Category Archives: police work

Finding A Better Time To Write

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I’ve been writing for a long time. I’ve always struggled with finding time to get my daily pages written. When I was working full-time, I didn’t feel as much pressure to produce because ‘I had a day job’ as a police officer. My days/nights entailed working twelve-hour shifts.

By choice, I worked what would be commonly known as the graveyard shift…except, unlike in the olden days, because of the twelve-hour shifts, my graveyard shift started at 6:00 p.m. and lasted until 6:30 a.m. So, it was understandable that on the days I worked, I probably wouldn’t get any writing done. But I also found that my days off were crammed full of grocery shopping, trips to the cleaners, and the most important trek to the hairdresser to cover the gray roots. You know, regular life.

But early last year I retired from the police department and became a full-time writer. Now what excuse did I have for not cranking out pages? None.

Well, that’s not entirely true. My mother is in an assisted living residence and I go to see her 3-4 days a week. Round trip it’s a 70-mile jaunt. But I don’t miss my visits with my mom unless I physically can’t get there. So far, travel (writing conferences) and having major surgery have been the only reason I’ve missed any visits.

I still have errands to do, and I will say retirement has allowed me a lot more flexibility with those. Even with more time in retirement, I wasn’t producing pages in the quantity that I’d envisioned. I find I’m busier in retirement than when I was working. In part, some of that was because I’d self-published my debut novel, A Dozen Deadly Roses and after the book was up for sale I spent a lot of time doing promotion.

What I found was that I could easily spend 7 – 14 hours a day on the computer, but not really get a lot of writing done. I was constantly trying to whittle away at my email in box that can fill up in the blink of an eye. I was following leads on books reviewers who were willing to read e-books. I was promoting (and goofing around) on Facebook and trying to understand Twitter, Triberr, Linkdin et al. Does any of this sound familiar?

I recently published my second book, A Deadly Blessing. I’m doing some promotional efforts, but really haven’t gotten into full swing with that yet. Instead I’m devoting more time to writing the next book in the series. By accident, I stumbled across a schedule or a system that is working for me.

Before I continue, I’m going to tell you flat out that what I’m doing probably won’t work for most of you. But I compare it to making the decision to self-publish. It’s not necessarily the right choice for everyone. But maybe what I’m doing will get you to think outside the box and look at your schedule and see where you find your best writing time.

This is what I discovered. First, I made a commitment to writing a certain number of words per day. I started out with 500 words per day. That went pretty well so mid-stream in the first week I upped that goal to 1000 words per day.

One day I’d been busy running errands and hadn’t gotten my word count in for the day. I was determined not to fall behind so at 10:00 p.m. sat down to write my pages. I worked until a little after 1:00 a.m. I staggered to bed and got up at 6:00 a.m. the next morning to take care of our animals, get them fed, etc.

I went to visit mom, sent my husband off to work (he works nights) and after he left, I thought I’d take a little nap. I slept for two and a half hours that afternoon and after I woke up, I did a little housework and laundry. When nine o’clock came around, thanks to my nap, I felt pretty good for writing. I sat down and wrote 1500 words. I think I finished up about the same time 1:00 a.m. I’m just beginning my next book and the first pages are always the hardest for me, so it’s slow going.

The next day I took another long nap and then wrote until the wee hours of the morning. The way it’s worked out is that I’m getting about four hours of sleep during the hours of darkness and about 2-3 hours of sleep during the day. I’ve worked as late as 3:00 a.m. (and still gotten up at 6:00 a.m.) but I feel my former years of working the graveyard shift lets me do this without too much trouble.

But this is the real secret of what I’ve learned. You all are in bed late at night and in the early morning hours…yes, even those of you who live on the east coast. You don’t write email, you don’t to post to Facebook and you’re not buying books, so there is no need for me to check my sales numbers. I no longer have those distractions I could rationalize that were necessary and found so irresistible.

Not only was I able to write more, it’s better writing right from the first draft.

How long will this schedule last? I don’t know but it’s working now, so I’m going to use it as long as I can. Like I said, I don’t think this type of schedule is for everyone, but maybe you’ll find inspiration in my process and discover the best writing time for you.

Oh, and one thing I’ve learned: without a doubt I love my afternoon naps!

