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Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Homicide Scenes: Information for Writers with Sgt. Derek Pacifico



Fiona - Good morning - have you had your coffee?




Sgt. Pacifico - Yes, I have it right here as a matter of fact. Just got
      my drum workout in and feeling relaxed now.

Fiona - Drum workout? LOL It seems a little early in the morning...
     hopefully everyone at your house was already up. What do you
     play?

Sgt. Pacifico - It's a great stress reliever. I love to play to
     Genesis and other 60's, 70's rock groups. Pink Floyd, Rush those
     kinds.

Fiona - So I've found you relaxed and about to be caffeinated - then
      I should take advantage. Let's start with who you are and why
      I'm so thrilled to have you and your expertise here today.

Sgt. Pacifico - My background is patrol
     and my specialty in homicide 
    - and later as a trainer as well. 
     My forte is being an interrogator. 
     That's where I'm most 
     knowledgeable, 
     and it is a favorite topic. I just loved
     working that detail. The most
     important work I ever did.

Fiona - How is the process at a homicide different than arriving at
      the scene of any other violent crime. What's the mood? What's
      the mind set...


Sgt. Pacifico - The major difference is that when it is a homicide,
      everything slows down. There isn't any rush. The violence
      is over, now it's time to be very detail oriented in getting all the
      evidence we can. In every crime where the victim lives, they
      can at least tell us something about what happened prior to the
      violence. In a murder, we often don't know who our dead guy
      is, why he is there, why this happened, and who is involved.
      Depending on the nature of the scene or the body, sometimes
      we don't even know why they are dead until the autopsy.

      The mindset is always that we know we are playing for all the
      marbles. A doper is going to buy/sell/produce more dope if he
      gets off on some blunder we made in the case. The suspect is
      only going to kill his neighbor once. We have to get it right. 
      Sometimes that means staying at scenes for days.

Police car emergency lighting fixtures switche...
Police car emergency lighting fixtures switched on. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fiona - How much does
      money have to do with
      finding the right
      bad-guy sending him to
      to jail? Do more
      affluent departments
      have a better chance?

Sgt. Pacifico - The better
      the budget, the more
      resources there are to
      spend on personnel, physical resources, crime lab and
      equipment, outside testing etc. But the funny part about
      money that most people get wrong is that the rich don't get
      better service or more of our time and the poor victim gets
      nothing, within the same agency jurisdiction. What I mean is
      this, usually a more affluent person who winds up dead is going
      to have people willing to be involved to help us - be that family,
      friends, or co-workers. The suspect is usually easily figured out
      from their lifestyle and usually they're not career criminals or
      have that mindset. Whereas a poor gang banger's murder is far
      harder to investigate. The amount of hours spent working a gang
      murder is probably (unscientific numbers here) 10 to 1 versus a
      middle or upper class murder. In the case of a gang murder, no
      one wants to talk to us. The witnesses who do finally talk are
      most often other criminals whose credibility is suspect in court.
      Before trial, witnesses often get killed in unrelated murders -
      not specially in retaliation for testifying in the 
      pre-preliminary hearing, and so on and so forth. The work on a
      bangers murder case can take years to get to trial. The middle
      class guy who kills his co-worker in a love triangle for example,
      that one may be solved in a week or two and prosecuted within
      a year's time.

Fiona - You mentioned the behind scene politics and emotions -
      basically the humanity of the investigator - can you explain
      this? I'm particularly interested in coping mechanisms at the
      moment of confronting the scene - but also later when alone
      with one's thoughts.

Sgt. Pacifico - I will say that after my first autopsy, I wasn't able to
      eat chicken on the bone for about six months. After a while
      though, I had to just get over the sights and references and
      realize that it probably bothers everyone a little at first, but you
      just have to accept seeing damaged bodies as part of the job. 

     I have a friend from high school who became a doctor and
     worked trauma for a couple years. He told me he coped with
     what he saw by remembering it was his job; people were relying
     on him. Because it was not his family or friend, it was easy to
     put aside the emotions and get the job done. He was right, and it
     helped. He said he isn't necessarily as calm about injuries when
     it's his direct family and he is in daddy-mode instead of doctor-
     mode. 

     I think that our intense academy training style helps too. You
     learn very early on - or you don't make it - that you have to push
     through stressful situations and do the job properly or people
     who depend on you could die. Now in homicides, the
     investigation isn't of that same nature, but you realize that
     although there are stresses, you can handle it, including the
     emotions and seeing the bad stuff. 

     Now here is a little secret - television and movies on average 
     are more gross than real life. For instance, a man shot a couple 
     times in the chest with a pistol round with one bullet piercing
     the heart will not bleed very much for two reasons. One, the
     pump that causes bleeding is broken, and isn't causing
     circulation. Then, due to lack of circulation, they fall down and
     die. There is no more bleeding. There could be some seepage,
     but a man wearing a shirt and especially a hoodie or jacket who
     is shot in the chest may hardly bleed (externally) at all. He just
     falls down dead. In the movies, they have huge exit wounds and
     gross wounds that most times, on average, victim's don't
     experience in real life. 

     Now knife wounds are a different story. There is so much
     damage done during a knife fight before the victim actually
     dies that there is a tremendous amount of blood loss. Those
     scenes can be quite icky.

Fiona - I adore that you used the word "Icky." You read it here
     folks - gun scenes are clean if you need gore go for the knife.

     One of my readers once asked me what happens at a crime
     scene in terms of housekeeping. Say there's a homicide and
     someone broke in - does the police secure the house - board up
     the window or door? What about the pets? How do you go about
     finding the other residents to let them know what's going on - or
     next of kin?

Sgt. Pacifico - We the police don't get involved in any clean up. It's
     actually a bio-hazard scene and needs to be done properly. 
     There are a few different companies that do crime scene clean
     up. We provide that information to whomever is now
     responsible for the property and advise them to use a service.
     Whether they do or not is entirely up to them. 

      By the time we are done with a scene, we will have identified
      some next of kin or landlord to whom we turn over the 
      property when we are done. That's another thing TV gets wrong.
      We own the scene while we are there. Regardless, we will have
      written a search warrant to conduct
      the investigation. That way
English: A photo of a cup of coffee. Esperanto...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
      we don't rely on people's
      permission to stay as long
      as we want
      and need. But once we
      are done, the tape comes
      down, and we
      leave. It doesn't remain a
      crime scene after we are
      gone. If we are going to
      be there multiple days and
      therefore need to get
      away and sleep, we maintain
      security of the place by having a
      uniformed police officer stand guard while we grab some zzz's
      in our detective unit. Usually two hour naps, coupled with 
      gallons of coffee can get us back on track until sun up. 



Admrboltz cat Floyd 2
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
      Pets are
      immediately removed
      from the scene. If
      neighbors will take them
      for us, great. If there are
      no neighbors, or the
      animals are dangerous,
      we have animal control
      pick them up and hold
      them for next of kin. 

     In today's electronic age, it doesn't
     take long for next of kin to
     find out what we are doing. Often they show up earlier than we'd
     like. Sometimes they are problematic. They want to go in the
     house and touch the body, and we don't want any contamination
     and only get one shot at doing a pristine scene. It's a difficult
     balancing act for the family who wants to know what happened
     and us telling them what we can without compromising the case

Fiona - Let's talk about a project your are working on that will
      benefit writers - the Writers Homicide School. How did that
      come about?

      I retired in June, 2012 after 22 years on the San Bernardino
      County Sheriff's Department in Southern California. Years ago
      when I was in homicide, I came to Knoxville, Tennessee to pick
      up a suspect and bring him back to California. I fell immediately
      in love with the geography and culture of East Tennessee. 
      I made my wife come back with me on a vacation, and she was
      instantly hooked. I retired early in order to leave California and
      finish raising my kids out here in East Tennessee where I live
      now. 

     In my work as an officer, at
     an early age, my supervisors
     apparently saw something in
     me regarding my ability to
     train and teach. I was brought
     into the ranks of the Field
     Training Officers and also
     tasked with creating and
     developing course material
     and teaching it at our academy for
     both basic recruit academy and also the advanced officer
     training.

     I never had any thoughts or intentions about having a training 
     company or doing consulting, but it just sort of happened while
     I was still a detective. I was invited by outside agencies to come
     out on their budget and teach my courses that had garnered so
     much popularity in my department. One day, I realized I could
     make a business of this. 

