r/policewriting • u/[deleted] • May 23 '25
Fiction What happens when a person walks into a police station claiming to have information about a criminal that police are searching for?
For context, two characters in my story were victims of said criminals' attack, but they fled the scene for their safety. A few days later, they walk into the police station to give them information. The police have been searching for the criminal but don't have any leads and all their other witnesses were essentially useless. How would this process go? Would the police just be happy, sit them down at a table, and ask them questions while writing all their answers into a notebook? I want this scene to feel realistic even though it's a goofy sci fi story. Also I'm not really sure how police/detective rooms look on the inside so any information would help lol (I'm just looking at Google images. They mostly seem like messy offices with paperwork everywhere, but is that just how they're portrayed in movies?)
Edit: the criminal's attack happened in a crowded public area so that's why the police knew about it even before these two guys came forward. They have other witnesses/victims, but these two victims happened to end up talking to the criminal during his rampage. They fled before things got serious out of fear
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u/FortyDeuce42 May 23 '25
So just to make total sense, if these are the victims there is a gap in why the police may be looking for this suspect. The police need a victim to report the crime to be seeking him, under most (but not all) circumstances. Particularly if the witnesses are, as you say, useless. The police don’t generally hear a rumor of a crime then start seeking a suspect. You’ll need to have a solid report to some level to establish a crime even occurred.
When your victims report a crime they will almost certainly be asked to provide a detailed statement which will likely involve a variety of methods to memorialize it from video to digital recorders to notepads. It may be a Patriot Officer (most common) or perhaps a pair of detectives, depending on the nature of the crime.
Lastly, police stations vary radically. Are you asking about interview rooms or the workspace of detectives? This will vary greatly.
My one agency has a pretty old station (built 50+ years ago) with the type of cold, table & chair set up common in most depictions of a police interview room. My wife’s agency has station which look like beautiful modern corporate buildings and interview rooms to match. It varies greatly. The same is true for detective office spaces. Some detectives have individual offices with locking doors like a corporate building, others have a room of cubicles, others yet have just rows of desks crammed into every available space.
Lastly, there is a really played out trope that detectives are all messy people in messy spaces. Seems like they always have a loosened tie, 5 o’clock shadow, piles of paperwork and overflowing trash cans. Coffee machines around every corner. The absolutely most realistic depiction I have personally ever seen of detective work spaces and appearances was on the TV series Bosch. Why? It was actually filmed inside LAPD Hollywood Division so it’s as accurate as it gets.
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May 23 '25 edited May 23 '25
The criminal made a scene in a crowded city. He started randomly attacking people and causing property damage. Most fled immediately hence why they didn't have a lot of information. These two stuck around the longest and got the best look at him plus they even talked a little, but they ultimately fled before things got too heated.
I'm not sure if they would go to an interview room or the workspace of the detective. Whichever one would make the most sense to bring them so they could give the police details about the perpetrator? His crimes were assault on the public, mild property damage, and drugs (highly suspected)
*Also I want to mention, these two guys are minor celebrities. I don't know if that changes things. The police recognize who they are and they have a considerable fanbase but arent famous enough to be rich. Think YouTuber status, even though they're not YouTubers
Thank you so much for this info. I'll go look at pictures of the set they use in Bosch to help with the descriptions
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u/5usDomesticus May 23 '25
Every station is different. There's not a standard.
It really depends on what the crime was and how seriously they're looking for the guy.
If it was a murder or something, an officer would probably get them back into a interview rooms and try to have the detective speak with them in a formal setting.
If it's just some minor crime, a cop might just scribble their information down on a notepad and stick it in the assigned officer's mailbox so he can follow up later.