Saturday, October 2, 2010

Writer's Police Academy: Jail Search







As a volunteer (patsy) for the jail search portion, I was moving lickity split to uncover contraband with my partner, Pat Brown. (Doesn't it look like my hair is flowing? That's totally the talent of my cp/roommate/photog Kelly Irvin. Trust me. With the humidity of North Carolina, nothing much really 'flows'.)

If, during a search, a prisoner is found to have a stockpile of issued items (ie: toilet paper), he or she has opened a store. The question is, what is the currency?

And here's a visual for you:

Prisoner intake involves a visual strip search if the offense was violent, or if drugs were involved.

Visual strip search:

—all clothing is removed

—spread buttock's cheeks

—squat

—cough


I gather the intake personnel at the jail have been surprised more than once to see the items 'issued' from this type of search.

With the exception of a photograph tomorrow, this will end my Writer's Police Academy posts.

In addition to what I've covered here, I have notes on CSI, EMS, the reenactment of a campus shooter, a session on why people kill (that has some significant, lingering images), a ton of notes on Forensic Pathology, some significant information regarding inductive vs. deductive criminal profiling and a few bits about going undercover.

If you'd like some additional detail I may have, please feel free to email me.



CR: Breathing Water by Timothy Hallinan on my Kindle.


It's all better with friends.

3 comments:

  1. What a picture you painted of the search--ugly but funny too. It sounds like such a good workshop. I've heard Lee on several occasions and learned more each time. Wish I'd been there with you all.

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  2. The Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy that I took part in didn't say anything about strip searches. I think I'm just as glad to have gotten the condensed version here. Really enjoy your posts, Peg.

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  3. Thanks for stopping by Ellis and Fran. I'm pretty sure I'd never want to personally witness a strip search, but I sure could write about one!

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