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!

Perpetrator v. percolator
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Perpetrator or Percolator: What’s In Your Dialog?

Police jargon, or slang, is truly a language of its own. It's a collection of words that can and do vary greatly from one area of the country to another. Even neighboring counties and cities sometime have their own special slang terms that are…
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We’re Looking for a Few Good Stories, Because “People Are Strange”

Each year, the Writers' Police Academy hosts a wildly popular hands-on law enforcement training event for writers, readers, fans, and anyone else with an interest in police procedure and the forensics used to solve crimes. MurderCon 2020…
Transporting Prisoners

Transporting Prisoners: And Who Let the Dogs Out?

Years ago, when I first went to work for a county sheriff's office, police procedure and equipment were quite a bit different than they are today. Yes, that was back in the day when my co-workers were Flintstone and Rubble and other Bedrock…

Bleach: It’s a Killer!

Household bleach - it all began around the time of World War 1, when researchers discovered that introducing electrical current into salt water broke down the salt molecules. The end result of the process is sodium hypochlorite. Bleach,…

Is Your Story “Four Rounds Short of a Full Brick?”

Like reading a really well-written novel, it's easy to step into the world of TV cop shows where we see the inner workings inside the fictional police stations. We hear the chatter and jargon spoken among officers, the creaking of gun leather,…
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Policing Through the Years: From Six-Shooters to the Coronavirus

The year is 1982 and I'm assigned to patrol duty in a town called Peaceful. We're bordered by the towns Mean and Nasty. Peaceful, where I work, is the county seat. My name is Officer Hartogold and I work the graveyard shift. I carry a gun…

Ask Me Some Questions and I’ll Tell You Some Lies: False Memories

During a police academy class many years ago, an instructor stressed to the group of rookie officers the importance of paying close attention to detail. And, he told them that losing focus on matters at hand could result in overlooking evidence…

Inability to Concentrate During Isolation Leads to Lack of Writing

Is it just me or are you, too, finding it difficult to concentrate these days? The situation is surreal, isn't it? And it's causing a lot of what were once highly active brain cells to become dangerously inactive. Yes, energetic people are rapidly…

Poetry Friday, with Dr. John Lofland, the Milford Bard

In January of 1830, Edgar Allan Poe and his good friend Dr. John Lofland, the Milford Bard, entered into friendly contest to see which of the two poet/writers could write the greater number of verses. Actually, it was the Delaware Bard who challenged…
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It Takes a Cast of Characters to Write this Blog

Today I'd like to recognize a few of the folks who donate their valuable time to help with the writing of this blog. They show up each day with a strong desire to help writers deliver realism to their work. So, without further ado, here are…
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When a Lover Hires a Hitman to Kill a Devious Woman’s Husband: A Fractured Fairy Tale

The good folks over at crimescenewriter are currently discussing the hired killers, and as it happens I've investigated cases where assassins were hired to kill other humans. The "employers'" motives for wanting certain folks to die immediately…

Illness and Crooks: A Parallel World

In light of the current state of affairs, it's become apparent that we've not given criminals the appropriate credit for their ingenuity, forethought, instinct, and an incredible amount of insight. Here's why I say this. We're now wearing…
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Nine-One-One, What’s Your Emergency? Wait …You’re Kidding, Right?

So you think you've seen and heard it all? Well, think again, because these folks actually picked up the phone and dialed 911 to report ... "Help me, please!" "Ma'am, calm down and tell me what's wrong." "My house is on fire. I…

A Cup of Brutal Justice: A Private Look Inside a Small County Jail

The tin cup pictured above is an actual drinking vessel that was originally part of the fabulous dining experience for prisoners housed inside a small county jail. The lockup itself was every bit as peachy as the cup, and both the building and…

Hungry? Let’s Go Shopping for Possum and Worms and More!

As we face the uncertainties of the current state of the world, without a doubt we're all feeling the pain of shopping for necessities---toilet tissue, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, food, and wine. The latter (wine) as everyone knows is a must-have…

Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine: I’m In, Finally!

I've enjoyed reading, starting at a very early age, and have continued to so until this day. My tastes vary, from poetry to the classics to mystery, thrillers, suspense, true crime, historical fiction, nonfiction, and more. As I kid I read comics…

Bacteria Beach: Postmortem Decomposition and the Talking Dead

During their crime-solving duties homicide investigators hear and see a lot of details---gunfire, fleeing suspects, yelling and screaming, pleas for help, blood and viscera, and even the sounds of their own hearts as they frantically beat against…
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Don’t Breathe, Touch, or Turn Your Back, Because What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Sick

I wrote this article back in 2018. It's a good time to revisit because, well, you know ... Those of you with medical elements embedded into your twisted tales will perhaps be interested in the following information. For all others, well,…