of course preclude it in one in which the plot requires it. But even in the latter case, erring on the light side may better allow you to hold onto your readers.>>