Until next time,

KMA367

From Cop to Writer – Different But the Same

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One of the things an applicant for the Los Angeles Police Department has to do in the hiring process is to be interviewed.  In my day, there were two police sergeants and a civilian on each interview board, and part of their duty was to determine if a person ‘had the right mindset’ to be an LAPD officer.
I know that one of the first questions I was asked was: Why do you want to be a police officer?  My reply, in part, was about wanting to help people. Not surprisingly, ‘helping people’ is a very common thread in applicant replies to the question, about why a person wants to become a cop.
With my new career of writing stories, if I’d been asked why I wanted to write, my reply would have been: I want to entertain people while giving them a glimpse into the world of the LAPD.
Little did I know that my writing career would achieve the same result as my police career.  Through my writing I’ve touched someone. I’ve helped someone.
I got this letter from a young woman and I was so impacted by her story and her words I asked her if I could share them with you.  She agreed.
The lesson to writers: If you think what you write can’t or doesn’t make a difference…think again.
This is the actual letter by the young woman I’ll call, Miss H…
Reading is by far not my specialty. I’m about three grade levels under my own on reading skills. Sure I can read your average every day children’s book but anything over 100 pages puts my heart in shock. In other words, I don’t read much.  
When I bought my Barnes & Noble Nook Color, I for sure thought, “I just wasted a perfectly good 240 bucks!” 
See this is where I was wrong. I ran across your book, A Dozen Deadly Roses, one day while sitting on my couch listening to the bickering and arguing of my dysfunctional family.  
At first I just skimmed over it then I took a second look. I decided to buy the book and open a page or two to see if it was worth reading. My journey through your book began slow, to slow. Then something caught my eye, Jade.  
Shockingly, we have much in common; a remarkable, strong willed mother, filling her duties as a cop in everyday life. It was everything I dreamt of being.  
I felt a strong connection with her and Donnie. My father is an alcoholic, I knew exactly what Jade was going through.  
Although Jade became a new idol in my world, I felt myself many times screaming at her, “why won’t you tell Mac that he’s the father, why?!” Then I realized it was for the better. It opened my eyes to that you shouldn’t always do the expected but rather do what’s best in that situation for you and others involved.
I also love the fact that you use to be an actual LAPD cop. When I read that about you, my heart skipped a beat. I felt like I had even more of a connection with your book because for once a fiction book wasn’t so fiction anymore. Your book had more life in it; it wasn’t “just a book” anymore. I loved that.  
My desire to be a cop has been a dream of mine for a long time. However, my mom and others like to crush that dream. Jade gave me a lot of courage in reading this book. She showed me that I need to be brave and stand up in what I dream and love. Jade also gave me the strength in my heart that seemed so broken from others. She made a light shine in me like no one has ever done before.  
Reading your book has changed my life.  
I was doubting my future before I read your book; here I had planned my whole high school diploma based on wanting to be a cop, and then it was just gone, like it wasn’t even worth any of the time I gave it. 
I felt lost, like a loser in a big ocean of popular people. 
Jade’s character made me open my eyes and realize that it’s my life and I can do anything I want to do if I believe I can.  
I thank you, Kathy Bennett, for not only changing my mind but showing me a new way of life. 
I will read your book again and enjoy every page turning chase it gives me. I assure you that you book was so worth every minute I put in it.
Kathy here – Needless to say I wrote back to Miss H and we’ve corresponded a few times. I found that when I wrote back to Miss H I’d put on my  ‘police officer’ hat and tried to offer advice, encouragement and compassion.  And you know what?  I was glad to wear that hat again.
Miss H feels I’ve changed her life with my book. Little does she know how much she’s changed mine.
Until next time, 
KMA367

Taking Off the Uniform – A Year Later

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I’m writing this article on February 22nd.  It’s a beautiful Southern California day with temperatures expected to hit the low eighties.  I can tell you that February 22, 2011, was also a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and there was a light breeze in the air.

Now you’re probably wondering if I’m a living almanac.  I’m not.  On this date last year, it was a Tuesday and my last day of working for the LAPD.  My co-workers threw me a fabulous BBQ.  My retirement wasn’t official until February 26th, but that BBQ was my last day at Devonshire Station.  Oh, I snuck back in and did my last Basic Car meeting on Wednesday, but I was in plain clothes and it was more of a party than a meeting.

