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 Forum index » Meta » Puppetmaster Help
Help with some research
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ErrantVagrant
Kilroy


Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 1

 		Help with some research
A couple of puppetmasters looking for places for research
My buddy recently finished a fan ARG for a sci-fi franchise and is already looking into doing a sequel to it. I've agreed to help him out in the planning as his time is currently limited. However I'm running into some problems.

1: Does anybody know where I can do some research into police procedures, or how to contact detectives for interviews? We both live in a small town and aren't sure how things work in the big city.

2: See above, but for how federal agencies interact with each other. Like, how do the NSA and FBI interact, for example?

3: The game is going to be set in the Chicago area, but in the future. Does anybody know of a site that we can use for reference during the plotting and actualization phases? We're looking mostly for minor, little things that escape the usual tourist traps but would be something that a local could sit up and say "Hey, I know what they're talking about!"

4: Perhaps my Google-fu is weak, but does anybody know if there's a site out there that shows how the greater Chicago area has changed over the decades? My buddy thinks that it can help him plot out how the city will change in the future.

Sorry about all of this, but he runs a tight ship with a lot of focus on making even the most fantastic of elements as believable and reliable as possible. For the ARG he just did, he interviewed sailors, physicists, doctors and even metallurgists. I just want to help him out by getting as much information as possible in his hands before he kicks into high research mode.

PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:05 am
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jessie1326
Decorated


Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Posts: 260
Location: Illinois, U.S.A.

 		Just a couple of quick thoughts, though these may be overly simplistic answers-- for your first two questions, I would suggest searching somewhere like Google Scholar for criminal justice articles about the specific procedures. My husband is studying CJ, and what you're talking about sounds pretty similar to some of the things he has read/researched. In particular, I know that inter-agency interaction has been the subject of a lot of research since 9/11.

For Chicago, it sounds like you just need to chat up some locals. Unfortunately, I don't qualify. Also, you might try the Encyclopedia of Chicago, available via Google, for historical maps of the area.

Good luck!

PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:04 am
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catherwood
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee

Joined: 25 Sep 2002
Posts: 4109
Location: Silicon Valley, CA

 		There is a series of books out there, the "Howdunit Series" specifically for writers, giving details of all sorts of things: weapons, poisons and other methods of murder, psychology of criminals, killers and perverts, and police procedures. The titles all start with "A Writer's Guide to..."

Police Procedural: A Writer's Guide to the Police and How They Work (Howdunit) by Russell L. Bintliff
http://www.amazon.com/Police-Procedural-Writers-Guide-Howdunit/dp/0898795966

Click on that author and you'll also find such titles as "How to Write Effective Law Enforcement Reports". The mind boggles at what makes it into a publication! Other books in that series include:

  • Howdunit Book of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers by Lee Lofland
  • Scene of the Crime: A Writer's Guide to Crime Scene Investigation (Howdunit Series) by Anne Wingate
  • Murder One: A Writer's Guide to Homicide (Howdunit Series) by Mauro V. Corvasce
  • Cause of Death : A Writer's Guide to Death, Murder and Forensic Medicine (Howdunit Series) by Keith D. Wilson

Just put (Howdunit Series) into the books search bar on Amazon.


Of course, you might not want to buy a lot of reference materials (unless you are a budding career writer), but perhaps your local library could track some of them down thru intra-library loans.

PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:55 am
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Rogi Ocnorb
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 4266
Location: Where the cheese is free.
catherwood wrote:
... such titles as "How to Write Effective Law Enforcement Reports". ...

And by, "Effective", they really mean, "Creative".
_________________
I'm telling you now, so you can't say, "Oh, I didn't know...Nobody told me!"


PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:53 am
Last edited by Rogi Ocnorb on Thu Apr 14, 2011 2:24 am; edited 1 time in total
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sifaka
Boot


Joined: 11 Oct 2004
Posts: 15
Location: New Jersey

 		There is a yahoo group http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/crimescenewriter/ that I've found invaluable for giving good information on police procedures. There are professional detectives, etc. in the group that can give accurate answers. As far as the federal agencies go, my mom has done work with FEMA and Homeland Security and is quite knowledgeable about how things are done so if you'd like I could pass along any questions to her. I've sent her lists of questions on multiple occasions so I doubt she'd mind. Laughing

PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:17 pm
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Ofiuco
Unfettered


Joined: 27 Nov 2005
Posts: 365
Location: The Void
Quote:
2: See above, but for how federal agencies interact with each other. Like, how do the NSA and FBI interact, for example?


Join one.

Just kidding.

Read up on the United States Intelligence Community. Check out the 9/11 Commission Report. Watch documentaries about specific cases - multi-agency cases. Historically, the FBI and CIA have a rocky relationship, and the NSA is extremely strict about adhering to the word of the law (see: any documentary on 9/11) and DHS is, well, DHS. The extent of their relationships are all dictated by law and executive orders, which changed dramatically after 9/11, but the character is something that has developed over time and may require a bit of imagination or extrapolation on your part.

When it comes to police procedures and so on, if you are comfortable actually talking to a cop, I would say do that! Some police departments have internships where you even get to help out around the farm, so to speak, but I imagine if you were to speak with the applicant matters or community outreach folks they might be happy to tell you a little bit about their lives, as long as you make it clear your intentions are positive.
Otherwise, the Freedom of Information Act is your friend. Many (admittedly redacted) FBI documents are available on their website - you can see how they write and some of their thought processes during an investigation. I'm sure there are a lot of other court documents out there in the public domain as well. For my part, I read the entire affidavit in the Robert Hanssen case, which I found highly educational.

PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:30 am
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