Hi all,

This post is targeted to people with legitimate police experience.  Not people who have watched COPS, not people who have done a ride along or two.  People who either work alongside police officer, are police officers, or work as dispatchers/support services.

I need help with the phrasing of the following.  The next version of Secondary Callouts will have a lot more audio.  I want to add a lot of realism to it which is why I need your help.  Can you please let me know if this is along the lines of what an officer will say to a suspect?  I have no experience at all and I've been trying to find an episode of COPS with good enough dialogue to follow but I can't.

I'm looking for either better way to say things (like addressing the suspect, what to say, etc)

The following is a draft of my script that a friend and I will be recording the audio for.

SPOILER CONTAINS INFORMATION ABOUT NEWEST RELEASE; DO NOT OPEN IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN SURPRISED ABOUT RELEASE FEATURES

Spoiler

 Restraining Order:

Stopping Suspect           

1.      Let’s talk for a minute, I have some questions for you.  Hey, what’s going on?

2.      I have some questions for you.  Can you stay here for a minute?  Hey!

 

Suspect Talking

1.      You better stop that- just stand here and talk to me.  Where have you been today?  How long have you been near here?

2.      Hey!  I’m not accusing you of anything, just talk to me.  Where have you been recently?  Have you been hanging around this area?

3.      I’m not going to search you- just relax and let’s talk for a minute.  Keep your hands where I can see them.

4.      We have a person who described someone matching your description.  Now tell me where have you been today?  Why were you hanging around the guy that you know you aren’t supposed to be around?

 

Disturbance Callout:

1.      Hey! Hey!!  You stand over there.  You come with me over here.  *suspect 1 follows cop to location*

2.      STOP TALKING or I’ll come over there and arrest you!!

3.      Alright, how long have you two lived together? How can this be fixed?

4.      Okay, okay!  What’s the issue?  What’s going on here?

a.      Okay, good.  I don’t want to hear from you two again today.

5.      Alright! Alright!  Let’s back it up.  You stand here.  You, come with me! *suspect 1 follows cop to location*

6.      Okay, what can we do to fix this?  How did he get your hatchet to begin with?

7.      Listen, relax.  Did he give you his hatchet or is it yours?  You need to just give it back to him if he did or that’s larceny.

Each number goes to a specific area of a conversation (which I will not place here as to spoil the surprises and variation).  My main questions are- is it okay?  Is it similar to how an officer will talk to a suspect?  I plan on expanding the dialogue more, but I don't want to do that if this isn't reasonable talk for an officer since this drives the conversation.

Edited February 1, 201610 yr by fiskey111
Added some new info and spoiler alert!

Police/Fire dispatcher here. I will try and give my best .2 cents here. It's difficult to say exactly what an officer would say in any given situation. It varies wildly from officer to officer and department to department. I think if you're aiming for an accurate representation there could be a few changes. 

For the "Stopping Suspect" section, I think both of those would work just fine. Officers will usually say something along the lines of "Hey, come here for a minute, I need to talk to you" or the famous "do me a favor and _____" line (blank usually filled with "come here" "sit down for a minute" etc etc.) 

For the "suspect talking" section, I think the second line could use a couple tweaks. I don't see an officer telling somebody "I'm not accusing you of anything." I think if an officer said that, that would lead to more suspects walking away from them because they don't think they're being detained. Maybe something along the lines of "Hey! Just stay here and talk to me for a second. Where were you in the past hour? Have you been around here?"

On the third line there, I don't see an officer saying "i'm not going to search you" because in real life if an officer said that and then decided to search a suspect after, it might cause them to be a bit upset with the officer, which of course they want to avoid. I think something more along the lines of "Just relax a minute and talk to me. Do me a favor and keep your hands out of your pockets."

I think the rest looks good! All of it is believable and would fit in with the GTA universe. Really, these are just nitpicks but I figured I would throw in a couple of those terms that officers seem to use a lot. I'd be glad to help with anything else you have question on, for realism sake!  

