Cassy’s Corner- Interview with Wally Lind

Folks: Please welcome Wally to Mysteries and Margaritas. I know many of you are in Orlando at the RWA National Convention. I wish I could be there with you, but had to cancel at the last minute. Have a great time and do leave a comment here if you have a chance!

Wally: I was born and raised in the Minneapolis area. I was in trouble as a kid, mostly related to running away from home (about 10 times). I was a medic in the Army in the 1960s, and was a combat medic in Vietnam, where I was wounded when the armored cavalry assault vehicle I was on was destroyed by an enemy anti-tank mine. I graduated from the Univ of MN in '78, and went to work for the U.S. Air Force as a Security Police Officer. I went to work for a suburban/rural sheriff’s office in 1980, and a suburban police department in 1984. In 1986, I was trained as a hostage negotiator and crime scene investigator. I processed thousands of crime scenes, including homicides. I was a patrol officer, detective, and administrative officer during my career. I retired in 2003, with 13 department commendations, two for bravery, but mostly for casework. I am the proud owner (along with Donnell) of the crimescenewriters yahoo group, and the Minnesota Department commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization.

Cassy: From your bio, it is clear you've held a variety of police investigative positions. Do you have a favorite.

Wally: Yes, crime scene investigator (called "physical evidence officer (PEO)", in my dept.). The detective runs the overall show, but the PEO finds and properly collects and preserves the physical evidence from a scene. Also in 99% of the cases, the PEO makes ALL decisions about what is evidence, what is not, and what will go to the lab to be processed. In homicides (the only crime where detectives go to every case-especially at night and on weekends), the PEO will decide what is evidence and the detective and prosecutor will decide what goes to the lab. The PEO is usually consulted, but the detective is required to know what the lab can do. I had a detective prevent me from processing part of a scene (a private home) because he couldn't get evidence to match his "theory of the case" in the other 3/4 of the house. After that detectives weren't allowed in crime scenes, but I got that changed because it went too far. A detective (at least one from the team) should intimately know what the scene looks like. Detectives should have immediate access to photographs of the scene (polaroids in the past, and digital now) to help them with interviews and just thinking about the crime.

Cassy: You transitioned from a medic's role in the military to police work. How did that happen?

Wally: Being a medic wasn't my choice, it was the Army's. I worked in a dental school microbiology genetics lab, while at the University of Minnesota, and was offered a place in the dental school class, but my wife walked around with her mouth open for a month to dissuade me. When I got out of college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. So I applied for a variety of jobs, and got a job as an Air Force Security Police Officer. A friend there has been a civilian cop, and kind of talked me into it. I sent out about 200 resumes to agencies around Minneapolis. and did tons of interviews and tests. I was number one on one list, and the young psychologist testing me asked if I had ever tried to kill or injure anyone. Being a combat veteran, I had to answer yes, and it must have been clear that I had done so with enthusiasm. She was horrified by this and flunked me. After that, I made sure that I left the enthusiasm out of my answer. lol So that's how my career started. And by the way, in my 25 year career, I used my night stick twice (a female partner has been jumped by three & I was outnumbered six-to one) and my mace once (bad idea: the guy I maced then became wet and slippery-lol)

Cassy: Wally, you have me laughing here. Tell us about crimescenewriter. Folks, this is a fantastic website I have been using for a good number of years. You can't believe the generosity of a large number of experts who answer questions about just about anything to do with crimes. Sorry, Wally, I ask you a question then jump in. So, back to the question- fill us in on crimescenewriter.

Wally: Its a group of about 1880 members, where people ask question about law enforcement procedures, forensics, and lots of other stuff. I have had a core group of about 10-20 people (changing over time) who are knowledgeable about the topics the writers ask about, and generous enough to give their time and expertise to new an experienced writers who have questions. We have experience crime scene investigators, detectives, doctors, and lawyers (from time to time), corrections officers, former FBI agents, private investigators, and others who have come and gone, and sometimes come back again. I guess if you have questions or can't afford professional research, we are the group to come to.

In recent years, I have been more and more busy with my veterans’ service organization, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and I have been a little late answering questions. That's when it is really nice to have others willing to answer questions, and I appreciate it very much. My co-owner Donnell Bell, has been invaluable in keeping the group going in an orderly way. By the way, If I don't know the answer to your question, I just don't answer. I have been tempted to say that, but it will clutter the site too much. I'm 64 now, and I hope to keep it going for more years. When I can't do anymore, I hope Donnell, or other interested people, will keep it going.

Cassy: What led you to start crimescenewriter? Isn't that a big jump from your prior work?

Wally: I was active in a Yahoo crime scene group (ICSIA) and people kept asking me questions about the work. It became clear that many were writers and some were other CSIs. So I started two Yahoo groups, one for writers and one for CSIs. My group owner from ICSIA objected to my "crime scene work" group so I did that kind of stuff on the ICSIA site, and ignored my site. The writers group started to grow, and answering the writers' questions kept my mind on crime scene topics, while I worked in the chief's office and after I retired.

Now, we are 1800+, a lot of writers like us, and it feels good to help bring a book to print. We sometimes get mentioned in an author’s acknowledgements page, which also feels good. Best selling author Allison Brennan has mentioned us in a number of her books, which is nice.

Cassy: I can't imagine how much time it takes to manage and respond to the number of inquiries you receive on the site. I have lost count of how many emails come into me each day from that site, with I will add, a huge amount from you. What does it take to run a site that's so popular?

Wally: I pay attention to the site only about once a day, because I am pretty busy with my "job" as Minnesota Department Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, my main veterans service organization. I read most of the messages and threads, until they get to long. I have a co-owner now, Donnell Bell, who approves 99% of the messages and keeps order in the ranks. Without Donnell, I would be a lot busier with the group. Thank you, Donnell! I answer the questions that I know something about and leave the others to group members who know what they are talking about.

Cassy: You have so many experts who chime in on the site, contributing answers to a variety of questions. Did you tap folks to pitch in, or has it grown on its own?

Wally: I have encouraged people to answer questions. Luckily, we have gotten a lot of writers/group members who are both generous with their time and knowledgeable in various topics. We have cops from all over the country, doctors, lawyers, and writers who have had to answer a question for themselves. All are appreciated.

Cassy: I know I have posted questions about a homemade bomb, starting a fire in a basement, a gun shot wound, as well as others (all for writing of course!). If you had to categorize the types of questions posted on the site, would there be one type that stands out?

Wally: Questions about autopsies, decomposition, and poisons stand out in my mind. I can answer some of them, but many are hard enough that I have to research the answers. The most fun questions are about crime scene investigation techniques I have used or are just being developed. DNA profiles in 45 minutes or less, starts my engine.

Cassy: This is a statement, rather than a question. I have met through your group a number of people who have stayed as wonderful resources off the list. And, one turned out to be in my own RWA group; I had no idea.

Wally: I'm happy you have found the group useful, even offline. My goals in establishing the group were to aid fiction writers in anyway I could, since I have a background (law enforcement and crime scene) that could yield useful information, and I wanted to use my time in something I really loved (Crime scene). It been fun, and I went from about 50 writer's/group members, when I retired to 1880+ now. Donnell and I now have the second largest Yahoo forensics group. It's also been a lot of fun.

Cassy: Wally, thanks so much for joining us today. Your expertise is definitely helping the accuracy of our writing and creating a community of participation. And, your willingness to be there for us is SO appreciated.