If I had to describe my retirement in one word, I’d say: hectic.

One of the main reasons I retired was because my mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.  I spent most of March taking Mom to various doctors for various issues.  I’ve been driving over 70 miles three times a week to spend time with her.  

I also needed to catch up on my own periodic doctor appointments.  Some of those doctor visits were in relation to the back injury I’d suffered in an on-duty traffic collision. 

In addition, I began to get phone calls from friends who all wanted to have lunch, since I had ‘nothing but time on my hands.’ I didn’t want to burst their bubble about what retirement is all about, so I went.

I’d already made my decision to self-publish my debut novel and was working with a cover designer to get the cover ready. I also took an online class to learn how to make a book trailer (much like a movie trailer) for my book.  I also tried to learn how to format my manuscript for e-reading devices (Kindle, Nook, etc.)  I joined two other writing groups and started reading up on how to promote my book and myself.

June was a huge month for me.  I launched my book on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  My second career had begun!  But it wasn’t just the book launch that made the month special.  I also had been approved for an epidural shot to help ease the pain in my back.  I had that procedure done in mid-June.

The month of July was a blur to me.  I spent as long hours at my computer self-promoting my book by requesting reviews from book reviewers and book bloggers.  I attended the Public Safety Writer’s Association yearly conference in Las Vegas as a speaker.  The only problem was, that I’d arrived a few days early and, by the time the conference rolled around I was seriously ill and had to go home.  What a way to make a good impression.  Thankfully, to my knowledge, no one else got sick. 

In August, my book ‘took off’ on the Barnes and Noble website and I was in their Top 100 of all their books being sold.  It wasn’t long and I hit the Top 100 at Amazon as well.  This was another month of heavy book promotion.  You have no idea how many book-related websites there are on the Internet!

However, August was also a sad month too.  Over the few months I’d been stopping in three times a week to care for Mom, I’d come to realize that Mom’s condition was way more advanced than either my sister or I realized.  We came to the conclusion Mom would have to go into an assisted living facility. 

The arrangements were made to get Mom moved and comfortable in her new place.  I spent the first two days with her to help her get oriented and continue to visit her three times a week. None-the-less, it was one of the hardest decisions my sister and I had ever made.

In September, I taught an online writing class.  It was also time for Mom’s scheduled visits to her doctors and I was still seeing a group of doctors regarding my back.  Oh, and have I said that during this whole time I was revising my second book, A Deadly Blessing?

October found me teaching another on-line writing class and taking Saturday’s to go cheer at my granddaughter’s soccer games.  I was still revising my next book and began working with new website designers to give my website a facelift.

I was still spending about six hours a day self-promoting my book in November.  I guess I should clarify here that when I say self-promoting, I was also reading the tons of articles to keep abreast of the vast changes in the writing scene.  I also ‘ran away’ for a few days to a hotel where I could lay out the 300+ pages of my revised book and see how it all was flowing.

I don’t really need to say anything about December.  It was the holiday season, filled with more events, obligations and merriment than usual.

The first of this year has been spent revising and editing A Deadly Blessing and I’m keeping my fingers crossed it comes out in March. The manuscript is in the hands of beta readers right now.

But what about my former life?  My life as a cop.  What about that?  It doesn’t happen often, (mostly because I dot have time to think about it), But sometimes I ache to be driving the black and white and wearing my uniform and badge. I’ll see LAPD officers on a traffic stop, but now, instead of being their back-up, I’m a typical rubbernecker.  Driving to where my mom lives for a visit, I’ll see the LAPD helicopter racing to a call somewhere or orbiting over a ‘hot’ call.  I want so badly to know what’s going on and to be ‘in’ on the action. 

I wanted to find a way to cope with those feelings.  So, when I see police activity that tugs at my memories, I try to think of possible circumstances of the incident that I can turn into a scene in a future book.  Admittedly, it doesn’t always cure the melancholy, but it leads to some really interesting pages on my computer.

Until next time,

 

KMA367       

 

What’d You Do At School Today?

