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!

Stuff You Didn’t Know…

  We're always talking about guns, handcuffs, murder, dead bodies, PI's and detectives. But what about the stuff we don't talk about? Well, for starters... Jail Toilets and Showers Ya gotta have 'em. After all, those boys in black…
marijuana

The Farm: Page 287 Of My Spiral Notebooks

  Sunrise. Humidity. Owl hoots. Camouflage. Jump boots. Careful walking. No twig snapping. No leaf crunching. Dangerous sounds. Radios. Ear pieces. Shhh... Walking for miles. Thick brush. Well worn foot path.…
Rhys Bowen

Lost Words – Recovering Indented Writing

  The Docustat is used to recover indented writing (indented writing occurs when someone presses a pencil or pen to paper, creating a perfect copy of the text on the page directly below).   To recover the writing, technicians…
Rhys Bowen

Weekend Road Trip: Cambridge Cops, Controversy, and Kate’s Mystery Books

Police Sergeant Crowley                      There is a simple way to report, comment, and write about the unfortunate incident involving police Sergeant Crowley. Don't do, write, or say anything until you have all the facts.…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  Chief Deputy Joshua Eggleston, 35 Lincoln County Idaho Sheriff's Office   Chief Deputy Joshua Eggleston was killed in an automobile accident on July 18, 2009. A rear tire blew out on his patrol car causing the vehicle…

Teachin’ Old Dawgs New Tricks

  State Police Academy. Healthy, grown men and women. Twenty strong. Freshly scrubbed faces. Neat hair. Clean BDU's. Seasoned officers. Veterans. Muscled. Experts. Twenty young dogs. Ready to go. Muscled. Shiny…
Wacky Police News

Police Rumors, Scandals, and Scoops

  That Really Burns Me Up!   An Australian man doused himself with gasoline and then charged officers while holding a can of gas and a lighter. One of the officers deployed a Taser and the man suddenly burst into flames. The…
Sleuthing and Survival - Tips From Nancy Drew

Sleuthing and Survival – Tips From Nancy Drew

  Penny Warner is the author of over 50 books, including the Connor Westphal mystery series and THE OFFICIAL NANCY DREW HANDBOOK. Her new series, HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY, debuts in February 2010, and features a reluctant event…
Rhys Bowen

Stop, Or I’ll Fill You Full Of…Soap?

In the days before Tasers, stun guns, pepper spray, and law suits, police officers were often forced to resort to brute strength when taking down unruly criminal suspects. We worked hard in those days, chasing moonshiners, robbers, and killers,…
Gettysburg With Joyce Tremel

Weekend Road Trip: Gettysburg With Joyce Tremel

  Little Round Top Railroad cut where the victim in Joyce's novel was found. McPherson Ridge McPherson Barn Cemetery Hill *     *     * Author Terry Odell is giving away a copy of…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Deputy Sheriff Shane Thomas Detwiler, 31 Chambers County Texas Sheriff's Office PoliceLink photo Deputy Shane Detwiler was shot and killed on July 13, 2009 while searching a mobile home for a suspect who was involved in a shooting incident…
Rhys Bowen

Shot in the Dark: Page Two From My Spiral Notebooks

Country roads. Dark, like tree-lined tunnels. Speed. Telephone poles and mailboxes pass quickly. A blur. Handcuffs swing from spotlight handle. Metal hits metal. Tap, tap, tap. Winding curves. Driver training. Hit the apexes. Feed…
High Rock Lake, NC

Weekend Road Trip: High Rock Lake, North Carolina

  Family of ducks hiding from the sunshine. *     *     * Author Terry Odell is giving away a copy of this fine book. Please visit Terry's website for details.
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

  Deputy Sheriff Monte (Leroy) Mathews, 35 Adams County Idaho Sheriffs Department   Deputy Leroy Matthews was killed on July 6, 2009 when a minivan swerved across the center line of the highway, striking his patrol car…
Rhys Bowen

L.A. Deputy Shoots Teenage Boy: Justified Shoot?

  How long does it take you to react when a bee lands on your nose? How about when a car suddenly pulls out in front of you? How long does it take you to hit the brake? Well, each of those scenarios are good examples of how much time…
Confessions of a female serial killer

The Killing Of A Killer: Did North Carolina Police Respond Properly?

  There has been lots of speculation floating around the internet regarding the so-called South Carolina serial killer and his recent death at the hands of police officers. The largest flurry of words, ideas, and theories have come from…
Rhys Bowen

Rhys Bowen: Sleuthing Without Forensics

  Rhys Bowen's mysteries have been nominated for every major mystery award, including the Edgar for best novel, and she has won seven of them. She writes three series, including the Constable Evans mysteries, set in the mountains of…
Rhys Bowen

FOP: Fraternal Order of Police

  The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest professional police organization in the U.S. It's a group that's 325,000 members strong from more than 2100 lodges. The FOP got its start in 1915, when two Pittsburgh police officers, Martin…