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!

Pepper Spraying

Pepper-Spraying The "Occupy" Protesters: Sport Or Necessary Evil?

Liz Nichols, at five-foot-nothing, is hardly a physical threat to big, burly, well-armed police officers. But add Ms. Nichol's tiny body and soft-spoken voice to a herd of angry protesters and suddenly she's ten-feet-tall and bulletproof. And…
Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup, Cloggers, Charlie…And A ‘Possum

  Sure, living in our neck of the woods is great if you like the beach, palm trees, warm temperatures, tidal creeks, and marshland. But there are other equally appealing attractions. For example, the Harvest Fest on Oatland Island, which…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of these brave officers. Detective R. Shane Wilson, 27 Doraville Georgia Police Department November 14, 2011 - As a SWAT team member, Detective Shane Wilson was responding…
History’s 9 Most Notorious Crimes of Passion

History’s 9 Most Notorious Crimes of Passion

History is plagued by all types of crime, but crimes of passion, in particular, have caused a great deal of heartache and have left so many people asking "why?" Crimes of passion typically involve assault or murder and are fueled by rage, heartbreak,…
Who's the Boss?

Who’s The BOSS?

Cellphone use by prisoners is a serious problem for corrections officials. Sure, some inmates simply use the devices to stay in touch with loved ones, but others use the phones to continue a criminal enterprise, including calling for hits on…
Radar Love

Radar: How It Works

Radar is an acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging. Doppler radar units, like the one pictured above, emit a continuous frequency that bounces off a moving object, such as a car or truck. The radar unit receives the reflected signal and instantly…
Are you lonesome tonight?

Are You Lonesome Tonight?

  Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare? Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there? Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again? Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight? I wonder…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of these brave officers. Detective Michael Morgan, 32 Newark New Jersey Police Department November 7, 2011 - Detective Michael Morgan was shot and killed outside…
True Crime Thursday:

True Crime Thursday

Police officers see people at their worst, and some of the cases they run across during the course of an eight-hour shift are absolutely bizarre. Believe me, the truth is far less believable than fiction. Like the stories of... Kansas City,…
Castle: Heartbreak Hotel

Castle: Heartbreak Hotel – A Review

Heartbreak Hotel. Yes, that's where we should begin this review, in a place where we can sit and reflect on a heart-breaking episode. Sure, there were fun parts, especially the "boys' playing dress-up as Elvis impersonators. And was it just…
Brains and Blood

Brains and Blood

The job is fantastic. Everything you wanted and more. Excitement, fulfillment, serving mankind, and action. But, along with following your dream sometimes comes a price. And sometimes that price is quite steep... Yes, everything you'd always…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of these brave officers. Officer Terry Mae Lewis-Fleming, 36 Albany Georgia Police Department October 28, 2011 - Officer Terry Lewis-Fleming was killed when her…
History’s 10 Most Famous Criminal Duos

History’s 10 Most Famous Criminal Duos

Some criminals like to work alone, while others need an accomplice to carry out their illegal acts. Criminal duos are determined to make their sadistic fantasies a reality, and it’s all the more possible with the help of a partner. Check out…
Linda McCabe: Lab Rat

Linda McCabe: Greetings From a Lab Rat

Greetings from a lab rat and fellow writer. I have been working as a clinical laboratory scientist (also known as a medical technologist) for over twenty years. Just as Lee cringes when he sees police procedures misrepresented in fiction,…
Castle: Cops and Robbers

Castle: Cops And Robbers – A Review

"Tell me you need me." Did anyone else see the mix of anxiety and puppy love in Beckett's eyes when she heard Castle say those words to her? Good job on Katic's part for using one eye to swoon over her true love, while using the other to show…
Halloween Tips

Halloween Tips For Police Officers

Working as a police officer on Halloween poses special challenges. Think about it. In a world where someone wearing a mask is normally thought to be up to no good, you're suddenly faced with scores of masked citizens. Kids are out and about…
No Phone, No Lights, No Motor Car

No Phone, No Lights, No Motor Car

  It's as primitive as can be, a tiny island off the coast of Georgia that's accessible only by boat. And the only residents have wings. We kayaked over yesterday to do a little exploring, and believe me, it was well worth the…