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It’s a horrifying disgusting story that strikes fear in every parent.  And if the original revelation wasn’t bad enough, there was more.  What am I talking about?   A news story that broke last week when a third grade elementary school teacher was arrested for felony child abuse.

What makes this case so despicable are the details.  A film developer at a Southern California CVS store called police when the developer noticed 40 pictures they were processing  allegedly depicted children who were blindfolded and sometimes gagged. The pictures allegedly showed children who had insects (cockroaches) on their faces.  If that wasn’t bad enough, the photos also allegedly revealed children being fed fluid from a plastic spoon or being given a cookie to eat.  The cookies were allegedly covered in a similar-looking fluid.

The investigation revealed the mysterious fluid in the plastic spoon and on the cookie was actually bodily fluids, (semen) allegedly from the teacher.  This teacher taught at the school for over 30 years!  At this time, the investigation has revealed 23 alleged victims ages six to ten covering the period between 2005 and 2010. 

Even for unflappable Los Angeles, this is a highly disturbing story.  But it gets worse.  The teacher accused of these crimes was arrested last Monday.  On last Friday, a second teacher was arrested at the same school for allegedly committing lewd acts with a child.  At this time, it doesn’t appear the two cases are related.  

In the second situation, two students came forward alleging their teacher had fondled them in the classroom.  I saw one news story where one of the girls had allegedly been molested by both teachers. 

So, now you have a little background…which brings me to the true point of my blog today. As parents, it is imperative that you talk to your children about inappropriate behavior by anyone.  Because, sadly, the fact today is that a molester can be anyone.  

Parents, it’s up to you to teach your children about boundaries and about what is acceptable behavior and what is not.  And don’t think just because you’ve talked to your kids once that’s enough.  There are molesters out there who ‘specialize’ in different ages of children, so your child is vulnerable at any age.

I know my mother talked to me on numerous occasions about different dangerous scenarios I might find myself in and how I’d respond.  By bringing up things that might possibly happen to me (and I’m betting her examples were from local news stories) it allowed us to discuss how I could protect myself from such situations and what to do, if despite my best efforts, I was in danger.

While it sounds dark and ominous and like a real kill-joy to time spent with your child, I didn’t view it in that light.  I felt better prepared, when at age 13, a man pulled up next to me and wanted me to get into his car.

You don’t have to spend an hour each day lecturing your kids…but you do need to open that line of communication and get your children to realize there are bad people in the world who may try to prey on them.  How many times do you ask your kids what they did at school today and they say something like: “The same old thing.  Nothin’.”  And, because you’ve got twenty other things on your mind, you’re satisfied with that answer.

Apparently, in the first situation, the teacher had allegedly told the students they were playing a game and many of the kids didn’t think this type of behavior was odd or unusual. Now, imagine this…You pick your child up from school and ask them what they did that day.  They tell you their teacher blindfolded them and gagged them and took pictures of them with bugs on their faces.  Wouldn’t this set off alarm bells in your mind?  You bet it would.  And this is what I’m trying to get you to see.  You’ve got to, not only talk to your children, but engage with them.  Get them to open up – no easy feat, I know.

As a parent, it’s easy to think, My Johnny (or Sally) is too smart to be taken in by some pervert.  Don’t fool yourself!  With the advent of the internet, many of these creeps share information about how and where to find victims.  They discuss what works and what doesn’t.  They also discuss how to get children to not alert their parents of what’s going on. These sickos live and breathe for their next opportunity to victimize a child.  Don’t let it be your child.  Talk to your kids about boundaries.  Let your children know you will believe them if they come to you if they are victimized – no matter who the suspect is.  

I know you’re busy.  I know it’s uncomfortable.  But if you aren’t willing to put in the time with your children, there are plenty of molesters who are.

Until next time…

KMA367 

A Whirling Dervish…or…Haste Makes Waste

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Yesterday, I made my bi-monthly pilgrimage to Costco to stock up on paper towels, toilet paper, and impulse items I wouldn’t normally have bought – in this case, imitation fur-lined gloves and a paper shredder. 

 

My basket was overflowing with my bounty, and being it was a weekend, I stood in line with all the other delusional people who thought they too were saving money by purchasing items in bulk, conveniently forgetting the items in their carts selected on a whim.

