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!
Police News
Naples, Fla. - The Collier County Sheriff's Office settles two TASER cases in Federal court. In the latest case, where officers used their TASERS on a handcuffed man, the department agreed to settle for a sum of $95,000. One day earlier,…
Weekend Road Trip: The Pacific
Take a drive along the coast of California and you'll see lots of footpaths leading from the roadside into tall weeds and thickets. Do yourself a favor sometime and venture down a few of those trails. We did, and these are photos of…
Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen
Sergeant Alan J. Haymaker, 56
Chicago Police Department
February 22, 2010 - Sergeant Alan J. Haymaker was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a burglary-in-progress call. He leaves behind his wife (pictured above holding…
It’s A Jungle Out There: Booby Trapped Marijuana Plots
Sure, you hear the argument nearly every day that pot is harmless. It just makes you laugh and eat a lot. Well, that may be true on the consumer's end, but not so much for the police officers assigned to marijuana eradication duties. I know,…
Southland: Phase Three – A Review
I haven't carried a gun or worn a badge in years, but last night while watching the season opener of Southland I felt that I was back working a shift. And I was exhausted when the credits began to roll. Why? Because I backed up every…
Southland: A Sneak Peek At The New Season On TNT
The Graveyard Shift has some new friends - the folks at TNT and Southland. It seems they'd been following our Castle reviews and asked if we'd have a look at their new series that's premiering on TNT tonight. Well, I watched what they sent…
The Smoking Gun…Literally
Once in a while (okay, almost every week), I receive questions about unusual firearms and other weapons, the kind that are easily concealed by bad guys in those perfect mystery stories. So, today I thought I'd show a few examples of just…
Weekend Road Trip: Birds Eye View Of San Jose, Ca.
The world looks different when seen from the rooftops. Here's a view of San Jose, Ca. while standing on a downtown rooftop near the airport. Geez...the things I do for a photo...
Just for fun, here's a little squirrel…
Prisoner Face Smashing: A New, Fun Sport For Guards?
Sure, prison inmates have done wrong. They've chosen to break the law and to go against the grain of society. Many of them have done things that are simply too reprehensible for words. There's no doubt that each of them should be punished.…
How Many Cops Does It Take To Make You Safe?
The crime rate in Notsosafe County is up. Houses are broken into on a regular basis. Assaults are on the rise. There've been two murders already this year and it's only February. Citizens flock to the next county government meeting. Frank…
Police News
Providence, Rhode Island - Detective Robert DeCarlo has been charged with assaulting a handcuffed suspect. A surveillance video shows the detective dragging the man from beneath a parked car and then kicking him and beating him in the head…
Castle: One Man’s Treasure: A Review (of the police procedure)
One Man's Treasure was written by Elizabeth Davis who also wrote last season's Little Girl Lost. I recall that I wasn't a fan of that particular episode. In fact, I described it as a snore-fest. This week, Davis' second effort at placing…
Weekend Road Trip: Hiking In The Pacific Northwest
We left the Seattle area a few years ago, but I'm still in touch with our former neighbors on a weekly basis. Bill, our next door neighbor in the Pacific Northwest, sends me wonderful little stories and photos that truly help my weeks…
Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen
Deputy Sheriff Davy Wayne Crawford, 55
Carroll County Georgia Sheriff's Office
February 12, 2010 - Deputy Sheriff Davy Wayne Crawford was killed when his patrol car left the highway and became submerged in a creek. When Deputy Crawford…
K2: It’s Smokin…!
Okay, so the Feds say they won't raid facilities that sell legal medical marijuana, but they do anyway. States pass laws allowing the sale and use of medical marijuana, but the DEA still suits up and arrests the sellers, growers, and users.…
The Silent Killers: Part One – Anthrax
In the grand scheme of murder, knives and guns pale in comparison to the instruments death that are nearly invisible to the human eye. Long before man shaped the first stone into a weapon, viruses and bacteria silently killed humans and…
Castle: Love Me Dead – A Review (of the police procedure)
I'm popping open a bottle of champagne after watching this episode. I honestly think it was their best effort to date. I'm actually kind of shocked that I can't say enough about the wonderful combination of wit, snappy dialog, emotions, and…
Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Risk Assessment For College
Dr. Katherine Ramsland has published 37 books, 16 short stories, and over 900 articles. She is professor of forensic psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University, and her latest books are Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators and The…