February 15, 2008
Novelist Takes Out Ads in National Newspapers to Defend Gift
By Elizabeth Schwinn
After making a $1-million gift to a New York criminal-justice college, the best-selling crime novelist Patricia Cornwell, has spent a quarter of a million dollars on full-page ads in three national newspapers to defend her gift.
Ms. Cornwell describes herself as a “devoted supporter” of law enforcement in the ads, which ran today in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post. She says she donated $1-million to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to help start a Crime Scene Academy because she wants to “give back” to law enforcement professionals who protect the public.
Ms. Cornwell says she took out the ads to correct the impression left by news accounts that quoted her as saying she made the donation because she was appalled by the behavior of police officers at crime-scene investigations: “I’ve seen cops walk through blood. I’ve seen them leave their fingerprints on a window,” she said when announcing the gift.
“Unfortunately, somehow the emphasis seemed to be that I was doing this because police make so many mistakes at crime scenes,” Ms. Cornwell said in an interview. “It looks like I’m making fun of the police, and that’s not at all what I was saying.”
Police departments are doing their best with very limited training and equipment, she says, and that’s part of the reason she wants to help set up an academy so they can get access to the latest crime-scene science.
The Crime Scene Academy will offer training in scientific techniques of DNA typing, fingerprint enhancement, ballistics, and forensic psychology.
“You cannot change anything without educating people as to what the problem is,” she says. “The police are never going to get the training and equipment they so desperately need unless they have academic institutions that are willing to teach it and offer training in it.”
Officials at John Jay College declined to comment on the controversy about Ms. Cornwell’s comments.
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It is a shame Ms. Cornwell chose to spend $250,000 on the ads instead of adding that to her donation. I am sure her PR manager could have released a statement explaining the context of her original quote.
— C.G. Feb 15, 01:25 PM #
One more proof of the old axiom – No Good Deed goes unpunished!
— Sam Feb 15, 02:26 PM #
As a former NYCPD homicide detective I cant count how many police officers unintentionaly screwed up crime scenes by urinating in a toilet used by the suspect to drop a cigarette or condom, and utilizing a phone next to the homicide victim to make a non emergency call. As a current educator and chairman of a Criminal Justice program I am amazed what is not taught in police academies as to safe guarding the crime scene. Ms Cornwell’s donation would go alot further if we included courses on how they should educate themselves and citizens of what to do at a murder scene. Yes the public believes from watching CSI programs on TV that these technicians ride to the scene in Hummers, interview suspects and make arrests. While they are experts in what they do it is limited to crime scene collection usually as suggested by the lead detective.
— PRESTON S MARKS Feb 16, 12:23 PM #
It’s sad that when someone tries to do something to help law inforcement someone has to turn it around to be opposite of what it’s meant.We should support those who donate to try to help instead of making it into something it’s not.It doesn’t matter what the reason was,if it helps the police who cares.More knowledge never hurt anyone.Imagine how many crimes may be solved due to this donation.
— liz williams Feb 21, 09:54 AM #