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!

Seriously, Keep Your Shirt On … OMG!

The hero of your story had a long night answering call after call---he-saids, she-saids, chasing a Peeping Tom through back yards and alleys, a couple of drunks arguing over a near-empty bottle of Ripple, kids spray-painting Smiley Faces on…

Murder Investigations Are So, Well … “Fly”

Homicide investigations are the crème de la crème of all investigations. To solve a murder, investigators use all available resources. No sparing of the horses. Sometimes it's a race to catch the killer before he strikes again. But detectives…

How To Tell Who’s Who: Behind The Pins And Medals

How do officers know, at a glance, when they're addressing a ranking officer from another department? Well, the answer is as clear as everything else pertaining to law enforcement...it depends. Police departments use many symbols of rank…

Write Slower ‘Cause I Don’t Read As Fast As I Used To … Y’all

It's Saturday night, almost midnight, and your hero has just arrested a couple of strangers who sort of sound as if they're speaking English. Sure, every third or fourth word is recognizable, but phrases such as, "If'n you don't let me go I'ma…

Reserve Your Spot at the THRILLING 2022 Writers’ Police Academy!!

Exciting News! The Writers’ Police Academy is pleased to announce the June 2022 return to in-person, hands-on training in Green Bay, Wi., at one of the country’s top law enforcement training academies. Registration for this action-packed,…
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Transferring DNA Evidence: 8 Things Your Protagonist Should NOT Do

Leading characters should be written as real people with real problems and real goals. They're people a reader wants to care about. Protagonists are likeable and smart, yet flawed in some way. Sure, the hero will win, we know that, and we…

Mr. X: My Life in Federal Prison – Bocce, Bunkies, and Books

Mr. X is a former business professional who committed a crime that landed him in federal prison. He's out now and agreed to share his story with the readers of The Graveyard Shift. Off we go ... GYS: Describe your first day in prison. Mr.…

Understanding The Old Guy at the End of the Street: The Rest of the Story

I'm the old guy at the end of the street. The Grumpy Gus who doesn't want kids in his yard. In fact, I don't want to hear their squeals and the squalls or their giggles and games. I don't want to see their toy cars and trucks, their skateboards,…

Politically Correct 10-Codes

Has political correctness gone amuck in the world of cops and robbers?  After hearing this radio transmission, I'd say yes. "Be on the Lookout for a morally challenged subject who's a rube-esque prone repetitive exterminator of respirations…

Investigating Crimes in Indian Country

There's been quite a bit of recent discussion among writers about which agencies investigate crimes that occur on tribal lands. Therefore, I thought you might be interested in seeing a few of the May, 2021 indictments handed down by a federal…

The Oak Ridge Boys: “Sacrifice for Me,” a Memorial Day Tribute

Today we honor and pay tribute to the men and women who who gave their lives to preserve our freedoms. I can't think of anyone who's more dedicated to supporting our military than Joe Bonsall and his fellow members of the legendary, Grammy…

MurderCon 2021: The Fabulous Lineup of Classes and Presenters

From the start of the Writers' Police Academy over a dozen years ago, we've taken writers inside the typically closed world of law enforcement, forensics, EMS, and firefighting. We've introduced you to world-renowned experts. We've helped establish…

Protecting an Informant’s Identity: Who’s in Their Fireplace?

A Confidential Informant (CI) is a person who, while acting under the direction and control of a law enforcement handler(s), sometimes plays a participatory role in a criminal investigation. Since CIs are typically known to be involved…

What and Who are Confidential Informants, and What Do They Do?

Confidential Informant - a person who provides information to police about criminal activity. The FBI, of course, conducts undercover operations, as needed, and they do so when such operation appears to be an effective means of obtaining…

The Murder Case of Mollie Tibbetts – Then and Now: A Fox News Interview with Me

The murder trial for Cristhian Bahena Rivera, the man accused of murdering Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts in July 2018, opened today. Prosecutors say blood found on the trunk of Rivera's car, and DNA recovered from trunk lining both…

Time to Process and Grieve

Due to the passing of our daughter, Ellen, I will be out of the office for another week. Denene and I need time to ourselves to process this heartbreaking and devastating loss. I cannot begin to express how much I miss her. Ellen was a Daddy's…
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Shoot ‘Em in the Arm or Leg?

Police officers are not trained to shoot to kill, nor do they shoot to wound. Again, officers are not taught to kill. I know, the recent death of George Floyd was extremely disturbing, but the actions of the officers involved are NOT the result…

Shoot to Kill or to Wound? The Answer May Surprise You

Police officers are not trained to shoot to kill, nor do they shoot to wound. That, my friends, is the answer to the question. And NO, police officers do not fire warning shots into the air. Why not? Because there's way of knowing where that…