The Graveyard Shift Blog

Since 2008, Lee Lofland has written over 2000 articles on his blog, The Graveyard Shift. Topics such as police procedure, forensics, criminal behavior, and what it’s like to be a cop has helped countless numbers of popular and aspiring writers.

His life’s mission – to remind writers that cordite is dead and gone. Just say no to cordite in your books!

A Cop’s Thanksgiving: Save a Drumstick for Me

Morning parade. Smiling faces. Squealing children. Marching bands.   Turkey. Pumpkin pie. Eggnog. Football.   Pistol. Badge. Vest. Kiss the kids, please. And save a drumstick for me. I'm almost…

Thanksgiving Eve: Lights in the Abandoned Textile Mill

Graveyard Shift ... 0246 hours Thanksgiving Eve. Weather ... Clear Location ... Abandoned textile mill Victim ... Unknown/TBD Suspect ... Unknown/TBD Dispatch. "Caller reports seeing light, possibly flashlights, inside…
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Miranda: I KNOW MY RIGHTS!

"I. Know. My. Rights!" Officers hear those four familiar words many, many times each and every day all across this great land of ours. It's a phrase often spoken by the wisest of the wise--the top legal minds of street corners, sour mash-guzzling…
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Sheriffs: Who Are They and What Are Their Duties?

Many of us had our first real look at a sheriff's office back in 1960 when Andy Taylor and his fearless deputy, Barney Fife, patrolled the roads in and around Mayberry, N.C. Television took us inside the Mayberry jail, the courthouse, and it…

A Top 14 List of Odd But True Things That Happened at the Writers’ Police Academy

Here are just a few of the odd things that occurred during the past 15 years of the WPA. 14. Semi-Nude Presenter - Sometimes, we have someone famous announce the winner of the annual Golden Donut Short Story Contest, and they typically do…
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Revolver v. Pistol: Do Your Characters Know the Difference?

Fictional characters aren't always as savvy as they'd like us to believe. They're not human. They make mistakes. And some of those errors, especially those made by characters in crime fiction, involve guns. For example, I've known a handful…
So you want to be a detective?
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6 Reasons Why a Detective’s Job Isn’t As Glamorous as You Might Believe

Many people secretly long to clip a badge to their belts and then set out on the never-ending quest to save, well, everyone. But, there are a few things you should think about before giving up your day job to begin the hunt for your first serial…
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The Soldier: A Tale of Determination, Survival, and Imagination

Standing ankle deep in black, slimy swamp muck, Sgt. William “Billy” Franks paused to catch his breath and to look over his shoulder, for the umpteenth time. Nothing moving, not even a leaf. Good. The humid jungle was silent. Even…
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Cow-9 Units: Using Bovines to Track and Capture Fleeing Criminals

"Stop, or I'll release the cow!" Officer Harold "Moo" Collins, the department Cow-9 handler, yelled as the burglary suspect headed toward a wooded area after breaking free from the two patrol cops who'd apprehended the thief. The man could've…
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Using Light to Stop Mass Shooters

Short of stationing armed guards at each entrance and surrounding properties with moats stocked with aggressive crocodiles, protecting public buildings, such as shopping malls, schools, and churches, against attackers and mass shooters has become…
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Twenty-Nine Years Ago, I Looked Into the Eyes of a Serial Killer and Watched Him Die

Have you ever sat in a room designed especially for killing people, looking into the eyes of a serial murderer, watching and waiting for some sign of remorse for his crimes, wondering if he would take back what he'd done, if he could? Have…
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The New Undercover Narcotics Agent … SEWAGE?

Sewage. Now there’s a topic that typically wouldn’t pop up during intimate dinner tête-à-têtes, nor would we expect to hear grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles discussing it at a family holiday party. And it is not a subject that’s…
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New Writers’ Police Academy Online Class – Digital Publishing Academy

Are you interested in entering the world of digital publishing but don't know where or how to begin? Well, I'm pleased to announce and offer an exciting Writers' Police Academy Online course---Digital Publishing Academy. This class is a unique…

Read the Newsletter – 2023 Writers’ Police Academy, the FINAL Year

With the final Writers' Police Academy event rapidly approaching (June 8-11), the reality of "the end" is replaying images and clips in my mind of the past fifteen years. Much has happened during that decade and a half and those memories will…

THE END: Writers’ Police Academy’s FINAL Event – Two Registrations for the Price of One!

Yes, the time has come for us to drop the mic. It's the end. The Grand Finale. After 15 years of delivering heart pounding, hands-on excitement and helping writers learn and experience behind the scenes details about law enforcement, forensics,…
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I Found Jesus, and He Likes Chocolate Milkshakes

I found Jesus many years ago. To be precise, it was the Thursday before Easter when our face-to-face meeting took place, but our coming together did not occur in a typical place of worship or during a moment of prayer. Not even close. Instead,…

Fictional and Real-Life Officers – The Challenges of Policing in the Rain

The challenges of policing in the rain are many, but before I introduce you to them, there's this ...   Rain and Mud   Rain Mud Muck Delightful, they are not.   When it's you, who Must roll and fight In slop and goo To…
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Gunshot Wounds: The “Hole” Story

Shots fired from close range often leave tell-tale marks called stippling, or tattooing. Evidence of contact with hot gunpowder can be seen just above and to the sides of the "V" opening of the shirt (the soot-blackened area) in the photograph…