So last month, I told you that I interviewed a Boerne police detective for research for my 4th book. I am so glad I did.
Now, none of my books are police procedurals but I always want my books to be believable. And while most of my research is done online, I felt that I would learn more about process and how our local police department works by talking with someone who is in the trenches (especially important since the story takes places primarily in Boerne). And I was right.
A few tidbits of what I learned:
* Cold cases (a term I was planning to use) are called Inactive Cases, at least in Boerne
* There is no coroner in Boerne. When a body is found, the Justice of the Peace (JP) has to come out and pronounce the time of death.
* The JP is also the person who can authorize an autopsy and/or DNA testing.
* Autopsies are not performed in Boerne. They are sent to San Antonio or to Austin, if San Antonio is too busy (and it usually is).
* Autopsy results take approx 3 months to come in (there is no such thing as a 'rush' on an autopsy); detectives are encouraged to go and observe the autopsy to take notes so they can start their research right away.
* Boerne has 6 detectives and cases that come in are rotated amongst them. They department is not big enough to have separate specialties (homicide, narcotics, etc), so the detectives do it all.
* Human trafficking is becoming more of an issue in Boerne since they are now trucking people along IH-10.
All of the above will make a difference in my novel and I am so grateful to Detective Norbery for his time and for his willingness to talk with me.
I had so much fun chatting with him and hope/plan to do more interviews in the future.