Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Personal interests: forensics, crime scene tech, psychology, and all manner of related subjects.

The real CSI: what happens at a crime scene?
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/apr/27/craig-taylor-real-csi?CMP=share_btn_fb

Many of you know I am fascinated by forensics and psychology, and I have read extensively about sociopaths and psychopaths in particular. Why would someone be interested in such things? Here's why (for those who might care, that is):

I used to work in the Enid, OK, police department before I became a full-time freelance writer and editor nearly 19 years ago. No, I was not a police officer or a dispatcher. I worked in back records, handling things such as incident reports, arrest reports, fingerprint cards, CFS (Call For Service) tickets, mugshots, pawn tickets, and the like.

Working at the police dept. was fascinating for me; I got to see the side of human behavior that I sometimes didn't want to see. It wasn't unusual to be in close vicinity to inmates. I got an up close and personal tour of the jail as well. Working in that atmosphere and reading incident and arrest reports, it certainly made me more cautious of people and, unfortunately, not as trusting as I was before.

While working at the police dept., I got to see police officers as people, not just authority figures. My supervisors, Captain Hood, Captain Goodpasture, and Sergeant Shriver were interesting and funny people -- they were human, just like anyone else. My favorite was undoubtedly my first captain, Jim Hood. I really liked him a lot, and he made me laugh. Something about his personality cracked me up (when he let his guard down, that is). He was the one who hired me.

I knew the detectives who worked there, and I was fascinated by their jobs and how they did them. Undoubtedly, that's when I first became interested in forensics as well as the psychology of the criminal mind. The science behind investigating a crime scene, such as how blood spatter can tell a tale about how the crime was committed, was fascinating.

Now, years later, I still take online courses in forensics and psychology (my second major was psychology when I attended Phillips University in Oklahoma). Human behavior puzzles me, infuriates me, amuses me...the list goes on. I cannot wrap my head around heinous crimes that are committed and how anybody could be responsible for such acts. Hell, I can't even fish because I feel bad for the worm being put on a hook! Too much empathy is what it comes down to.

My daughter became interested in forensics and the like all on her own. I found out she shared these interests with me, and I think it's cool. Although I do not believe I would've had the disposition to work in such fields, Britt does. She has a sharp mind and doesn't get as queasy over stuff like I do. In my view, I think if she ever went into forensics or a similar field, she would be amazing.

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