      When I was in homicide, because of my training development
      background, I was asked to develop an advanced homicide
      school. I created a two-week interactive school and set it in
      motion with several other instructors. It gained huge popularity
      and quickly became a favorite class for many professionals
      because of our very fun and interactive method of delivering
      the information. Part of being in homicide, or on the
      department, is being asked to speak or guest lecture to
      organizations. We had a 45 minute homicide for public
      groups PowerPoint that we often delivered to Kiwanis, Rotary
      and those types of groups. 

      One day I was invited to speak to the Sisters in Crime in
      Pasadena. I gave them the public lecture, and they loved it.
      From that I was invited to several other conferences to speak
      and eventually wound up at CBS studios speaking to a screen
      writers group. Some writers had seen me in several of these
      talks and had cornered me, refusing to let me go until I
      promised to put on a full seminar of no less than two days worth
      of material geared to writers. From that, CRIME WRITERS
      CONSULTATIONS was born.



      This continued with me developing what is now the WRITERS
      HOMICIDE SCHOOL, a two-day seminar that brings writers
      from the hiring process through being a detective in homicide
      and learning a little about all of the aspects of how to do the job,
      but even more so what goes on behind the scenes. Politics,
      frustrations, laughter, sadness and all the stuff no one ever sees.
      Writers get to ask all the questions they can fit in during the 
      seminar, and its great for character and scene development.

Fiona - I always ask this same question in all of my interviews - 
     please tell me the story behind your favorite scar. Interestingly,
     I have found all of my interviews with people who live a "do-or-
     die" lifestyle, they rarely have a scar story. At cocktail parties, 
     I have brought this up as a topic and my favorite theory is that
     should you be one of the people who would get scars, then
     you're not going to last very long on the job - sort of a survival
     of the fittest theory if you will. So if you have no scar then
     maybe just a harrowing close call...

English: Anthroplogy - human skull of a boy. T...
. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sgt. Pacifico - I've broken
      the bones in my right
      hand twice. Don't punch
      people in the skull.
      Typically the skull is
      tougher than
      metacarpals. 

     The first time, I was on
     patrol working graveyard, 
     11p.m. - 7a.m. Around 1 a.m. on this
     warm summer night, I was patrolling the business area abutting
     up to a residential area. I was on the main thoroughfare driving
     pretty slowly when I heard a man shouting unintelligibly. 
     I finally figured out it was coming from the corner convenience
     store where there was some guy standing at the payphone
     shouting at it. He was out of his mind on drugs. He had the
     phone cradle in his right hand and was beating the keypad, 
     each time yelling a random number. Bam! "Six!" Bam!
     "Threeee!" When I approached him and tried to speak gently
     to him, he turned on me and the fight was on. Another deputy
     had already arrived for the approach, and we tackled him. He
     grabbed my inside thigh and started twisting my skin and
     muscles. It hurt like hell, so I punched him a couple times in the
     head. It got him to let go, and we were able to cuff him. After
     the adrenaline wore off, my hand was throbbing, and I went to
     the local ER where X-rays showed a fracture. Bummer was that
     I had to work the front desk for six weeks!


Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Illegal Drugs 101: Information for Writers


Are you trying to choose which drugs your character is taking?



English: A woman smoking crack from a glass pipe.
English: A woman smoking crack from a glass pipe. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are writing a violent crime there is a 40% chance that the criminal had alcohol in his system. (link) And we know the heroine increases her risk of becoming a victim with the use of alcohol which is still the number one rape drug. But did you know that according to the Department of Justice, approximately 25% of all criminals who end up in the penitentiary do so committing crimes that somehow include drugs in the scenario? This might include:
* Growing/producing illegal drugs
* Selling 
* Crimes that are the result of having the
   drugs in the body
* Crimes such as robbery or burglary perpetrated to have the
   funds to get more drugs.






HarmCausedByDrugsTable
HarmCausedByDrugsTable (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



Drugs are a high profit - high risk undertaking

* With each step from farmer to consumer the drug is "cut" to 
   make the profits.
* When a substance is seized it is sent to a toxicology lab
   (Toxicology Forensics 101 blog link) for analysis. There it is
   determined what percent of the substance is drug and which is
   filler - like sugar in cocaine.
* A person charged with possession will be tried on the total weight
   of drug and cutting agent. So even if there is a very small
   percentage of actual drug, say 10% or 1 gram of coke in a
  10 gram seizure, the trial and sentencing would follow the
   guidelines for the 10 grams of product.
* There does have to be a certain amount of illegal substance
   involved in order to bring charges.




English: Drug Enforcement Administration logo
Drug Enforcement Administration logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)





The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is in charge of illegal substances. If you are writing a DEA agent's involvement they are tasked with:
Drug Enforcement Administration special agents
Drug Enforcement Administration special agents (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
...Enforcing the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States, the DEA's primary responsibilities include:
  • Investigation and preparation for the prosecution of major violators of controlled substance laws operating at interstate and international levels.
  • Investigation and preparation for prosecution of criminals and drug gangs who perpetrate violence in our communities and terrorize citizens through fear and intimidation.
  • Management of a national drug intelligence program in cooperation with federal, state, local, and foreign officials to collect, analyze, and disseminate strategic and operational drug intelligence information.
  • Seizure and forfeiture of assets derived from, traceable to, or intended to be used for illicit drug trafficking.
  • Enforcement of the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act as they pertain to the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of legally produced controlled substances.
  • Coordination and cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement officials on mutual drug enforcement efforts and enhancement of such efforts through exploitation of potential interstate and international investigations beyond local or limited federal jurisdictions and resources.
  • Coordination and cooperation with federal, state, and local agencies, and with foreign governments, in programs designed to reduce the availability of illicit abuse-type drugs on the United States market through nonenforcement methods such as crop eradication, crop substitution, and training of foreign officials.
  • Responsibility, under the policy guidance of the Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassadors, for all programs associated with drug law enforcement counterparts in foreign countries.
  • Liaison with the United Nations, Interpol, and other organizations on matters relating to international drug control programs. quote link


Besides the DEA Who Is Looking for Drugs in Your Character's System?

* Corporations - when hiring or doing random tests
* Sports events looking for specific drugs "doping" that would
   increase the contenders abilities
* School systems
* Medical facilities - especially if a patient is brought in
   unconscious 
* Other law enforcement officers
* Coroners 

When a drug is found in the system:

* Toxicology is mainly tested with blood or urine samples.
* Lab techs will identify the drugs and quantity of drugs in the body
* If there is a death, the coroner tries to determine if the drug on
   board 
   a. Caused the death
   b. Contributed to the death
Blog article - Forensic Toxicology


Quick Guide to Drug Categories 

There are four ways to formulate a drug
1. Naturally occurring - like marijuana and mushrooms
2. Plant extracts -  cocaine
3. Semi-synthetic - manufactured from a plant like heroine or LSD
4. Synthetic - entirely man made

DRUGS: 


A pile of crack cocaine ‘rocks’
A pile of crack cocaine ‘rocks’
Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Stimulants
Include - 
* Amphetamines
* Cocaine
* Khat 
* Methamphetamine

Might cause - 
* Elevated mood 
* Increased blood 
   pressure/heart/respiration
   rates
* Reduced depression
   and create euphoria 
* Created energy - such as
   caffeine.

Samogon Cocktail, Tales of the Cocktail, New O...
Samogon Cocktail, Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Depressants
Include - 
* Alcohol
* Barbiturates
* Benzodiazepines
* GHB
* Rohypnol

Effects might include - 
* Kill people by paralyzing
   the respiratory center in
   their brain
* Mixing alcohol and barbiturates often causes death
* Sudden withdrawal (cold turkey) can cause death
* They effect the brain and central nervous system, slowing
   breathing, lowering heart rate and blood pressure.
* Depressants also reduce the R.E.M. stage of sleep so will effect
   cognition and mood over time. 
* Also, they can stimulate the nervous system to produce energy
   mimicking a stimulant (why parents take their kid's ADD meds.)
* Can last minutes or up to 48 hours.