 

I picked my checkout line with care.  I didn’t want to get behind the family with four kids and four times the amount of items I had in my own cart.  I didn’t want to get in the line where the checker had no ‘box’ person to reload the cart with my purchases.

 

Assessing the checkers, I wanted one who seemed to be moving efficiently with not a lot of chatter.  I found my line and started unloading the cart.

 

When the clerk reached out for my card, I also proudly handed him the three coupons for my fabric softener sheets, mouthwash, and Kleenex tissues.  With his little barcode gun, he immediately went to work on the heavy items I’d left in the basket.  This is where everything started to fall apart. 

 

The checker moved like a whirling dervish.  There were only five heavy items in my cart, but he must have scanned each item three times.  He came back to the register and advanced the tape several times, counting items.  He was in such a frenzy, he couldn’t figure out which of the five items wasn’t scanning.  Eventually, he figured out it was the paper shredder…the reason it wasn’t scanning was because there was a ten dollar manufacturer discount that needed to be taken at the register.  I don’t normally go over my receipts before I leave a store, but I made a mental note to do so this time.

 

Once he got the heavy items out of the way, he scanned the barcodes on my smaller items like a mad man.  My order was done quite quickly.  He finished with a flourish and announced my total.  I asked him if he’d applied my coupons to the total.  He quicuckly glanced at the register receipt and said yes.  Then he scooped up my coupons, crumpled them up and put them under the counter.

 

I was suspicious.  I hadn’t seen him scan my coupons.  So, when I got my receipt I moved out of the flow of basket traffic and reviewed my purchases.  I immediately realized he had NOT applied my coupons to my order.  I wondered why someone would be so blatantly stupid to lie to me in that manner.  I was transported back to my cop days when I’d caught someone in the act of criminal activity and the stupid lies they’d spin to try to convince me of their innocence.

 

I slogged my cart over to the customer service desk and relayed my experiences.  I told the representative I wasn’t upset the clerk had missed the coupons.  I was upset he’d transparently lied about it.  I also relayed the fact I thought the checker was working very hard but maybe too fast.  Eventually, I got my $8.00 in coupon savings applied back to my credit card and I left the store placated. 

 

But it got me to thinking about my own habits.   With my penchant for over-committing, I too am often moving faster than I’d like.  It makes me worry about things I might have missed in haste.

 

Not wanting to dwell on my own possible shortcomings too much, I got to thinking about other writers.  I wondered about writers who announce they’ve just finished their debut novel and are going to start the sequel – but that’s after they finish the novella they’ve had in the back of their mind.  After they finish the sequel to their novel, they’ll try their hand at branching out to another genre, and then do a novella in that style as well.  Oh, and they hope to get all these books and novellas written before summer ‘beach-read’ buying season.

 

Can a writer do so much writing a matter of months?  Sure.  Will it be good writing?  I’m not sure. 

 

I know I can’t turn out multiple quality stories in that amount of time.  I suspect there are few writers who can.  Do I think there are authors out there who are shooting themselves in the foot with their whirling dervish writing style?  I’ll just say such writers may be hurting themselves by working hard…but maybe too fast.

 

Regardless of a writer’s speed in turning out the next book or novella, is there a customer service desk where readers can go when they feel they didn’t get what they were entitled to?  Yep, it’s called one and two star book reviews.  Oh, and don’t forget the ‘coupons’ also known as returns.

 

Until next time,

 

KMA367

Playing With Fire

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We can always count on Hollywood for igniting interesting headlines that race across the country.  And for the past few days, Tinsel Town has been in the spotlight once again.

 

No, it wasn’t a shocking divorce that took the limelight…well, unless you count Katy Perry and Russell Brand – but who was really surprised by that split?  No, it wasn’t Katy and the comic’s split, and it wasn’t a new sex tape revealed, or a young up-and-comer busted for DUI or drugs. 

 

Hollywood is in the news for something more sinister and dangerous. There is a person or persons running around the streets of Hollywood and West Hollywood lighting cars on fire; cars that are usually parked in carports underneath apartment buildings.  Fortunately, as I write this blog no serious injuries have been sustained by the citizens or firefighters.  But the potential for injury or death has certainly been there.

