Sydney, Australia

Weekend Road Trip – Sydney, Australia

  This week our Weekend Road Trip takes us to Sydney, Australia. Catch up on your sleep because the journey is a fifteen hour plane ride from San Francisco. First stop, the Sydney Opera House.                *…
Ninhydrin, and Iodine-Fuming

Ninhydrin, and Iodine-Fuming

  Ninhydin is a chemical that reacts with the aminio acids found in fingerprints. When the chemical contacts the amino acids, the combination of the two turns a bright purple color. The coloring is known as Ruhemann's purple, named…
Police Department Fingerprint Lab

Police Department Fingerprint Lab

  When working in a laboratory setting, detectives dust for prints under an exhaust hood. Fingerprint powder is extremely messy, like charcoal. Detectives use light, brushing and swirling motions to apply print powders. Fingerprinting…
Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers

Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers.

As part of the latest Writers Digest Books Howdunit series, Police Procedure and Investigation is an authoritative guide that provides insight into a cop’s world; the terminology used by police officers; an in-depth look at the tools of the trade; squad house hierarchy; legal terms; courtroom terminology; jail, gang, and convict slang; street talk; drug crime information; con air procedures; information on autopsies and death penalty executions; cadet training procedures; fingerprinting details; a breakdown of murder and manslaughter charges; and tons of other useful information; all the things that explain why and how cops do what they do. A retired police detective, Lofland gives the lowdown on how everyday folks, as well as writers and journalists, misunderstand or incorrectly portray how the police work. Find out what mistakes you’re likely to make in your work. This book is the next best thing to having a police detective personally assigned to the reader.

With a career in law enforcement that spanned nearly two decades, author Lee Lofland is a nationally acclaimed expert on police procedures and crime scene investigations who consults regularly with best-selling authors and television producers. Now you can benefit from his years of experience with Police Procedure & Investigation.

BUY THE BOOK

Strengthen Your Writing Muscles

Learn in-depth details about crime, crime scene and police procedures, and the tools used in real life investigations to help you develop realistic scenes and believable characters.

Writers’ Police Academy Online Courses

Learn insider details from top law enforcement investigators, forensics experts, crime scene investigators, medical examiners, EMS, firefighters, K-9 handlers, bestselling authors, editors, agents, and other writing professionals.

Learn About Lee Lofland.

Lee Lofland is a veteran police investigator who began his law-enforcement career working as an officer in Virginia’s prison system. He later became a sheriff’s deputy, a patrol officer, and finally, he achieved the highly-prized gold shield of detective. Along the way, he gained a breadth of experience that’s unusual to find in the career of a single officer.

NEW!

It’s time to register for the 2022 Writers’ Police Academy!

The 14th annual Writers’ Police Academy returns to in-person training at the renowned NWTC public safety training academy in Green Bay, Wi.!

The Writers’ Police Academy a rare opportunity for writers to participate in the same hands-on training taught to law enforcement officers, investigators, EMS, and firefighters. Attendees drive patrol cars on closed courses, conduct traffic stops and explosive building entries, shoot firearms, and much more. This action-packed, intense, hands-on instruction is available at the one and only Writers’ Police Academy!

June 2-5, 2022

FOUR DAYS
THRILLING WORKSHOPS
GUEST of Honor
VETERAN INSTRUCTORS
SHORT STORY CONTEST