police safe house

rosehips · May 19, 2015

Hi all.
One of my main characters, Veronica, survives an assassination attempt by the bad guys. Veronica has witnessed something that the boss bad guy wants to keep secret, so he sends his goons to kill her. Veronica's boyfriend is a police detective named Daniel. Daniel decides that he should put Veronica in a safe house for the duration of the investigation into what Veronica saw.

First question: is this an accurate choice by Daniel?

At a point in the following days, Veronica will have a very compelling reason to want to secretly leave the safe house.

Next question: is a police officer always present at the safe house?

I'm trying to figure out if/how Veronica would get out of the house unnoticed so she can go take care of the compelling business.

Maryn · May 20, 2015

My understanding--and that's all it is, not actual experience--is that Daniel would not be in a position to make any decisions on what should happen to his girlfriend, because his involvement means he cannot be objective. Even if Daniel has access to a safe house, he would not be authorized to get the keys and take his girlfriend there. (Can you imagine the potential for abuse if every detective could use that house?) So another detective would be working the case involving Veronica, and making the decision about how best to protect her.

That, of course, depends on the resources the goons have available. Don't they recommend people leave town, go visit distant relatives, stay with a friend? Of course, if the goons are well funded and not idiots, they could find her if that's all she was told to do. If the safe house is not the best option chosen by the detective working her case, it might be smart of Daniel to put her somewhere else, where the goons won't know to look. Did the family keep Aunt Rose's condo when she went into the nursing home? Is there a hunting cabin that belongs to his brother-in-law or a lake house owned by his high school buddy's family? He could stash Veronica in such a place, assuming even the smartest goon could not trace her there, then go to work as if nothing's happened. When she leaves for her good reason, she's freshly in peril. Is that what your story needs?

I have no idea if police officers remain on guard in safe houses. It probably depends on the level of risk and on the department's budget.

Maryn, who'd opt for the untraceable property

ironmikezero · May 20, 2015

Maryn nailed most of it for you . . . Your detective wouldn't have the authority to institute a protective detail; that's gotta go up the chain of command because of the resource(s) commitment. However, in your scenario, it would likely be approved. Most LE agencies have some version of temporary witness protection (assuming this isn't a federal case - that's a different situation entirely); few have permanently established safe houses (various hotels are most often drafted for such periodic use). Yes, there would be armed personnel keeping the witness secure 24/7.

Of course, Veronica could, for whatever reason, decline the offer of protection and opt to look out for herself . . . See how that could open some options for your plot?

Pony. · May 20, 2015

Is he moving Veronica on his own or in an official capacity?

As for getting her out of the house theres always the old 'out the bathroom window' bit. If shes on the ground floor that is.

rosehips · May 20, 2015

Thanks, everyone. Actually, having Daniel put her somewhere safe in an unofficial capacity would make her sneaking off a lot easier (yes, the idea is to put her back into danger, though she'll have good reason). But I was also considering having the bad guys find the safe house and murder the officer left there to protect her, then abduct her. Though I don't know why the goons wouldn't just kill her right then. So actually I'd have to figure out how she'd get away from them. Worth thinking about.

A guy was killed when the attempt was made on Veronica's life, and it was in a different part of the city than where Daniel works, so I already had another detective involved. If I go with the official safe house scenario, it sounds like I need Daniel to perhaps talk to the detective about Veronica's safety, but it would come down to the detective's choice to put her in a safe house, to avoid Daniel's conflict of interest.

If I go with the unofficial safe house, like Aunt Rose's or a hotel, Daniel would probably still need the detective's approval...?

I need her to leave without Daniel getting wind of it right away, so I'm not sure how I can pull that off if with the official safe house, if there's an officer there with her, in terms of her just opting to check out of protective custody.

ETA: Daniel is also at risk of the goons trying to kill him, as is another guy. I had planned on the other guy being in the same safe house (or perhaps, hotel) as Veronica, but I wasn't sure what to do about Daniel. How do police departments handle it when one of their detectives is being targeted in a specific way? I imagine it must happen--but if you believe movies and cop shows detectives just shrug it off as all part of the job. Is it really like that, or are precautions taken to protect the detective until the perpetrator is arrested?

ETA2: If a witness is put in a hotel room as a temporary safe house, does the officer left to guard her stay in the same hotel room (like one of those rooms with two double beds)?

ETA3: With a scenario where a witness is in an official safe house, is the expection that the witness will remain at the safe house all the time? What about if there's something to do for a case, like do an identification of someone in a line-up?

I've realized I need Veronica to be able to leave the safe house for something before the "good reason" I mentioned, where she'll end up in danger again. It's not actually for something official to do with the investigation. It's something that she has to do for a subplot that isn't directly a part of the investigation. But I'm thinking maybe I could figure out a way to get her out of the house for something official, and she could then take care of this item of business while she's out.

Though it's looking like I may be better off going with an unofficial safe house, to avoid such complications.

ironmikezero · May 20, 2015

I'm beginning to think you might be better off having Daniel trying to stash Veronica somewhere he thinks is safe, and under the official radar (without his department knowing - maybe he suspects a leak). Since he can't stay with her, that allows ample opportunity for her to slip off on her own.

FWIW, a protective detail is never made up of one person--it's a comprehensive team effort, and coverage is eyes on, 24/7 for the duration of the threat.

rosehips · May 20, 2015

Ugh. I think you're right. I'm going to have to go with unofficial.

Maryn · May 20, 2015

Tell Daniel I said Veronica can use my guest room. Oh, wait, murderous goons? Never mind.

maryland · Jun 11, 2015

If it's any help, I knew of a safe house (years ago) that was sited at the back of a pub's parking area. This meant that the family could leave by car easily without trace and the adults could leave via the pub itself, if necessary. It did not seem a safe arrangement to me, as it looked as though the baddies could use the same process to attack them!

police safe house

rosehips

Mr. Boo is watching you.

Maryn

Baaa!

ironmikezero

practical experience, FTW

Pony.

Aspiring supervillain

rosehips

Mr. Boo is watching you.

ironmikezero

practical experience, FTW

rosehips

Mr. Boo is watching you.

Maryn

Baaa!

maryland