This has got to be the best idea for a writer's conference that I have heard about in years…
My friend Lee Lofland, ex-cop turned author of POLICE PROCEDURE AND INVESTIGATION, has put together THE WRITER'S POLICE ACADEMY on April 17-18 2009 in Hamilton, Ohio. The faculty is packed with top cops giving hands-on instruction in, among other things, Interrogation, hand-to-hand combat, police tools & equipment, arrest procedure & tech, law enforcement technology, and equipment, hostage negotiations, lie detection, traffic stops, handgun training, as well as indepth tours of the local morgue and police department.
It sounds fantastic to me. I hope I will be able to go.
The Writer's Police Academy coincides with the Mad Anthony Writer's Conference, which includes guests like Bleak House publisher Ben LeRoy and Writer's Digest Books editor Jane Friedman.
The UK Writers’ Guild has run occasional day events on some aspect of forensics or procedure… hugely valuable, and not just for the factual content. There’s the networking, and the opportunity to pick up on how these professionals think and speak.
Thanks for mentioning the conference, Lee. This event is going to be fantastic. I think the best part of the entire thing is the hands-on aspect. Attendees will be able to see what it’s like to handcuff a bad guy, dust a crime scene for fingerprints, and explore a real morgue, police car, and police department. And, for those Jeff Deaver fans, I’m teaching a class on kinesics.
There’s way too much to describe here, but I can honestly say that even I am excited about this event. The faculty is the best in the business, and the atmosphere and conference staff is second to none. I hope to see everyone there. Unfortunately, space is very limited.
Is this open to all writers, or do you need to be a member of a particular organization?
It’s open to everybody.