Sep10

crime school.

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in 2011, a man in a Gumby suit attempted to rob a 7-Eleven store but became nervous and escaped with only some loose change. Initially, the clerk thought the man was joking, but when the robber announced he had a gun and began fumbling with his Gumby suit, he changed his mind. When the robber’s accomplice in a car outside honked the horn, the suspect fled, dropping his take of 27 cents on the floor. (San Diego Police Department )

 TWELVE THINGS I LEARNED AT CRIMECON 

 All cults share some common characteristics, including the CAT DOOMSDAY CULT where people were led to believe that cats (where you had to have at least 30 cats in your house, among other things), were your avenue to the afterlife.

Five motivated moms were capable of solving a complex case involving their daughters that the police did not even believe was a case.

Body language is a dead giveaway when trying to detect if someone is lying. (now that i’ve seen examples and an analysis of them, I’ll seem even more guilty when innocent as I’ll be trying to outthink what I should or should not be doing with my actions and will appear more suspicious  and self-conscious.)

Transitions are the time when you are most vulnerable, in a parking lot, going from place to place, car to inside, etc. carrying things, 8 grocery bags, phone, coffee, small child,  busy, thinking about what’s next,… best time to be aware  and focused. also in remote spaces when alone. after learning about how to best avoid unsafe situations, realizing I’ve done all of the unsafe things numerous times and feeling glad to be here to attend this session.

There are still lots of missing people out there, and seeing a large board with pictures and names of people up there, to get as much exposure as possible to people from all over the country, sobering to see how many are still lost.

If parents are searching for a baby taken in the past they are now sometimes able to find them using technology that can use their baby picture to recreate what they would like at their current age, and vice versa if an adult finds out they were taken as a baby and wants to find their real family, by using the tech to use their adult picture to go back in time to what they might have looked like as a baby.

Always, always, always trust your instincts and heed the red flags. did I say always?

Criminals most always think they can get away with their crime.

Many law enforcement and legal system presenters spoke of the toll their job took on their personal lives and their mental and emotional health. pushing for more support in the future for themselves and others in the field. some spoke of importance of having friends and interests both inside, to talk to about the job,  and outside of the field, to talk about anything else, to find a balance.

Hearing cases discussed that I remember from years ago, filled in a lot of blanks, what was real, what was not, what happened behind the scenes, and justice was not always served.

Lots of people came to crimecon for different reasons and they were interesting, sincere, eccentric, and bright. I enjoyed talking to them all and there was truly never a dull moment.

My last seminar called ‘is there a serial killer among us?’ made me look around at the people sitting in the room with me,  and I’m quite sure they were doing the same.

—

‘the most difficult crime to track is the one which is purposeless.’

-arthur conan doyle

*Arthur Conan Doyle, Scottish writer best known for his creation of the detective Sherlock Holmes, one of the most vivid and enduring characters in English. 

 

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43 responses »

  3. Thank you for the interesting and helpful article, Beth. Valuable and potentially life-saving information. I do my best to stay aware, but sometimes I slip up and forget to get my keys out ahead of time. Not wise in a parking lot at night. Thank you for the reminder. “trust your instincts” 👍🏻

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  5. There is a whole genre of crime fiction about a criminal in a Gumby suit just waiting to be published. Get on it, Beth!

    I love the insights you learned at Crime Con and definitely makes me even more hypervigilant about those transition moments, especially with a young child in mind.

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  7. Wow. Thank you for explaining what it was like to be at crime school. The tips you picked up. Terrifying how many people are still missing and how terrible people can be. The twenty-seven cent Gumby. A robbery gone wrong. The loot left behind. A practice run, hopefully with lessons learned. No place is safe for women or children and I’m sure those in the business need relief from what they see everyday on the job. Terrible things.

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  13. What a helpful post, Beth, thank you! I can’t believe the Gumby robber!
    I’m always aware of my surroundings and so is hubby. We’ve told our kids the same thing even though they’re adults. Nowadays anyone can be vulnerable. Scary times, but this post is timely.

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  19. What a truly great week(end?) you spent here, beth. i would however probably suffered months’ long nightmares, as i’m truly ‘easily impressed’ by scary stories and lessons like those.
    your essay made me realise all the stupid things i did and i feel that i was only ‘saved’ by my naivety.
    Also, trusting my instinct would have saved us ALL our badly spent money, troubles, grief and a big junk of our health when we bought our house in France, where i felt bad about the whole ‘affair’ right from the first encounter with the seller….
    When you have terrible eyesight, you learnt about avoiding unsafe situations. you don’t ‘need’ talking crime (only) but the many annoying daily traps in one’s life (steps, shadows hiding holes or obstacles, uneven streets, slippery surfaces – not dangerous per se but ‘things to avoid’.
    A brilliant post, a worthwhile course, and the candle on the crime cake is surely A.C. Doyle’s quote – spot on!

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