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Old 10-11-2018, 07:51 AM   #41
ericthered
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Default Re: Hiding the Bodies

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Originally Posted by Pursuivant View Post
Something that gets ignored in fiction, but which is huge in real life, is cost of doing a decent investigation.

A small police department in a poor state isn't likely to have the resources to do a good job of detecting, collecting, or protecting forensic evidence. For example, some police departments have untested rape kits going back for decades. They've never been tested because the money, manpower, and political will isn't there.

I watch a fair number of crime documentaries (My wife likes them), and it allows strikes me how often the convicted culprit has another murder in a different jurisdiction. Or how often the police department breaking this case seems to have gobs and gobs of resources and time to throw at this case, and seems to take having a murder committed under their nose personally.



State wealth seems to me to be less important than community wealth. law enforcement (in the US at least) is run by cities or by counties, with the state running the courts. States have some officers, but those tend to be highway patrol and other wide-ranging officers, rather than your on the ground cops.


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Interestinly, under 65% of murders are cleared today, compared to around 90% in the mid 1960's. The reasons range from less exacting forensics (which are more likely to implicate the innocent) to fewer restrictions on police and prosecutor conduct.

We also live in a more anonymous and more environment. Cities have more resources, but they are also have lots and lots more suspects, and are easier to disappear into.



Jurisdiction is everything.
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Old 10-12-2018, 12:31 AM   #42
johndallman
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Default Re: Hiding the Bodies

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Generally, we don't unlawfully kill people. We're often on the side of the law, and if not, killing people is a really bad idea.
An example from Wednesday's game. After a long day, the characters had decided to stay together at one of them's house, rather than disperse to their homes, and to keep a watch. This was worthwhile, as the crash of window glass at the front of the house and "whoomph" of a petrol bomb showed.

The fire was put out swiftly, via magic, and our best stealth artist (who's also our best fighter) slipped out the front, spotting someone with a rifle about 100 yards down the street. She was lucky enough to be able to sneak up on that person (they critically failed a Per roll). On arriving behind the (female) sniper, she broke one of her legs with two Rapid Strike kicks, grabbed the rifle by the barrel, and gave her another kick to the torso, at which point she passed out.

We brought the sniper in, immobilised the broken leg, and called the police. The sniper was well-known to them. They thought that this all seemed a bit odd, but it's a fairly nice (if Bohemian) area (Bloomsbury, London, 1930), we were all sober at 3am, it was obvious that the petrol bomb had been real, and we referred them to a contact at Scotland Yard. So they took the sniper away, and we resumed our sleep and watch, it being obvious that there had been a second person who threw the bomb.

Last edited by johndallman; 10-12-2018 at 09:04 AM. Reason: Spelling
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Old 10-12-2018, 01:08 AM   #43
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Default Re: Hiding the Bodies

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An example from Wednesday's game.
Well, I suspect lethal force would have been legal in that situation, if possibly more troublesome to explain to the police.
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Old 10-12-2018, 02:33 AM   #44
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Well, I suspect lethal force would have been legal in that situation, if possibly more troublesome to explain to the police.
Sneaking up behind someone who isn't actually doing any harm at the time and killing them from surprise? Seems a risky proposition even if your victim is illegally armed (a pretty minor crime at the time AFAICT), known to the police, and encountered under suspicious circumstances.
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Old 10-12-2018, 02:38 AM   #45
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Sneaking up behind someone who isn't actually doing any harm at the time and killing them from surprise?
I'm pretty sure "she already shot at the house and was pointing a sniper rifle apparently looking for additional targets" counts as a legitimate threat...
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Old 10-12-2018, 02:45 AM   #46
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I'm pretty sure "she already shot at the house and was pointing a sniper rifle apparently looking for additional targets" counts as a legitimate threat...
Nowhere in johndallman's post do I see mention of shots fired.
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Old 10-12-2018, 04:14 AM   #47
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Sneaking up behind someone who isn't actually doing any harm at the time and killing them from surprise? Seems a risky proposition even if your victim is illegally armed (a pretty minor crime at the time AFAICT), known to the police, and encountered under suspicious circumstances.
I would suspect that pointing a lethal weapon at someone would constitute a threat of lethal force - effectively you are blindsiding someone who has a weapon pointed at your friends. That might still get you into trouble these days, but in the 30s? I doubt it, especially if social capital is taken into account ... which it almost certainly would have been.
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Old 10-12-2018, 05:04 AM   #48
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I would suspect that pointing a lethal weapon at someone would constitute a threat of lethal force - effectively you are blindsiding someone who has a weapon pointed at your friends. That might still get you into trouble these days, but in the 30s? I doubt it, especially if social capital is taken into account ... which it almost certainly would have been.
At the house they're hunkered down inside of? Seems a stretch, especially when the only evidence that she even did that is the testimony of the killer.
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Old 10-12-2018, 06:12 PM   #49
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Default Re: Hiding the Bodies

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At the house they're hunkered down inside of? Seems a stretch, especially when the only evidence that she even did that is the testimony of the killer.
What killer? Read the description again, the shooter was left unconscious with a broken leg or two, but alive.
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Old 10-13-2018, 12:39 AM   #50
johndallman
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Default Re: Hiding the Bodies

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Sneaking up behind someone who isn't actually doing any harm at the time and killing them from surprise? Seems a risky proposition even if your victim is illegally armed ...
Very definitely.

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Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth View Post
Nowhere in johndallman's post do I see mention of shots fired.
There had been none. The petrol bomb had clearly been thrown by someone else, whom we did not catch.

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Originally Posted by Žorkell View Post
What killer? Read the description again, the shooter was left unconscious with a broken leg or two, but alive.
Hypothetical killer, had the PC killed the sniper, rather than breaking a leg and rendering her unconscious.
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