Publications.

Writer's Digest Magazine

The Facts of Fiction!

What real-life details do writers most commonly get wrong? Our experts set the record straight. September 2014 Edition.

MASTERS OF TRUE CRIME Chilling Stories of Murder and the Macabre

Masters of True Crime features 17 riveting tales written by some of the top true-crime writers in the world. Lee’s story, Murder on Minor Avenue, is a gripping tale of love, mass murder, and…dismemberment.

The Writer Magazine

CSI…I don’t think so

Mystery writers, take note: A retired detective describes the not-so-glamorous life of a crime-scene investigator.

Novel Writing by Writer's Digest

Setting the Record Straight

Your story may be fiction, but that’s no excuse for making factual blunders. These 4 experts expose the real-life details writers most commonly get wrong.

Writers Digest March 2015

Writing Death: The Facts Of Murder.

An article by Lee Lofland.

May/June

2020

“Officer,

Please

Button

Your Shirt

and

Zip Up

Your Pants”

by Lee Lofland

July/August

2020

“Chiefs

and

Sheriffs,

They’re Not

Synonomous”

by Lee Lofland

September/

October

2020

“Excited Delirium“

by Lee Lofland

November/

December 2020

“On the Beat

on Halloween”

by Lee Lofland

“After Midnight”

Anthology

with

Foreword

by

Lee Child

“The Sheriff

of

Macabre County”

by Lee Lofland

Police Procedure & Investigation.

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.

What our Readers say.

A masterpiece . . . Police Procedure and Investigation offers everything, I mean everything, an author–novelist or nonfiction–needs to know about law enforcement: from police headquarters and laboratories to crime scenes to courthouses to jails. And Author Lee Lofland pulls off another coup–he’s managed to gives us this encyclopedia of information in a style that’s crisp, concise and damn fun to read.

Jeffery Deaverauthor of The Bone Collector, The Sleeping Doll, and XO

This book belongs in the library of every crime writer! More than merely a reference book for writers, POLICE PROCEDURE AND INVESTIGATION is also lively and entertaining, a fascinating inside look at law enforcement, told by a police professional with a writer’s eye for detail.

Tess Gerritsenauthor of THE MEPHISTO CLUB

Police Procedure & Investigation is an invaluable tool for writers of mystery fiction.

J.A. JanceNY Times bestselling author of the J.P. Beaumont series, Joanna Brady series, and the Ali Reynolds series

Writers’ Police Academy

The 2024 Writers’ Police Academy is a special event called Killer Con, which is designed to help writers create stunning realism in their work, Killer Con focuses on the intricate details surrounding the crime of murder and subsequent investigations.

Learn from CSIs, homicide detectives, coroners, forensics and other experts, and more. There’s even a murder for you to solve by examining the scene of the crime, the body and other evidence, and using the tools and techniques learned at the event.

This is a KILLER event!

Visit The WPA website to register!

*The Writers’ Police Academy (WPA) is held every year and offers an exciting and heart-pounding interactive and educational hands-on experience for writers to enhance their understanding of all aspects of law enforcement, firefighting, EMS, and forensics.

Get to Know Lee Lofland

Lee Lofland is a nationally acclaimed expert on police procedure and crime-scene investigation, and is a popular conference, workshop, and motivational speaker.

Lee has consulted for many bestselling authors, television and film writers, and for online magazines. Lee has appeared as an expert on national television, BBC Television, and radio shows.

Lee is the host and founder of the Writers’ Police Academy, an exciting, one-of-a-kind, hands-on event where writers, readers, and fans learn and train at an actual police academy.

To schedule Lee for your event, contact him at lofland32@msn.com