4 hours ago, goincd3 said:

Police/Fire dispatcher here. I will try and give my best .2 cents here. It's difficult to say exactly what an officer would say in any given situation. It varies wildly from officer to officer and department to department. I think if you're aiming for an accurate representation there could be a few changes. 

For the "Stopping Suspect" section, I think both of those would work just fine. Officers will usually say something along the lines of "Hey, come here for a minute, I need to talk to you" or the famous "do me a favor and _____" line (blank usually filled with "come here" "sit down for a minute" etc etc.) 

For the "suspect talking" section, I think the second line could use a couple tweaks. I don't see an officer telling somebody "I'm not accusing you of anything." I think if an officer said that, that would lead to more suspects walking away from them because they don't think they're being detained. Maybe something along the lines of "Hey! Just stay here and talk to me for a second. Where were you in the past hour? Have you been around here?"

On the third line there, I don't see an officer saying "i'm not going to search you" because in real life if an officer said that and then decided to search a suspect after, it might cause them to be a bit upset with the officer, which of course they want to avoid. I think something more along the lines of "Just relax a minute and talk to me. Do me a favor and keep your hands out of your pockets."

I think the rest looks good! All of it is believable and would fit in with the GTA universe. Really, these are just nitpicks but I figured I would throw in a couple of those terms that officers seem to use a lot. I'd be glad to help with anything else you have question on, for realism sake!  

Thank you!  I would have never thought about those things like that!  I'll definitely change them- I want these to be as realistic as possible!  

I'm a serving police officer in the Hampshire. We are trained to deal with suspects as calmly as possible, without creating more work for ourselves through antagonising the subject (regardless of what crime they are suspected of at this time). I always address people respectful as sir or if more appropriate mate, pal. When I need to call people over to to talk to them, it really depends on the situation on what I say. More generally I would say something such as "Hello sir, I need you for a minute, just routine mate" or during an arrest its imperative to keep the suspect on side. "Put your hands behind your back for me mate" and when they comply its good to commend them somehow as they can be very unpredictable with us, especially as a lone officer from time to time.  "Good chap" or I often get personal with them asking them how they are or why they have themselves here today. To be clear I am a UK police officer and I do not carry firearms or TASER meaning I am not always in the position to try tactics used by American counterparts. Just my input, hope it helps.  

Edited February 1, 201610 yr by CJ2310

I am not any of the above however I have watched police in action this is in real life and on TV. I've also been pulled over myself as I was seen walking out of a hotel early hours so they suspected me to be intoxicated.

Anyway back on topic, there is not really a script you can follow. This is mainly down to the officers personality, mood and attitude towards the situation.

 

3 hours ago, CJ2310 said:

I'm a serving police officer in the Hampshire. We are trained to deal with suspects as calmly as possible, without creating more work for ourselves through antagonising the subject (regardless of what crime they are suspected of at this time). I always address people respectful as sir or if more appropriate mate, pal. When I need to call people over to to talk to them, it really depends on the situation on what I say. More generally I would say something such as "Hello sir, I need you for a minute, just routine mate" or during an arrest its imperative to keep the suspect on side. "Put your hands behind your back for me mate" and when they comply its good to commend them somehow as they can be very unpredictable with us, especially as a lone officer from time to time.  "Good chap" or I often get personal with them asking them how they are or why they have themselves here today. To be clear I am a UK police officer and I do not carry firearms or TASER meaning I am not always in the position to try tactics used by American counterparts. Just my input, hope it helps.  

I'm not really questioning your role as a UK officer or your professional statement but "good chap" "mate" in my experience getting personal with a suspect just makes it harder, it also gets you no where. I'm a loan advisor (collection agent) IE (Taking possession of belongings) and in my opinion; If it counts. Be professional, keep it short and snappy as people don't really respond to "personal comments" and this way you're in control.

E.G

"Driver pulls over"

 

Officer "Licence and ID?" 

Officer "Do you own this motor?"

 

Simple questions to help you solve the problem more efficient.

 

Maybe perform a quick arrest;

 

Officer "I'm placing you under arrest, "reason". I'll be placing these cuffs on you for your safety and mine"

Easy, hope this helps.

