Inuk's Igloo : The Phun Random Chat Thread!

They do!

 

OMG Yahoo is getting to be a pain. If you sign in to get e-mail, friends on Yahoo messenger can chat with you right there alongside e-mail
you don't have to even sign into messenger

 

Many years ago, we had an interesting event here, much to the discomfort of one individual.....seems he lived in an older wooden frame house with all metal plumbing and was taking a shit in the middle of a severe lightning storm. Lightening struck the house and entered the plumbing tree. The heat of the lightening caused the toilet to imitate "Old Faithful." The man's bottom and crotch was severely steam scalded....True story.

 

An Ex-Homicide Cop Breaks Down 'Detroit 1-8-7'

By Mike Carlisle, Special to The Detroit News | Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 2:59 PM37 comments



Retired Detroit homicide detective Mike Carlisle
Ricardo Thomas/The Detroit News

When asked to review this new series "Detroit 1-8-7," I admit I was a little skeptical. As a retired Detroit homicide detective I generally don't watch cop shows, whether reality or Hollywood entertainment. But I was intrigued because this particular show revolves around the day-to-day activities of the Detroit Police Homicide Section.

I know this is fictional and for entertainment purposes, but from what I've heard, the producers tried to make this as close to reality as they could to showcase Detroit Homicide at work. That's fine, but I did notice a few irregularities.


Right off the bat Detroit doesn't have a "code 1-8-7." That's California penal code. In Michigan it's actually 750.316. No big deal.

The next thing I notice are the decent cars the detectives drive. "This can't be Detroit!" I said to myself. This past Sunday I pulled up next to my old squad boss traveling on Eight Mile on his way to a homicide scene. He was still driving the old Chevy I used to drive for 10 years. He told me nothing's changed as I remarked about the condition of his vehicle. I remember when one detective had to take the city bus to a scene because of the condition and lack of cars available.

Then I heard a police dispatcher call the unit to a double homicide. All notifications are made directly to the Homicide Unit by telephone. A lot of people listen to police activities on their scanners, including media. Detectives don't need the circus of onlookers and media as they respond to a crime scene waiting for them. There is grim business to be done.


When the detective notified the family in the middle of the night that they had lost a loved one, I was impressed with this scene. This is realistic and not an easy thing to do.

Next is the rookie detective. The lieutenant tells the veteran detective the rookie had a good recommendation from his precinct captain. This is the Detroit Police Department, not the U.S. Army. No captains or colonels or generals here!

Detectives finding a fingerprint on a spent bullet casing? Which produced a suspect? This type of forensic work takes weeks — and, in Detroit, months — to complete. In my 10 years in homicide, I had only one fingerprint on a casing come back from the crime lab. It took eight months to get it. By the time I got the results, the killer had already been convicted and sentenced to life in prison. And don't forget, Detroit doesn't even have a police lab anymore. (It was shut down in September 2008 after an audit found an unacceptable error rate and poor quality controls.)

Interview of the suspects? I wish Detroit had those two-way mirrors.

The female detective stated on the radio: "We have a metro car in the area." What happened to "scout" car? Or was she referring to Metro Cab?


I won't comment on the rookie and his foul-ups. I figure he was the comic relief. Real-life Detroit Homicide involves a lot of gallows humor. There's a lot of stress there to overcome on a daily basis. When the one victim jumped over the bridge that was captured on video, I can just hear one of my old partners saying, "Hey, doesn't this guy know you need a bungee cord to pull a stunt like that?" or "It was either the fall or lead poisoning that did him in." Police humor. Go figure.

I noticed in one scene a helicopter in the air. Couldn't have been ours. Budget cuts got rid of them a long time ago.

The shotgun blast through the door? Notice how many holes were in that door? I need to find out where to get that kind of ammo that does that kind of damage with one shot!

I could point out a couple more things, but you get the point. I drove my wife crazy during the premiere. She screamed, "Can't you just watch the show and enjoy it?" I thought about that for a moment. Yes. I can watch the show and enjoy it. I enjoyed it so much that I will make it a point to watch it every week, now that I'm retired and have the time and I'm not responding to homicide scenes in the middle of the night!

(Mike Carlisle retired in 2008 after 21 years with the Detroit Police Department, 10 of them in the Homicide Section. Carlisle — badge No. 4339 — was considered one of the finest homicide detectives in the city. He closed well above 50 percent of his cases, including a serial killer, in a city with more than 11,000 homicides dating back to 1960.)

 

holy crap there Thore!

 

Yeah, kinda makes you cringe to think about it, don't it!

Less likely to happen in a more modern home with mostly PVC gravity plumbing pipes....:wink:

 

talk about adding insult to injury! :shock:

 

That very well might have been a "holy crap."

 

never heard of that show there pm.

 

the commercials say something like: "If you miss NYPD Blue, you'll love Detroit 1-8-7"

 

It's brand new.

 

Law & Order LA premieres tonight. Actually right now.

 

ah cool Throbbn.

have a safe night at work pm.

 

I seem to recall that he was burned really bad and required reconstructive surgery on his scrotum, or the replacement of his scrotum I should say.....It was hard to get detailed info as this happened about 40 years ago and the news media back then had scruples, so they gave the guy a break and did not print the details. On paper only said he was in the bathroom and received steam burns. Through the U of F student grapevine, I was able to get more info as friends of friends knew him.

 

That's truly an awful story, Thore.

 

bloody hell Thore!

 

Yes, it is. Almost as bad as the bear falling of a cliff into a biker friend of mine...:shock:

And is why to this day I stay out of bathrooms and kitchens during thunderstorms.....

 

OK, time for work. Have a great night you guys.

 

how is your Friend doing Thore?

 

Hope you have a quick and easy night there, PM. :wink: