Skip to main content

Citizen’s Police Academy

Captain’s Log, Stardate 04.13.2010

I had never even heard of one until yesterday, then when I Googled it I saw one for Santa Clara California residents that seems pretty neat. I tried to find one for San Jose but no luck, so I emailed the San Jose Police Department to ask about one.

(I wonder why the SJPD website didn’t have a link to the Citizen’s Police Academy? I saw some news pages saying that San Jose did have one, so why isn’t it on the website?)

It’s kind of scary emailing a police department. And I felt a little silly saying I’m a novelist, but hopefully there aren’t SO many engineers in San Jose that the SJPD understands that us weird artistic types live here, too.

So now I’m waiting for them to email me back. I hope the timing is right so that I could take it this summer or something like that.

I think that taking it would help me write my romantic suspense novels better. Usually crime involves the police, right? And often cops or ex-cops are good heroes in romantic suspenses.

Do you have a Citizen’s Police Academy in your area? Anyone been to one of them? What’s it like?

Comments

LuAnn said…
I took the one we had here. They didn't teach how to be cops. Instead, we learned what cops do and how citizens can be the extra set of eyes cops need to catch the bad guys. We learned a lot of interesting information, much of which I already knew because I've been a journalist for so many years. But I did learn a few new things. Each week, they brought in a different speaker from a different department. It really was informative. We had a good turn out, too, which I thought was very positive. If you really want to know what cops do, a citizen's academy is a good place to start.
Tales of Whimsy said…
Way cool. I had no idea. It makes me think of Castle (novelist shadows cop for upcoming book).
Linda said…
Ours was similar to LuAnn, but we were able to shoot the officers guns-a rifle and a glock. The rifle I was used to, the glock was nerve wracking. We also got to do a ride-along. That's scary, as you are in the midst of whatever they come upon.
Then our Police put on an advanced seminar, and we learned more specific information on doing an investigation and additional depts. we didn't learn in the first one. I'd recommend it to everyone. It give you a sobering respect for what the Police to for us citizens everyday. 99% of the officers were very professional and approachable. There were a few that grated on me with their attitude. Go for it. You'll definitely be glad you did.
Emileigh Latham said…
You are so brave! I have never heard of such a thing!
Geekwif said…
I've never heard of such a thing before, but it sounds really interesting! I'd love to read about your experience if you are able to do it.
Camy Tang said…
LuAnn and Linda, thanks so much! That sounds exactly what I'd like! I just want to understand the police department and how things work, I don't really want to learn how to be a cop. I'm very happy being a novelist! :)
Camy
Sounds like an adventure waiting to happen. Hope you can get into one quickly.
Camy Tang said…
Thanks, Diane! I hope so too!
Crystal Laine said…
Camy, in Ohio a former cop named Lee Hofland (I'll have to check his name but he's a FB friend) has not only an academy for novelists but has a book with Writer's Digest specifically to help novelists with technical things that go along with suspense writing, etc.

I met him at the Midwest Writers Workshop and he's just the best. I've not gone to the conference for writers but I've heard it's good.

However, I would bet most police academies for citizens where you identified yourself as a novelist would be happy to help you out. (And get it right!)

My son went to a career camp for state police when he was in HS as he was thinking of this as a career and while he had fun, it was pretty tough! (Ha) And he learned tons. The police dog waking them at 3 AM and running them out on the street to push police cars was quite the memory for him.
Camy Tang said…
Yeah, I'd like to go to his Writers Police Academy but can't swing it this year, and I have his book too.

That's pretty cool about your son! Sounds like Basic Training.

Popular Posts

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Lady Wynwood paperbacks Black Friday sale

All paperbacks in the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series on sale for Black Friday weekend! Click here to purchase on Amazon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be stuffed (haha) with good food, great company, and a nap or two!

Jane Austen sweepstakes

Win a Library of 30 Historical Romance Novels + Jane Austen Swag Worth $250! This is a delightful surprise I've been eager to share! Join me and 30 extraordinary authors in an enchanting giveaway where we're gifting a vast array of historical romance novels to two fortunate winners! And the cherry on top: The Grand Prize winner will be treated to an exclusive Jane Austen swag pack, worth an impressive $250! You'll get the chance to win a copy of my book, Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer, as well as novels from renowned authors like Laura Beers and Kasey Stockton. (Please be aware that not all the historical novels in this giveaway are Christian or sweet.) To enter, simply click the magical link below. Wishing you the best of luck and a journey filled with delightful reads! Join Our Giveaway

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

Christmas Historical Romance Sale

I’m participating in the promo above. Click on the graphic to check out all the sweet/clean romance books available and stuff your eBook reader!

Chopsticks and knitting

Hahahahaha! My husband, Captain Caffeine sent me this cartoon. The Asian and the knitter in me loves this one: My parents taught me to use chopsticks at an early age so they’re pretty comfortable for me. Did you know there are differences between Japanese and Chinese chopsticks? The Chinese ones tend to be blunter and more slippery whereas the Japanese ones are pointier and sometimes have a textured tip to make it easier to grab food. My mom will eat salad with a chopstick, which I have to admit is a bit easier than a fork, for me. Any of you knit? Any of you use chopsticks?

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

Merry Christmas! Enjoy The Spinster's Christmas

As a Merry Christmas gift to all my blog readers, I’m going to be posting my Christian Regency romantic suspense, The Spinster’s Christmas , for free on my blog! I’ll be posting the book in 1000-1500 word segments every Tuesday and Friday. (When I do the calculations, it’ll finish around the end of May.) Why am I posting a Christmas story when it won’t be Christmas in a week? Because I can! :) The Spinster’s Christmas is the prequel volume to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . Right now I’m editing volume 1 of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, and it’s on track to release in 2020. (If you’re on my Camille Elliot newsletter , you’ll be sure to hear when it’s available for preorder.) I anticipate that the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series to be about ten volumes. I think the series story will be a lot of fun to tell, and I’m looking forward to writing up a storm! Below, I’ll be listing the links to the parts of The Spinster’s Christmas as I post them. (I created the html links by hand so please