Day 1 Scotland Yard

Just so you have an idea. Up early, train station is about a half a mile away. Take train for two stops, exit train, get on to the London Underground, get off Underground two or three stops later and get off...get on another Underground in different direction....ride to St. James, and end at the Scotland Yard, or The Metropolitan Police if you would rather. Forget driving, no way. Even the locals dont drive in.
This is my host David Tadd, Head of the Forensics Unit, Serious Crimes, and the man responsible for this training. The Yard had a photographer come down and take a series of photographs that I will bring back with me. This is just one that he took with my camera so I could send it.
I spent all day here today and met with the heads of the burglary and homicide divisions, as well as the Yard historian, fingerprint sections of burglary, homicide, and the very cool...anti-terrorist unit. With 200 homicides a year, not including suicides, natural, industrial, they appear to have the system down well. Most obvious, is that they have the resources available to handle such a load. Teams respond to homicides (photographer, fingerprinting, evidence processing, collection, packaging) and a Scene of the Crime Manager. Way too much to mention here, but thats just a start of the players involved.
Everyone was most pleasant and made me feel very much at home. Long lunch with the department heads of fingerprints, burglary, homicide, and David, discussing the different and not so different issues and practices of our departments. We are not that much different at all. Their biggest complaint ? Uniform officers messing the crime scene up before the investigators arrive. No kidding.
One thing that was a little odd, but could get used to, the 5 of us had gin and tonics with lunch, and killed a bottle of a nice white wine....then went back to work. J.R, what do you think ?

I'll talk more about the Yard later. First day was teriffic. No doubt.

These things are parked all around the block where Scotland Yard is located. Two uniformed officers, one armed with a machine gun were walking the beat by the main entrance. Thats something you just dont see every day.

Note the pull down windshield cage to protect the glass from thrown rocks and bottles during riots.
Its been a very long day, near midnight, and I need to be at the Yard by 8:15 tomorrow.
Will update again tomorrow after my next adventure.