Welcome to Help From My Friends Friday. I’ve been friends with today’s guest for many years. I’m a fan of her thrillers and newsletter, which always features a short mystery. I’m also grateful she shares her expertise with writers on Crimescenewriter at Groups.io or, for example, my blog. And here’s your chance to check out her short story prequel Grave Ambition at the end of this article! Please welcome retired police officer and author Kathy Bennett ~ Donnell Ann Bell
A RETIRED COP GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
By: Kathy Bennett
As a retired Los Angeles Police Officer, it was only natural that when I began to write novels, they turned into tales of mayhem
and crime. But I’ve been retired for over a decade, and things change—rapidly.
One of the ways I can try keep up with new and successful investigative techniques and technologies is by attending the California Homicide Investigators Association (CHIA) conference.
CHIA is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1968 when homicide detectives from Los Angeles and San Francisco met over dinner to discuss the Zodiac Killer investigation. The simple gathering grew into what is now the largest organization of homicide and death investigation professionals including law enforcement representatives, coroner investigators, crime scene technicians, and prosecutors from all over the United States, Canada, and beyond.
I hadn’t attended the conference in several years, but this year’s agenda seemed to be calling to me. There was a case being presented that was from a city next door to the city where I grew up. In addition, another case involved a triple homicide in the Division where I worked prior to my retirement. And lastly, there was a presentation about the quadruple homicide of four college students at the College of Idaho. As a transplant from California to Idaho, I was certainly interested in that case.
For the first time, I did not know a soul at the conference. That didn’t mean I didn’t get any value from it.
The first thing I discovered was that most of the people working in law enforcement today look like they just went into high school. In the hotel, it was easy for me to tell the law enforcement people from the way they talked and moved. It’s not unusual for current and former cops to recognize the traits that most law enforcement officers pick up during their career. I wish I could be more descriptive about what the mannerisms are, but as the late Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart said (about pornography), “I know it when I see it.”
I was fascinated by all the cases presented at the conference. (You can take the girl out of law enforcement—but you can’t take law enforcement out of the girl.) But I suspect that the case most of you are familiar with was the murders in Idaho.
I had hoped that I would learn some really interesting things about the case that I didn’t know. To my surprise, that wasn’t the case. Truthfully, most of the information presented was things I’d seen in the news. I will say that the presentation was very respectful of the victims.
The one thing that stood out was how a very small police department (30 to 35 sworn officers, about seven of them assigned to the college campus) even with tremendous help from other law enforcement agencies, struggled with the amount of public interest on the case. There were tens of thousands of tips that were received—and every single one of those tips had to be investigated.
All the crimes were different in nature, as were the investigations. It was a riveting three days, and I even managed to get some brainstorming done on my next book.
While I know many of you would love to attend the CHIA conference, unfortunately, it is open only to current and previous law enforcement officers.
But if you’d like to read Authentic Crime . . . Arresting Stories, you might want to check out my Hot Crime in the City Series. I have a free short story prequel called Grave Ambition that’s available HERE.
About Kathy’s offered Short Story: Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a police officer in Los Angeles? Pin on your badge and buckle up–you’re about to find out. A brash rookie cop wanting to prove himself gets more than he bargained for–with shocking results.
About the Author: Kathy Bennett is a retired Los Angeles Police Officer with twenty-one years of sworn law enforcement experience. She is the author of the Deadly Thriller series, featuring LAPD Detective Maddie Divine, and the Hot Crime in the City series, which follows LAPD patrol officers as they confront the crimes and challenges on the streets of Los Angeles.
Enjoyed reading the blog so much I had to immediately download the short story. Authentic with a surprise twist at the end. Thanks for sharing. I want to read more.
Thank you, Brooke! That short story is one of my most favorite stories.
Kathy, CHIA sounds like a fantastic opportunity for law enforcement personnel. You say you can recognize LEO but can’t describe it. I would think posture, eye contact, situational awareness, sitting or standing against a wall in which no one can be behind them, if possible. Am I close? Off to read your short story, and I’ve downloaded book one of your Hot Crime in the City Series. Love Maddie Divine! Thanks for being my guest today.
Donnell, thank you so much for letting me share my experiences with your readers. Yes, while all those traits are true for most LEOs, there is also something that I can’t define. (The closest word I can think of is swagger—but that’s not it, lol!) It’s not just confidence. Hmm, maybe somehow communicating without words that they’re ready for anything.
I think swagger is a great word. The officers I’ve met have a ton of self-confidence. Is that something that is instilled in them in the Academy? i imagine a recruit has to come in with self-confidence in the first place or they won’t last.
I think the academy may weed out the recruits who don’t have enough confidence, but I also believe the academy can help to bring out assuredness that a recruit might not even realize they possess. I saw it in both men and women in my class.
Awesome post and short story! I have been one of Kathy’s first readers of her books and she gets better with each one. Looking forward to adding Donnell to my author list as well!
Jamime, I would be honored! Thank you.
Thank you!