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!

CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THE WHITE STUFF

I Can’t Get Away From That White Stuff!

  We left Boston and moved to North Carolina to get away from the bitter cold and tons of snow. Well, as you can see the snow followed us. Grrr... It's here now so I may as well try to enjoy it. I think I'll listen…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Deputy Sheriff Roy Bruce Sutton Jr., 33 Jefferson County Indiana Sheriff's Department On December 11, 2009, Deputy Roy Sutton was responding to a domestic dispute with weapons involved when his patrol car ran off the road and went…

The Rocket: Page 183 Of My Spiral Notebooks

Search warrant signed. Entry team in place. Canine excited. Ready to go to work. Bark, bark, barking. Car rocking. Ninety pounds of bundled energy Jumping from side to side. This is what he lives to do. To please…

Hidden Badges And Other Cop Stuff

100 watt siren sold by Federal, complete with speaker (far left) and light switch box with 6 back-lit rocker switches. Price - $310 Handcuff key with LED light on each end. $12 Tri-fold badge wallet. $12 Hidden badge wallet (badge is…

Castle: Famous Last Words – A Review

(Repeat) Famous Last Words. That's the title assigned to this week's show, Episode 7, written by Jose Molina. First of all, I want to thank Mr. Molina for sparing us the torture that comes with episodes featuring the Lanie Parrish character.…
Lt. Josh Moulin

Lt. Josh Moulin: High-Tech Crimes Task Force Attains Accreditation

Lieutenant Josh Moulin supervises the Central Point Police Department’s Technical Services Bureau and is the Commander of the Southern Oregon High-Tech Crimes Task Force. He is one of approximately 470 Certified Forensic Computer Examiner’s…
Life without my computer

Weekend Roadtrip: Life Without My Computer

I've had time to see the Carolina sunrise, instead of spending hours working on a blog . I've also taken time to rekindle an old hobby. I made this birdhouse out of scrap wood during my computerless week. I'm obviously out of…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Deputy Sheriff Adam Michael Mehagan, 26 Osage County Oklahoma Sheriff's Office Just after midnight on December 3, 2009, Deputy Adam Mehagan was responding to assist another deputy when he lost control of his patrol car and overturned…
Portable jail modules

Portable Jail Modules – Unbelievable!

You can park your family car in the garage on levels one, two, and three, but the basement level is reserved for convicts. That's right, prisoners occupy the entire lower level of this concrete parking structure. The sheriff of this Ohio…

Castle: The Fifth Bullet – A Review

Notice the look of anxiety on Castle's face? I'm sure it's because he couldn't wait to see the credits roll on this episode. The writer called this yawner The Fifth Bullet and about halfway through the show I was wishing for a sixth round …

Researching Cops: Books of the Trade

Topics include officer safety, emergency care to injured, securing and controlling the scene, search methods, scene documentation and photography. Also introduces a tried and true 18 step crime scene processing methodology based on the author's…
Montreal Massacre

Remembering the Victims of the Montreal Massacre

Remembering the victims of the Montreal Massacre, December 6, 1989. Twenty years ago, tragedy struck at the University of Montreal in Canada. A lone gunman* entered the engineering building, the École Polytechnique, and ordered the people…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Officer Ronald Owens, 37 Officer Greg Richards, 42 Officer Tina Griswold, 40 Sergeant Mark Renninger, 39 Lakewood Washington Police Department On November 29, 2009, Officer Ronald Owens, Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold,…

A Cop Killer And The People Who Supported His Cause

Was Maurice Clemmons a solo animal, a perpetrator of random violence, or was he a part of a larger cop-hating team when he murdered four Washington police officers? A criminal information filed by Mark Lindquist, Pierce County Washington…
Lisa Provost: The Body

Lisa Provost: Crime Scenes, Elvis, and a Bologna Sandwich

Born in August 1974, in Brooklyn, NY., Lisa Provost grew up in the Catskill and Adirondack mountains of upstate N.Y. where, from the time she was 12 - 16-years-old, she raised dairy goats. Lisa studied Biology at RIT in Rochester, N.Y. from…

Castle: Deep in Death – A Review

This week's episode, Deep In Death, was a repeat from earlier in the season. Here's the review: Deep In Death He's back! Nathan Fillion (Richard Castle) exposed a little "naughty" and a little "nice" in the season opener, Deep In Death.…
Thonie Hevron

Thonie Hevron: "911, Do You Have An Emergency?"

Born in San Francisco and raised as an Army brat, Thonie spent time in Germany, as well as army posts around the US. She lived in and attended school in Marin and college at Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. A writer since the age of ten,…

Weekend Road Trip: North Carolina ‘Shine Fest

  North Carolina is known for its beaches, gorgeous mountains, the Wright Brothers, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Venus Fly-trap (native to N.C.),  Pepsi Cola, Babe Ruth's first professional home run, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.…