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!

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Castle: Fool Me Once – A Review

I almost want to jump up and turn cartwheels (in spite of the ruptured disc in my back). This week's show was definitely a cut above what we've had to endure so far this season. In fact, it was so much better I didn't even yell and scream at…

OD: Page 246 Of My Spiral Notebooks

  Wealthy. Mansion. Porsche. Fame. Money. Parents. Away. Party. Friends. Corvettes. Mercedes. BMW. Music. Laughter. Food. Drinks. Pot. Cocaine. Heroin. LSD. Mushrooms. Fun. Hash. Speed. Pipes. Bongs. Meth. PCP. Smoke. Snort. More…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Stuart Kaminsky: We’ll Miss You

  Stuart Kaminsky 1935-2009 My heart is broken this morning. Stuart Kaminsky has passed away. I had the unique honor of assisting Stuart with the police and forensic information in his CSI novels. I'll never forget his reaction…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Deputy Sheriff Francis David Blake, 42 Burnet County Texas Sheriffs Department Deputy Francis Blake died in an automobile accident on October 3, 2009. He was responding to a serious motor vehicle crash when he hit a deer. His car then…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

A Troubled Week For Police Officers

  Sergeant Mickey Hutchens and Officer Daniel Clark were both shot yesterday while responding to a domestic disturbance at fast food restaurant in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Both officers remain in serious condition. Sergeant Hutchins…
10 worst killings for love

Cops: Writing Their Love Lives and Hunting Rabbits

  Police officers face many difficult challenges during the course of their careers, challenges most people would avoid at all costs. For example, exchanging a few rounds of live ammunition with a doped up bad guy, or how about working…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Castle: Inventing The Girl – A Review

Well, another Castle episode is in the history books. This week's show titled Inventing The Girl was written by David Grae, an accomplished TV veteran with many popular shows to his credit, like Gilmore Girls, Without a Trace, and Moose…

Handguns: You’re Still Writing Them Wrong. Yeah, You!

  Okay, I attempted to read another book last week, a book I wanted to toss off a steep cliff into the Pacific Ocean. Why would I want to drive 3,000 miles just for the pleasure of watching a book sink into Half Moon Bay? It's a simple…
It's Time For A 200 Word Short Story Contest

Weekend Road Trip: It’s Time For A 200 Word Short Story Contest

The Curse I waited impatiently after shoving my quarter into the slot. After all, she'd never been wrong before. I heard the coin tumbling through the mechanism, finally striking the empty metal container below. Suddenly, her world-in-a-box…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  Deputy Sheriff James Anderson, 39 Lee County Alabama Sheriff's Office On September 24, 2009, Deputy James Anderson was intentionally struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle during a traffic stop. Deputy Anderson leaves…
Norm Benson

Norm Benson: My Former Beat – The Dark Woods

  Forestry combines art and science, and grapples with the ecological riddles of our time; but it’s also a job. Norm Benson is a Registered Professional Forester. During his thirty years for the California Department of Forestry…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Castle: The Double Down – A Review

Let's just skip the preliminary fluff and get down to business. After watching this episode I'm in no mood for making nice. The title of this week's episode is Double Down. Perhaps the network should have opted for calling it Double Trouble.…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  Lance Corporal Jonathan Nash, 41 South Carolina Highway Patrol   Lance Corporal Jonathan Nash was killed while leading a charity ride in memorial of a fellow trooper, Hardy Godbold, who died in a 1992 automobile accident…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Psychologist Richard Helms: The Zoloft Made Me Do It

Richard Helms retired after a nearly quarter-century career as a professional psychologist in 2002 to teach at a college in Charlotte, NC. He has been nominated three times for the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award (Juicy Watusi, 2003;…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Castle: 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. The action heated up quickly when a couple of scantily-clad faux patrol officers used Castle as their private…
Lisa Black

Lisa Black: Forensics, Lightning, and Missing Persons

Lisa Black spent the happiest five years of her life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist she analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, paint, glass, hairs, fibers, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence. Now she's a latent…
Winslow Arizona

Weekend Road Trip: Arizona Revisited

  Turn up the A/C because this week we're headed to Arizona's Painted Desert. First stop, Meteor Crater. Meteor Crater is located just off Interstate 40 near Flagstaff. Drive twenty miles to the east and you can stand on a corner…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  Patrolman Jerry Jones, 27 Charleston West Virginia Police Department Officer Jerry Jones's career came to an end on September 13, 2009. He and other officers were involved in a pursuit with a suspect wanted in a hit and…