Heroin powder
Heroin powder (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Narcotic
Include - 
* Heroin
* Hydromorphone
* Methodone
* Morphine
* Opium
* Oxycodone

Resulting in possible - 
* Euphoria, rush, hallucinations
* Restlessness
* Loss of appetite, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting
* Dry mouth
* Lethargy, drowsiness, nodding, difficulty being roused
* Unsteadiness, confusion
* Suppression of pain
* Constricted (pinpoint) pupils
* Scars (tracks) caused by injections
* Difficulty urinating
* Constipation
* Sweating
* Difficulty breathing

Chronic / long term use of narcotics may cause -
* Develop tolerance
* Decreased heart rate
* Slowness of movement (bradykinesia)  
* Decreased/loss of coordination (ataxia)
* Delayed Encephalopathy (brain disorders)
* The brain may stop producing the bodies natural painkillers
   (endorphins), making withdrawal very painful.
* Infections of the skin
* Speech abnormalities
resource link
English: Main long-term effects of heroine, in...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


English: Four ounces of low-grade marijuana, u...
Four ounces of low-grade marijuana, usually referred to as a quarter-pound or QP. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hallucinogens
Include - 
* Ecstasy/MDMA
* K2/Spice
* Ketamine
* LSD
* Peyote and Mescaline
* Marijuana
* Steroids
* PCP (angel dust)

Effects might include - 
* Dilated pupils
* Rapid Heart beat
* Cold chills, shivering/hot flashes
* Dizziness
* Tremors/shaking
* Paranoia
* Panic (bad trip)
* Changes in sensory perceptions
* Hallucinations
* Body numbness, can't feel pain such as a stab or bullet wound

* Violent or aggressive behavior
* Psychosis


Salvia divinorum flower detail
Salvia divinorum flower detail (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Other Drugs of Concern
* Bath salts or designer
   Cathinones
* DXM
* Salvia Divinorum




See how this article influenced my plot lines in my novella MINE and my novel CHAOS IS COME AGAIN.


Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.





Saturday, March 1, 2014

What NOT to Wear: Clothing Choices to Save Your Heroine

_____________________________________________

This week I have a new hairdo. I chopped off about a foot of hair to donate to an organization making wigs for women with cancer. This is Breast Cancer Awareness month - so let's save the tatas, ladies.



The change in my appearance prompted this week's article. Time and time again statistics show that perpetrators look for signs of vulnerability, such as long hair, when choosing their victims. Another thing that can turn your character into a victim is her clothing.



Excerpt from WEAKEST LYNX:
AMAZON LINK

I need to be able to move in my clothes. I did a lot of martial arts training. Master Wang thinks too many women wear clothes that restrict them.” And the hell if I was going to put myself at greater risk being bound up by a pencil skirt. When Stalker showed up, I planned to kick the shit out of him. I smiled ruefully. “I always try to get some Lycra in my pants and jeans. I tend to choose full skirts, so I can defend myself and hide my gun.”
            “You carry a gun?” Celia and Alice asked together.
            I smiled. “Sometimes.” More like, always
           



Just like Lexi Sobado, I believe careful clothing choices makes for better safety. 

  • For me this means Lycra, Lycra, Lycra and more Lycra - and   maybe a little Spandex. 
  • I have found that wearing conservative clothing styles creates  obstacles to self-defense.


When you are dressing your character, you may want to keep some of these ideas in mind to either help your heroine escape, or, if it's better for your plot line, get her into a real bind by using her clothes against her. 


Link - How a Predator Courts a Victim

Link Aggressive Body Language


SKIRTS and DRESSES:
Look Of The Day 20100107 - Silk Blouse and Pen...
 (Photo credit: Deirdre Boyer)

  • Skirts should be worn above the knee either an A-line or a shorter  Lycra or Spandex material.
  • Long skirts (below the knee) need to be lifted and held up to fight. This throws off balance and your character cannot use her hands and arms to block, grab, or punch.
  • Pencil skirts prevent a woman from using her best body weapon - her legs. She can't knee, run, kick, or crouch. She is vulnerable.

Video Quick Study (1:10) Look how cute this dress is. It is also easy for this woman to defend herself.

  • Sleeveless for mobility
  • Skirt above the knee and wide enough for high kicks. Bodice tight to the body with give.
  • Wedge shoes that are strapped on offer stability
  • I watched what looked like a cattle call for a martial arts actress. (video removed by YouTube lineup) The women wore skirts of  various lengths. Women wearing short skirts had both hands available. If their skirt came below their knee, they pulled their skirts up and held them out of the way. This leaves them with one less hand to use for balance, blocking and punching.