 

Edited February 1, 201610 yr by IckleKI

Haven't worked with any LEO's, but due to a variety of reasons have had many many many interactions with police. From my personal experience, I'd say most of these are fine - though I agree a cop would probably never volunteer that he wasn't going to search/arrest a suspect. Almost every interaction I've had, the officer was personable and used terms like "mate", "pal", "buddy" etc - I guess to try and encourage a positive reaction and keep me "on-side" while they assessed if I was actually a threat or not. On some occasions (particularly during the wee hours of the morning, and where there was only one officer) they'd even go a bit further, coming across as almost apologetic... "Sorry to bother you mate, just need to check your id real quick".

On 2/1/2016 at 0:52 AM, fiskey111 said:

Hi all,

This post is targeted to people with legitimate police experience.  Not people who have watched COPS, not people who have done a ride along or two.  People who either work alongside police officer, are police officers, or work as dispatchers/support services.

I need help with the phrasing of the following.  The next version of Secondary Callouts will have a lot more audio.  I want to add a lot of realism to it which is why I need your help.  Can you please let me know if this is along the lines of what an officer will say to a suspect?  I have no experience at all and I've been trying to find an episode of COPS with good enough dialogue to follow but I can't.

I'm looking for either better way to say things (like addressing the suspect, what to say, etc)

The following is a draft of my script that a friend and I will be recording the audio for.

SPOILER CONTAINS INFORMATION ABOUT NEWEST RELEASE; DO NOT OPEN IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN SURPRISED ABOUT RELEASE FEATURES

  Hide contents

 Restraining Order:

Stopping Suspect           

1.      Let’s talk for a minute, I have some questions for you.  Hey, what’s going on?

2.      I have some questions for you.  Can you stay here for a minute?  Hey!

 

Suspect Talking

1.      You better stop that- just stand here and talk to me.  Where have you been today?  How long have you been near here?

2.      Hey!  I’m not accusing you of anything, just talk to me.  Where have you been recently?  Have you been hanging around this area?

3.      I’m not going to search you- just relax and let’s talk for a minute.  Keep your hands where I can see them.

4.      We have a person who described someone matching your description.  Now tell me where have you been today?  Why were you hanging around the guy that you know you aren’t supposed to be around?

 

Disturbance Callout:

1.      Hey! Hey!!  You stand over there.  You come with me over here.  *suspect 1 follows cop to location*

2.      STOP TALKING or I’ll come over there and arrest you!!

3.      Alright, how long have you two lived together? How can this be fixed?

4.      Okay, okay!  What’s the issue?  What’s going on here?

a.      Okay, good.  I don’t want to hear from you two again today.

5.      Alright! Alright!  Let’s back it up.  You stand here.  You, come with me! *suspect 1 follows cop to location*

6.      Okay, what can we do to fix this?  How did he get your hatchet to begin with?

7.      Listen, relax.  Did he give you his hatchet or is it yours?  You need to just give it back to him if he did or that’s larceny.

Each number goes to a specific area of a conversation (which I will not place here as to spoil the surprises and variation).  My main questions are- is it okay?  Is it similar to how an officer will talk to a suspect?  I plan on expanding the dialogue more, but I don't want to do that if this isn't reasonable talk for an officer since this drives the conversation.

Every officer is different, each region is different. I saw someone from the UK answered you, but I'd imagine the U.S. is your target audience since this game takes place in the US. Most of what you have is fine, I'd probably just do some slight modifications if it were me. I don't know what you mean by "suspect talking" either. Is this a terry stop? A suspicious person?

"Stopping Suspect"

- Sir, police department (or sheriffs office), can I talk to you for a moment? (An officer should I.D. himself if accosting someone.)
- Do me a favor and stand over here for me, you can relax, just keep your hands out of your pockets. (Is this person supposed to be running from you? What's the "hey" for?)
- "Do me a favor" is referred to as a verbal contract when you use that phrase before asking/telling someone to do something. They feel more compelled to do it for you because it's considered a favor rather than an order. This is a common tactic not only in police work but also in things like retail sales where you're supposed to take charge of the interaction.

