Cold doesn't stop dedicated 'detective'

I didn't want to miss the coffee, so I managed to come to work, despite the powers above sending me messages over the last few days that I needed to slow down -- signs which I ignored.

I guess I ignored my body telling me I was run down, because I am really trying to prepare for the upcoming United Way 5K race Oct. 25. I wasn't able to run two weeks ago, because of an injury. Having a cold -- and taking more time off from the gym -- simple did not fit into my busy schedule.

I hate being sick and missing work, so I fought this "thing" that had been going around the office hard, with hefty doses of Vicks NyQuil and DayQuil that only seemed to make matters worse. Instead of feeling better, I felt loopy, and still stopped up.

As the Times-Gazette filled up with Bedford countians, I -- typically very much of a "people person" -- felt claustrophobic. I started to sweat, couldn't think straight, couldn't converse, and knew that coming into work had been a bad idea.

I finally realized I needed to rest and recover, so I went home sick yesterday. I missed my mom on the way home, and wished I could go lay on her couch and have her feed me back to wellness with homemade chicken soup.

Since my mom is 1,400 miles away, and my husband is out of town, I had to settle for a can of chicken noodle soup, and a teddy bear named Lizzie, my dog and best companion, to make me feel better. Oprah and her guest, Dr. Oz, lifted my spirits a bit, as I learned about hair implants and other anatomical things that shouldn't be mentioned in this G-rated column.

I had managed to get all my assignments covered on Wednesday by my supportive co-workers at the Times-Gazette, but I had Police Academy on my agenda for Tuesday night. I really didn't think I should go, but, again, didn't want to miss out. I mean, heaven forbid I don't graduate from Citizen's Police Academy!

When I talked to my editor, John Philleo, about this dilemma, he strongly urged me not to push myself; and not to go. He suggested I stay home, get better, and come back feeling rested and recovered.

I guess I am not a very good listener, because I went to Citizen's Police Academy anyway. I have to say, I did try to obey my editor's advice and called the Police Department, telling them I was too sick to join the team Tuesday night.

It didn't take long for Office Manager Kim Nash to twist my arm into ignoring John's advice. She told me it was too good of a class to miss, and that I should come, even if just for a portion of it.

Tuesday night's focus was on the department's Criminal Investigations Division, so I went from Sgt. Sadie to Det. Sadie, in a matter of just a couple weeks in police work.

The division had done a great job in staging a CSI scene for us to investigate -- and attempt to solve. Along with three other team members, I made my way, as a CSI photographer (my role in the scenario), into the room where I found a white male, a mechanic, lying in a pool of blood. There was a tool bar lying next to his head, his wallet lying beside him and a Sun-Drop bottle in his hand. The staged scene looked incredibly realistic, and I commend the department for their efforts with Tuesday's night's class.

We worked together to photograph the scene, record and collect evidence and come up with a theory as to the method of, and motive for, the crime. After a lot of discussion, we decided the man was victim of a violent burglary. Upon forcefully entering the room, the perpetrator surprised the victim, and struck him in the head with the tool bar. Due to the location of some blood spatter, we also decided that the victim had put up a fight, and that the perpetrator had likely left the scene bleeding.

As it turned out, my team did a pretty good job, with the short amount of time that we had, in forming our theory. We only had about 30 minutes to collect evidence, when in reality, the detectives spend hours upon hours making sure every detail is accounted for in real crime scene investigations.

We also learned how to lift fingerprints Tuesday evening, which was interesting and informative, like everything else Tuesday night. The most important thing we learned is that, for CSI detectives, it's all in the details ... the details are what make or break a case for these hard working, enthusiastic detectives.

Now that I'm an expert, or not, on the court system, traffic stops and criminal investigations, I'm ready to take on drug investigations and domestic violence in the remaining weeks of Citizen's Police Academy.

Now, if I could just shake this cold ...

-- Sadie Fowler is a staff writer for the Times-Gazette. She can be reached at (931) 684-1200, ext. 214, or by e-mail at sfowler@t-g.com. This column is scheduled to print every Thursday.