One reference book is followed by another. I promise not to do three in a row.
Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers
by Lee Lofland
Don’t believe everything you see — on TV or in the movies!
That’s the biggest takeaway in this volume by an experienced police officer.
An evening’s browse through this book will enlighten the reader to some of the education, equipment, and procedures common to all law enforcement agencies in the United States. Specif chapters are devoted to general qualifications plus; training, equipment, fingerprinting, autopsy, courts, and prisons.
So if you are an author — or one of the curious — this is an excellent source to clarify questions like: Would they need a warrant? Who does the officer writing my speeding ticket report to? Who’s a bailiff? How do they transport prisoners from coast-to-coast? This will be a valuable source.
View this as the basics. If you continue to have specific questions seek further guidance at your library or with your local police department. Many of the larger departments have public relations officers or will point you in the direction to help you “get it right”.
A bracelet fashion statement to avoid.
Check for this volume at your library, bookstore, and on-line.