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So in one of my stories a child disappears, assumed kidnapped. She is (sort of) but really she disappears into another place.
I don't know anything about law enforcement procedure, how long an investigation would go , etc. I need to portray police officers and a sheriff somewhat realistically as far as how they would treat the family and what would go into a search. - the search is futile- but very important. There are at least a few chapters before the mc gets to the same place so before that I want it to be realistic as what the family would have to deal with. It is in a small town as well.
I have always skimmed on those chapters as I didn't know what to put.
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Here's an opportunity for research, I would think.
1. Search out some true crime books that deal with a law-enforcement team near to where ever your setting is, possibly with a related case profile. NY law enforcement procedures probably differ to some degree from California procedures, I assume.
2. Perhaps contact your local Police Department, see if they would be willing to provide you with details about this sort of thing. Local reporters might be a good resource as well.
3. There's always checking to see what our friends Google and Wikipedia have to say.
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I just read a book on basically this exact subject. It's part of the "Howdunit" series for mystery writers (which has a ton of other books on police procedures, crime scene investigation, poisons, murder weapons, etc.) and it's called "Missing Persons: A Writer's Guide to Finding the Lost, the Abducted and the Escaped"
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P.S. Remember, if a child vanishes and is presumed kidnapped, the FBI will be involved to one degree or another
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posted
To prepare for one of my stories, I'm arranging a ride-along with my local police department. Not only will I get the 'words' version of what they do, but I'll get to (hopefully) see a few things along the way.
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The police are generally in two division in a big department. Patrol and Detectives.
Patrol officers are uniformed, mostly younger and can be very motivated. But they go form call to call talking reports and dealing with immediate problems.
Detectives are plain cloths, wear business suits, are older, outrank patrolmen, and may have a huge case load. They tend to specialize buy crime, but this is more of what desk they are working than a professional specialization. The more serious the crime the more prestige. Detectives make phone calls and do interviews.
There is a good Youtube video called ‘Don't Talk to Cops’ Part 1 and 2. Part 2 is a police detective explaining how a skilled interviewer can make things happen.
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According to an interview I had with the chief of police in Shepherdstown a while back, an Amber Alert will be immediately issued. Jurisdiction remains with local police, but the FBI is contacted to get the federal wheels churning. State-level resources are usually put on alert, and depending on what is known about the kidnapping, some level of inter-agency coordination typically begins. Locations with few resources will usually pass it along quickly to larger agencies (such as state police or the Feds).
Check out the Amber Alert information on Wikipedia, then try to get in touch with someone in law enforcement in your local area to see how they would respond. Cops are surprisingly willing to talk about stuff like this to aspiring authors, especially if you put them in a good light.
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