Video Quick Study (1:02) Woman fighting in a business attire. Her skirt might be a little short for office wear,  a longer (just above the knee) A-line skirt would work as well.



Loon Pants
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
PANTS

  • Wide bottoms can be grabbed during a kick. This would put your character on the ground.
  • Wide legs can get caught on the heel when crouching, tripping your character.



Video Quick Study (:57) Okay, this is not how a real fight works, but I wanted you to see how a good pair of pants help her.


  • They are thick enough to protect her legs.
  • They are form fitting and stretch
  • Held up by a belt. True a belt can be grabbed, but so can the top of pants - and worse if your character is wearing yoga pants or exercise pants the assailant can pull these down quickly and easily to shackle your character. Though this works both ways. If your heroine is facing a gang-banger she can stomp the top of his pants and run.

Video Quick Study (2:50) This is shot at a self-defense seminar.

  •  The girls' jeans are cut in such a way that they cannot get their knees up. This preempts the girl-power numero-uno self-  preservation move: knee-to-the-groin.
  • They can't kick above the knees (though a kick to the knee,   snapping the assailant's leg backward is a great way to escape!)
  • Notice the hoody that one girl is wearing and how it would be   used against her. This guy was being nice. A real villain would yank it backwards and put her on the ground - When she is on the ground, the villain  has the most control.


SHIRTS
 Blouses that are classically tailored have some major
 drawbacks in self-defense.

  • The cotton fabric has no give.
  • The cut is loose enough to grab easily.
  • The cut of the fabric does not allow full range of motion - this prevents the character from getting a full-force back-fist or elbow strike, two strikes that are more effective than straight punches for women.





Video Quick Study  (1:28) See how well this woman can fight in her tight turtleneck.

  • This shirt fits tight to the body and is less likely to get    caught on anything or grabbed.
  • The stretchy fabric allows full range of motion.



SHOES:



Stilettos on Figueroa
Stilettos on Figueroa (Photo credit: lostinangeles)

  • Need to be stable or removable.
  • High heeled boots can be a great weapon if your character has the ankle strength to fight in them. Running, though is hard to do.
  • Stilettos can be an asset if they can be removed easily to run away, or used for strikes.
  • The photo to the right shows women dressed to defend    themselves, but the girl on the far right will be the one who   goes down in the final chase because of the ankle straps.
  • Wedge heels add to stability
  • Closed-toe shoes prevent debris from getting jammed into the    shoe and will also work to protect the toes.
  •  Highly pointed shoes works to concentrate force into a very small area, thereby making a front snap kick all the more devastating. Aim a snap kick at the assailant's diaphragm, and your heroine will wind him and have several precious minutes on her head start.
  • Of course, if she could manage to be wearing steel-toed boots, or cross-trainers that would be nice.






English: An A-line skirt, with top.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
So, I mostly approve of the outfit to the right.

  • Tight fitted shirt with enough give so she has range of motion.
  • Skirt has kicking room and is above her knee for knee raises.
  • Shoes are low heeled. She can use those heels for  grinding toes. They're strapped on for stability. But they are open toed which can cause problems with  gravel and debris. I imagine these have slippery soles. These would be tough to run in.
  • Her hoop earrings are problematic as well. She  needs to lose those earrings.



Just a final thought about ACCESSORIES:


Purses:


  • You're heroine should always have a weapon, her phone, and her keys on her body when she's walking. If someone makes a grab at her purse, she should just let it go.
  • Big purses are  a bigger target.
  • A big purse can be used to block punches.
  • A small purse is a smaller target and can be used to swing at the assailant.


Scarves:


  • Are chocking hazards and binding hazards.
  • Unless your heroine is trained to get out of choke holds and then use the scarf as a weapon (for trapping strikes or kicks, for example) she should probably just leave the scarf at home.


Earrings, necklaces, and other accessories:


  • Can all be used to grab and control your character
  • Rings can work like brass knuckles especially if they have sharp stones. Also, if your heroine punches the assailant a few times she'll probably have enough DNA caught in the pongs to do a profile.  Link to DNA 101


Please let me know if you have any questions, and I will do my best to help. 




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