John Cheek, A Cop for all Seasons

An American cop liked to go down to Agua Prieta, Mexico, and participate in the local bar scene. Although it is illegal to carry gun in Mexico, this cop did not like to be unarmed at any time, so he kept his favorite gun in a shoulder holster under his jacket, and took it with him everywhere. One time he was at a nightclub in Agua Prieta, and got a little carried away in his dancing. The gun slipped from his holster and hit the ground, skating across the floor. Immediately, everyone on the dance floor backed away, parting like the Red Sea. No one wanted to claim the gun, although several people were packing. The cop looked at his favorite gun, which had seen him through many dangerous times, and then he turned and walked away. It was the only thing he could do.

A couple of young Englishmen were arrested for credit card fraud in Douglas, Arizona, which shares the border with Mexico. They had a small jail there at the time, and, it being a sleepy border town, things were done a little differently regarding the feeding of prisoners. The police department had contracted with a local Mexican restaurant for meals. The Englishmen ate the food, and after a couple of meals, became violently ill. Their systems simply couldn't tolerate the Mexican food. The city judge took pity on the prisoners and released them to the custody of a local Englishwoman.

There was a well-known drug dealer in Agua Prieta whose activities were protected by the local Mexican police, because he paid them well. One of the perquisites of being the favored drug dealer: the gendarmes arrested his competition. One day, however, his competition came up with more money, and they became the favored drug dealers. The police department over the border in the U.S. got a call from the Mexican police, instructing them to have officers at the port of entry at one o'clock in the afternoon. When they arrived, the drug dealer, wanted in the U.S., was emerging from the trunk of his expensive lime-green Cadillac. Mexican soldiers stood around him, weapons at the ready. The drug dealer "voluntarily" walked across the border, where he was arrested.

These are just a few of the snapshots of police life that John Cheek has shared with me over the years. Some of them have already found their way into my books.

I first met John at a lecture he gave to our local Mystery Writers of America group in 1993. An officer with the Tucson Police Department, his topic was interrogating suspects. He was a wonderful speaker, and when I went up to talk to him afterward, he was more than willing to share more of his expertise with me. John wanted to write a mystery. He had already co-authored a book on officer safety in the field (Plainclothes and Off-Duty Officer Survival), so he knew something about writing books.

He joined our writer's group and wrote a mystery novel called Off the Dime. At the same time, he acted as a consultant on my books (Dark Horse- Kensington Books, published 1995, The Desert Waits- Kensington Books, published 1996.)

Because he wrote a complete crime novel himself, John understands the limitations and demands of story. His mind is always working on how to help the writer achieve accuracy in police procedure, without sacrificing plot considerations. This quality is unique, but it is not the only thing that makes him such a good source.

A twenty-four year veteran in the field, John has always seen law enforcement from many different standpoints. He started his law enforcement career in the seventies in the Douglas Police Department in rural Cochise County. He saw firsthand the unofficial cooperation between the Mexican police and the local gendarmes, the shady dealings of local bigwigs, and the mixture of police procedure and common sense required in small towns. Then he moved to the Tucson metropolitan area and became a police officer there, which gave him all sorts of experience, including a stint with Hostage Negotiations and the Fraud Investigations division. He has lectured extensively on interrogation techniques and sociopathy, and his lectures are always popular.

As an author's expert, John is the best of both worlds. Analytical by nature, he can reach the heart of any problem, and give clear, concise advice on procedure. He can read a section of the book, and e-mail a thoughtful, detailed response. But he is also a storyteller, and this is something that has actually affected the complexity and authority of my books even more than the straight facts would do. Gleaned from twenty-odd years of experience and keen observation, John's anecdotes, the way he helps you see past the job and into the heart and soul of police work, puts flesh on the story. This, to me, is the most important asset he has to offer, because this is where so many of us mystery writers fall down. Sometimes, you can have all the facts, but the story just doesn't feel right. There is a lack of authority in the way the author portrays a police officer. It could be as simple as the wrong word: the way a police officer would talk about the "PD" as opposed to saying, the "police force." These nuances and distinctions would be impossible to know, without John's patient reading of the whole manuscript and attention to detail. He has a great ear.

I have always loved working with experts who can tell great stories, because that is usually where I find the richest nuggets that enhance my story. I've used (changing slightly) several anecdotes John has told me to make my stories more real, and sometimes those stories have helped me put the final piece to the puzzle, actually changed the course of a story.

We all want to come across as authentic, to give the reader a wild ride that really could happen. John's wealth of experience, his great stories, his attention to detail, his understanding of what is required to actually write a whole book--all of those things make him a great source for mystery writers.

I recommend him highly.

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