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!

Roberta Isleib

Roberta Isleib: The Psychological Nancy Drew

Roberta Isleib is guest blogging today while on a tour for her third advice column mystery, ASKING FOR MURDER (Berkley.) Roberta is a clinical psychologist, the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity nominated author of eight mysteries, and the president…
Writers Conference

Weekend Road Trip: East Of Eden Writers Conference

  Our road trip this week takes us to Salinas, California for the East of Eden Writers Conference. The conference kicked off Friday with workshops taught by a star-studded group of presenters and speakers. Conference co-director,…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  Deputy Sheriff Anne Jackson, 40 Skagit County Washington Sheriffs Office   On the night of September 2, 2008, Deputy Anne Jackson was shot and killed after she had responded to a disturbance where three people had been…

A Show of Hands and Other Cop Stuff

  Recently, a writer asked me why some cops wear gloves. Many people think officers wear them to look cool, as accessories to those nifty mirrored sunglasses. Well, not so. Here's a few examples of the many types of duty-specific police…
Police canines: hot-n-pop

Police Canines: The Bite Is Worse Than The Bark

Dogs used for law enforcement are trained to perform a variety of duties. One of those assignments is patrol. Patrol dogs are the canines used to apprehend criminals, assist with crowd control, track fleeing suspects, and search buildings…
Yvonne Mason

Yvonne Mason: A Serial Killer’s Instructions For Committing The Perfect Murder

  Serial Killer Gerard Schaefer's Instructions on How to Commit the Perfect Murder The term narcissistic means self-absorbed, egotistic, selfish, conceited, or self-important. Gerard Schaefer was all of these and more. He was also…
Writers' Police Academy

Holiday Weekend Road Trip: Writer’s Police Academy Update

  It's official! You asked for it and we delivered. The Mad Anthony Writers Conference and I have joined forces to present to first annual Writers Police Academy on April 17-18, 2009. Here's a sneak preview of some of the workshps and…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  Officer Timothy A. Haley, 42 Columbus Ohio Division of Police Officer Haley suffered a ruptured blood vessel in the brain during a SWAT training exercise. He succumbed to the injury on August 26, 2008. He leaves behind a…
Maybe The Grass Isn't Greener Over There

Maybe The Grass Isn’t Greener Over There

  Each day, either by email or telephone, I talk to lots of law enforcement officers from all over the country. I like to stay abreast with what's current in the world of cop and robbers so I can pass along that information to my friends…
Lt. Josh Moulin

Lt. Josh Moulin: Cellular Phone Evidence

  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…
Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman: Impressing Editors and Agents

  JANE FRIEDMAN Jane Friedman is editorial director at F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she oversees the publication of more than 50 nonfiction titles each year, under the imprints of Writer's Digest Books, HOW Books, Betterway…
Yvonne Mason

Yvonne Mason: Serial Killers and FBI Profiling

  Florida's First Serial Killer and the Inception of the profiling Department of the FBI On April 1, 1973 two bodies were found on South Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce, Florida. They were the bodies of two teenage girls, Susan Place…
Plum Island

Weekend Road Trip: Plum Island, Massachusetts

  Plum Island is located in the northeast corner of Massachusetts, near the New Hampshire border. The island got its name because of the large number of beach-plum bushes that grow abundantly, all over. Local folks make jellies and jam…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembeing The Fallen

  Deputy Martha Woods Shareef, 53 Lafourche Parrish Louisiana Sheriffs Department   Deputy Shareef passed away on August 20, 2008. She died as a result of the injuries she received from a vehicular assault while responding…

Clint Van Zandt – Bounty Hunter: "Casey will talk once released and has her nails done…"

Clinton R. Van Zandt is the Founder and President of Van Zandt Associates Inc. During his 25-year career in the FBI, Mr. Van Zandt was a Supervisor in the FBI's internationally renowned Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy in Quantico,…

Former FBI Agent Clint Van Zandt: Should Students take their Guns to College?

Clinton R. Van Zandt is the Founder and President of Van Zandt Associates Inc. During his 25-year career in the FBI, Mr. Van Zandt was a Supervisor in the FBI's internationally renowned Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy in Quantico,…
Yvonne Mason

Yvonne Mason: Going West

Go West Young Man Go West: The Outlaws Did and the Hunters Followed California is another one of those states that tend to keep the laws and statutes for Bounty Hunters close to their chest so to speak. As I researched this state the pickings…
London

Weekend Road Trip: London

  This weekend I've decided to cross the pond and visit London. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the view. Off we go. Oh, and Bob's your uncle. * * * Lee Lofland on NPR's Talk of the Nation Yesterday, legendary…