"Suspect Talking"

- Use "where are you coming from" and "where are you headed to" instead of your questions. Those are the typical standard questions.
- Simply ask "whats going on today". Let the suspect do the talking. The more elaborate their story (lie), the more likely they are to screw it up.
- DO NOT promise them that you won't search/arrest/detain them. Don't make promises you can't keep. You can resort to "You're not in any trouble right now" (without emphasis on right now).
- Don't inform the suspect how many or how few people reported them. You can use "We got information over the radio about a suspicious person matching your description."
- It's a good idea to give people information about why you're stopping them, but the best way to deliver that information is to first ask "Do you know why I'm making contact with you today?" This gives them the opportunity to incriminate themselves, giving you a better chance at getting a conviction in court. That's why police ask you "Do you know why I stopped you?" when they pull you over. After they answer, you can then say "Well the reason why I'm stopping you is ________________."
- "Not supposed to be around" is vague, and unofficial sounding. "Don't you have a no-contact order with _____________?" "Have you been served with a no-trespass order from this location?" "Are you on probation or parole? Isn't one of your conditions 'Do not associate with other felons'?"

"Disturbance" (whatever that means)

- "Do me a favor, you stand over there, you come up to the front of my patrol car." (This puts the person you're talking to in perfect view of the dash cam.)
- "Stop creating a disturbance or you're going to go in handcuffs." (Disturbing the peace or disorderly conduct may only end with a citation.)
- Besides asking if two people have been living together, be sure to ask if they are married or dating, and if so; for how long. This can be a deciding factor whether a potential domestic violence case is considered domestic violence or not. Two people can simply be roommates or live in the same building.
- "Tell me what happened today." Let the complainant do the talking, "how did he even get the hatchet" sounds accusatory.
- "Taking something that doesn't belong to you is called theft/larceny/stealing."

How you interact with people out on the street is up to you. The best advice I can give you for the real world is to talk to people on their level. Match their "words, music and dance". That means what you say, how you say it, and your body language needs to be in line with theirs. Beyond that, you're being portrayed as a professional, and you're being paid as a professional, so I'd suggest that people in uniform should speak like one when not attempting to change someone's demeanor.

I hope that helps. FYI: I'd actually advise you watch a lot of COPS episodes, you're going to get way more insight as to how conversations go all across the U.S. than you will riding with a single officer as a ride-along or on duty with the same partner for years on end.

Edited February 20, 201610 yr by unr3al

The whole point of COPS was to film real officers doing their jobs.  Great resource, I agree that you should use it as a big source.

Some cops are certainly all "yes sir, no sir, stop sir."  Many in the U.S. will definitely be more relaxed when talking.  I don't think that some of the lines, such as "...or I'm going to arrest you!" are very realistic.  That's aggravating speech; best to try to keep things as calm as possible.

The other thing to think about in writing and recording dialogue is putting some character into it like real voice actors would do.  Albo's Bank Heist is awesome, but the voice acting is a bit bland.  If I were you I'd think about the existing voice acting in GTA V and try to get yours to sound natural in the environment of the game.  As natural as can be without animated talking, I guess.

Jeff Favignano uses a studio mic with sound presence set really high.  It has that ASMR, fireside-chat kinda feel.  But when you hear it come through GTA in that one callout pack, it's kinda disturbing because it doesn't match the game.  It sounds like someone is talking into your ear in a small room.  Perhaps consider recording dialogue while outside.  Then it will match the outside environment in which you'd be hearing it in-game.

It'll take some practice.  It might be super helpful if you post some actual recorded dialogue, once you guys do some, for further advice.

When dealing with the younger savouries, the amount of times I can get on side with them through calling mate or using youth knowledge is outstanding. Really helps when having to take statements from them and ensuring there cooperation with the police. A police officer's job is fundamentally about being personal. I started with a neighbourhood team, getting to know people as best I can in the time with them I have is a great tool for future policing. I don't know what sort of police work goes on in the United States however..