Let me back up a little bit.  Last Thursday night, one person was arrested and charged with arson relating to three fires set in Hollywood.  That was the lead story for the news on Friday morning.  It was an interesting story and got major play on the local TV stations. The LAPD called a tactical alert, which means that officers on duty must stay after their regular shift-change, AND that the only radio calls that will be handled are high priority calls.  So, if you’ve got a group of kids blasting music in a car in front of your house, the police won’t be responding. 

 

Even with a suspect in custody, the police deployed extra officers to the Hollywood area.  There was a joint effort between the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office,(who cover West Hollywood), LAPD, and the LA County and LAFD.   

 

But overnight on Friday, there were another twenty-one fires set.  Some in the Hollywood area, but some were set in the San Fernando Valley. The MO was pretty similar for the fires…torch a car parked in a carport with the result being several cars destroyed along with damage to the building.

 

Saturday night netted more arson fires.  The authorities are saying the total for the spree is now up to 39 fires intentionally set.

 

Not unexpectedly, the ‘brass’ of the police and fire agencies have been updating the public and offering advice.  ‘Report any suspicious activity.  Turn on your lights in the carport areas.  Be alert.’  Our camera-hound mayor voiced his concern at a press conference as did a city councilman and county supervisor.  The story made national news.

 

So the question has to be:  Are these fires being set by one person?  An ‘arson crew’?  A bunch of copy-cat arsonists? 

 

I’m wondering why, when the police had a suspect in custody, they felt compelled to deploy officers back to the same area the next night.  We’re they anticipating there might be copy-cat or further fires…or did they have other information?  (I’m guessing they figured with all the media attention they could have problems the next night too.)

 

Either way, there is still someone out there on the streets ‘playing with matches.’  They haven’t gotten caught yet, but I can tell you every cop that’s working the street really  wants to be the one to nab the bad guy/s.  And once the pyromaniac/s are caught, their 15 seconds of fame will fade…faster than Kim K’s wedding vows.

 

**UPDATE**  When I got up this morning, I learned the police had detained ‘a person of interest.’  Reports are, that the police found an incendiary device in the man’s vehicle.  But like one arson victim stated, “Who knows if this was the only guy?” 

Until next time,

KMA367

LAPD and Occupy L.A. – One Size Does NOT Fit All

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So, it’s been a few days since the City of Los Angeles decided to take back the park outside of City Hall from the Occupy L.A. protesters. 

As a former LAPD officer, watching on TV as the operation unfolded, I must say it’s essential to commend the LAPD for the well thought out plan that appeared to be executed with the utmost of precision. The world was watching (as usual) to see how the LAPD was going to handle the Occupy LA situation.  The media commented over and over again how the city and the LAPD didn’t want a repeat of the May Day ‘incident.’  And to that end, the procedure was a huge success.  However…

It’s important to remember that these protesters were very well behaved and not a typical large crowd that law enforcement usually encounters.  Additionally, the city and the LAPD had bent over backwards to cater to the group…ignoring the fact people were blatantly smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol in public, violating the Health and Safety codes, to say nothing of the intentional damage (vandalism) caused to the grass, irrigation systems etc.  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa along with a couple of L.A. City Councilmen even passed out rain ponchos to the protesters in the early days.

While I’m glad the whole thing turned out peacefully – what kind of a price did the citizens of Los Angeles pay – I mean literally.  I’ve heard the number $400,000.00.  I don’t think that amount would cover the resources used at the event.  In fact, at least one City Councilman, Mitch Englander, doesn’t think so either, and had motioned for a report of all of the costs the City of Los Angeles incurred  because of the Occupy L.A. protest encampment.

But it’s not just the monetary aspect of the protester removal that I’m worried about.  Yes, the LAPD set a standard that some other police agencies weren’t able to achieve.  But what concerns me is that now the general public will expect a similar result for all types of crowd control issues.  But crowd control isn’t ‘one size fits all.’

Whether society likes it or not, police work is, at times, out of necessity an uncompromising entity.  Law enforcement officers are paid to enforce the laws and protect the well-being and peace of the community.  Sometimes that job is not fun and often it isn’t very pretty. 

