San Francisco PD Mission Station

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?
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Trying one more avenue on this.

In the sequel to The Sad Girl, I have a scene taking place in the SFPD Missing Person Unit. Danny and his daughter have gone there to file an official report on Danielle's mom.

I'd like to know generally what the inside of Mission Station looks like, especially the MP Unit. What floor is it on? Would visitors be escorted up to the unit, or is part of that open to the public? Elevator? Reception desk with civilians or officers (and are they regular officers, or could they be on light duty?) Is the MPU set up with individual offices, or a bullpen? Would they go to an interview room, or be interviewed out in the main area?

Photos would be awesome, but all I can find via Google and Flickr are lots of shots of SFPD vehicles, and a hundred or so exterior shots of the station during a police brutality protest. I don't want photos of sensitive areas, only those areas someone might see if they're there to file a report.

I've contacted SFPD Media Relations as well as the Mission Station email address, and haven't heard back from either address. I've even reached out to the San Francisco Chronicle to see if they have anything in their archives, but that message just went out an hour ago. :)

Anyway, can anyone help here?
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

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I can't offer any specific help, but have you tried phoning them directly? Have a list of questions ready and either leave space to jot down the answers or record the call if you can.

I had the brass neck to phone the FBI a few months ago - and came up trumps after a very pleasant chat! ;)

Good luck...
 

Mark G

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I have the same question actually, but about the Tenderloin station. I have a scene taking place there, and some realism might be good - but I had convinced myself it wasn't necessary. At the very least, for security reasons, it's probably better to be vague or intentionally mislead readers as to the layout.

I've been inside five police stations in So. Cal. -not as a criminal :) - and was thinking about just using them as source material for more generic descriptions. I mean, do people really care that you make a left turn and then a right turn and that the carpet is green or grey, or some weird pattern, or how tall the cubicle walls are?

You might consider just making it up. As a reader, I wouldn't expect it to be accurate. IMHO, very few people would be fact-checking you and be unable to "suspend their disbelief".