In real life,when undercover police are in the presence of a gang, do they go to somewhere secluded and tell colleagues information by talking into a device that can be disguised as an everyday-use object like a key? The current technology certainly allows it I think. And can that same object they use be used to take pictures?
Response based on my own extensive experience (of watching TV)... Why would they risk being caught talking into a key or rosary beads or a milk bottle when they could just have an anonymous text channel on their mobile? They wouldn't even need to hide away, just delete the conversation afterwards. If they needed to call they can save the number as someone else and, if worried about being overheard, speak in euphemisms or out-and-out code. However on the other hand cameras hidden as objects (like buttons on a shirt and so on) are certainly a thing.
Covert mikes are more for surveillance ie recording criminals without their knowledge they are usually hidden in a room somewhere or on the under covers person ( ie wearing a wire) to communicate they just use a burner phone and that as little as possible there’s a good book called the infiltrators about the SO10 the met under cover unit which might be worth a look
(I think I'd rather save forum space here by continuing with another question in this thread instead of starting a new thread) I'm in my third page for my story already. So while on the topic of police, the inspector character in my story is going to make a visit to an autopsy room to meet a forensic pathologist. What buildings are autopsy rooms located/built in?Hospitals or some other building? If the correct answer is a hospital, then does that mean there are autopsy rooms for police investigation in government or private hospitals?
Typically a city morgue or medical examiner's office, depending on the size of the city. Universities can also house crimelabs, in areas where they are the only facility capable of doing so. Not sure about autopsies in hospitals, but I would think so? It would seem to make sense, as many autopsies are performed on regular, non foul play cadavers, but I'm not sure. All depends on the setting. I'm sure New York and Tokyo have a dedicated facility for everything under the sun. Rural Alaska would be a different story.
There was a morgue in a hospital (I think in the basement) in ReAnimator where they did autopsies. Not sure how accurate that is, but I know they went to a lot of trouble finding out what dead bodies actually look like, so they were at least going for accuracy there. Although come to think of it, it was also very plot-convenient, so they could be trying to save a patient and then see them next in the morgue, without having to leave the building. Yeah, maybe not so accurate. You'd need to check into that.
All hospitals must have some kind of morgue since, you know, people die there all the time. But whether they're all equipped for autopsies and shit? You'd think so, but I really have no idea. As far the OP's question, i think conducting an autopsy at the hospital is perfectly within the realm of believability.
Well, I retired as a public-safety communications systems engineer in May, after forty-five years in a major US city. Other than strapping on a wire (which is not tiny but still something weird), I'd say a plain old regular cell phone. Option two would be an encrypted walkie, but those would definitely raise a red flag.