So, while the city leaders and the LAPD can bask in a job well done, I say to everyone:  Don’t expect that every protest and police action will be handled with so many resources, with such a strategic plan, and with the officers ‘wearing kid gloves,’ because the true nature of police work is not usually so refined or gracious…and often people’s lives depend upon that fact.

 Until next time,

 KMA367

 

 

 

 

A New Scam – Fake Grandkids

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The phone rings and you answer it.

“Grandma?  It’s your granddaughter, Cindy.”

Delighted that your teenaged granddaughter who lives out of state is calling, you’re happy to hear from her.  “Hello, Cindy.  How nice to hear from you.”

Cindy’s voice takes on a somber tone.  “Grandma, I’m in trouble.  I went on a school trip in the Caribbean with my friends.  We were goofing around and I had too much too drink.  I got arrested for being drunk in public and now the court says I have to pay a fine of $1000 or they won’t let me out of jail.”

You’re dismayed your sweet little granddaughter was arrested – and for public intoxication!  You wonder why she is calling you.  “Well, dear I think you need to talk to your mother and father about this.  They’ll know what to do.”

“No Grandma!  I can’t tell them about this.  Mom and Dad will kill me, and they’ll never let me go anywhere again.  I was hoping maybe you could wire me the money.  You mustn’t tell anyone – not Mom, Dad and not Grandpa Mark either!  I was hoping it would be our little secret; and I promise; I’ll pay you back every dime.  I’ve got a job at McDonalds, so I can pay you back.”

Poor little Cindy sounds so desperate, and what kid hasn’t gotten into a little trouble?  Besides, you can’t stand to think of your precious granddaughter stuck in some jail.  “Well, I don’t know, dear; I’ve never kept anything from your Grandpa; and that’s a lot of money.”

“Pleeeease Grandma?  It’s really dirty here and the food has bugs in it.”

You sigh.  “Okay Cindy, I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.  What do I have to do?”

Then Cindy gives you very detailed directions on how to wire the $1000 to the court.  “Remember     Grandma,” she warns, “you can’t tell anyone about this!”

 With a heavy heart you follow the directions and wire the money to an unknown location in the       Caribbean.

Congratulations!  You’ve probably just been the victim of one of the latest scams being used against the elderly.

You see, slim-ball crooks have learned that the elderly are easily fooled by a young voice claiming to be the grandchild of the senior citizen…especially when those grandkids live out of state and, most likely, aren’t seen too often in person.

But how do the crooks know whether or not a senior has grandchildren?  We’re giving the information to the bad guys ourselves via the internet.  Many of the larger social networking sites are perfect hunting grounds where criminals can find pictures or search profiles of grandchildren so they know the child’s age and sex.


Phone numbers are easily accessible as well.  Have you ever done a Zabasearch of yourself at Zabasearch.com?  Do like genealogy?  What information do you enter into those sites to round out your family tree?   It’s disturbing to find what kind of information is available about you via the internet to everyone in the world.

The key to this scam is the secrecy element.  The ‘child’ in trouble begs their ‘grandparent’ to not contact their parents or anyone in the family.  Why?  If the grandmother in this scenario contacted Cindy’s parents and said, “I understand Cindy is on a school trip in the Carribbean.”  The whole scam would fall apart because the mother would probably say something like, “What are you talking about?  Cindy is sitting in the family room playing video games on the TV.”

Worse yet, our elderly citizens who DO fall victim of this and other scams often don’t come forward because they’re embarrassed they got swindled.

Knowledge is power.  Talk to the seniors you know.  Tell them this story.  Be sure they understand that the criminal element has figured out that senior citizens are excellent targets for all kinds of scams – and this is just one of them.

Until next time;

KMA367

Kathy Bennett Reports On: Domestic Violence

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One of the most common types of calls police officers respond to is domestic violence.  I can’t tell you how many times a woman with obvious physical injuries will proclaim her love for her abuser and how he did mean to hurt her…or worse yet, she’ll deny her abuser caused the injuries.


October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and I guarantee that you know someone who is being abused – you just may not know it.

Let’s start with what domestic violence is.


Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over          another person with whom an intimate relationship is or has been shared through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Domestic violence happens when one person believes that they are entitled to control another.


Domestic violence may include not only the intimate partner relationships of spousal, live-in partners and dating relationships, but can also include familial, elder and child abuse in a violent home. Abuse generally falls into one or more of the following categories: physical battering, sexual assault and emotional or psychological abuse, and generally escalates over a period of time.

Here are some of the indicators of domestic violence.


Victims of abuse may experience punched walls, control of finances, lying, using children to manipulate a parent’s emotions, intimidation, isolation from family and friends, fear, shame, criticism, cuts, crying and afraid children, broken bones, confusion, forced sexual contact, manipulation, sexist comments, yelling, rages, craziness, harassment, neglect, shoving, screaming, jealousy and possessiveness, loss of self esteem, coercion, slammed doors, abandonment, silent treatment, rape, destruction of personal property, unwanted touching, name calling, strangling, ripping, slapping, biting, kicking, bruises, punching, stalking, scrapes, depression, sabotaging attendance at job or school, brainwashing, violence to pets, pinching, deprivation of physical and economic resources, public humiliation, broken promises, prevention of seeking medical and dental care, ridicule, restraining, self-medication, forced tickling, threats to harm family and friends, threats to take away the children, threats to harm animals, threats of being kicked out, threats of weapons, threats of being killed.


That’s quite a list isn’t it?  And abusers usually use a number of these tactics to gain control of their victims…and they tend to pick the ones that they know will bring the biggest fear and distress as well.


Here’s the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1 (800) 799-7233 and they can direct you to help in your area.  If you’d rather look at their site online, here’s the link http://www.thehotline.org/.  However, computers CAN be monitored, so if you suspect your abuser could be tracking your internet activity, find a way to call.


Domestic violence is serious business.  If you’re a victim, I know it’s scary and it’s not easy to admit you’re a victim, but get help.  You’ll be glad you did.


Until next time,


KMA367

Kathy Bennett Reports on: A Recent Foot Pursuit

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The other day I did something completely out of character.  I did something spontaneous.  Here’s the set up…

With only minutes to spare until I was late to my hair appointment, (and I HATE being late anywhere) I was driving down my street and was approaching the corner.  Then I saw a pit bull dog running with abandon down the sidewalk on the street in front of me.  A few seconds later I saw a man who obviously ISN’T a runner chasing the dog…and the man was falling behind.

I made the turn and saw the dog further down the block sniffing around some bushes and ‘marking the territory’.  I drove down to the man and asked him if it was his dog.  He said yes, so I continued down the road.  I pulled along side the dog, got out of my car and made my approach.  I got within two steps of the dog and he took off again.  I called out to the man, who was now breathing heavily and walking, and asked him the dog’s name.  He said he wasn’t sure.  Huh?

The dog was at a full run now continuing down the hill toward a major thoroughfare.  I returned to my car drove down the hill, past the dog and got out to wait for the dog to reach me.  The man had picked up speed and was talking on the phone, running down the hill after the dog, yelling at me the dog’s name was Cheyenne.

I wondered if I should even be messing in this situation having previously seen the damage a raging dog can do.  And rightly or wrongly, this was the most notorious breed of dog out there.  AND…I was going to be late for my hair appointment!

The dog approached – his eyes wild with the excitement of running loose.  I bent down and held out my hand as the dog bounded closer.  “Cheyenne, come here boy,” I called in my most enticing ‘doggie’ voice.  To my surprise the dog ran right up and came to a stop in front of me.  I slipped my fingers around his collar and the wayward dog was in custody!

The man came huffing and puffing up about a minute or so later.  “Thank you, thank you!  It’s my boss’s dog and I’m taking care of him this weekend and somehow he got out.”  I wondered how you could volunteer to take care of a dog for a weekend and not know the dog’s name.

I told the man “no problem”, and hurried to my car where, luckily, I had some wet wipes…the dog had slobbered all over my leg.  Leaving the man and his house guest to make their way back up the hill, I ‘drove with purpose’ to my appointment.

But as I drove, I realized it wasn’t that I was being spontaneous.  I was doing what comes naturally to me.  I was helping someone in trouble – which is what I did for twenty-one years as a cop.  You know what ‘they’ say:  You can take the girl out of the uniform…but you can’t take the job out of the girl.

Are you spontaneous?  What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve done?

Until next time,

KMA367