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!

Up Close And Personal: Semi-Automatic Pistols and Shotguns

  Have you ever really watched when someone is firing a semi-automatic pistol? What happens to the brass? How far is the brass ejected? What does the recoil do the wrists and arms? What does the slide look like when it kicks back Here's…
Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Inside the Archives of Rome's Crime History

Vehicle Searches: Need a Warrant? Nope…

  There's been a bit of controversy floating around the writer community about whether or not police officers can search a vehicle without a search warrant. Lets look at that issue and pick it apart a bit. It can be tricky. 1) If…
Forsaken

Forsaken: A Journey Through The Lens of Photographer Sunday Kaminski

    You can find Sunday’s work featured in  the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. * No image from this site may be copied, reproduced, or used in any manner without the expressed…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Sergeant Greg Hernandez, 50 Tulare California Sheriffs Office On January 29, 2009, Sergeant Hernadez was responding to back up another deputy when he was involved in a collision with a tractor trailer. He succumbed to his injuries on…
Restraint Chair

The Grip: New Bling For Prisoners

  Police, sheriff's deputies, and prison officers have always encountered situations where traditional handcuffs injure unruly or combative prisoners during transport situations. The steel arms of cuffs and leg irons can irritate or…
Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps: Role model, or Joint Roller?

  Olympic swimming superstar, Michael Phelps, was photographed while holding a glass tube to his lips. That's it. That's what the photograph shows. Nothing more. Sure, the glass tube is probably a bong that's used for smoking marijuana,…
Cocaine: Bale Me Out

Drug Idenification, Packaging, and Side Effects

  Cocaine Cocaine has been around for over 100 years. It's use and abuse is not new. It was once used in many over the counter elixirs, and it was even one of the key ingredients in Coca Cola.   Powdered cocaine can be…
Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Inside the Archives of Rome's Crime History

Steve Burt: The Sinister Minister

Rev. Dr. Steve Burt, a.k.a. The Sinister Minister, has won the Bram Stoker, Ray Bradbury, and Benjamin Franklin Awards. In addition to horror and mystery/suspense, he writes church leadership books, inspirational books, devotional material,…
Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Inside the Archives of Rome's Crime History

Voice Stress Analysis

  Unlike polygraph examinations, Voice Stress Analysis (VSA) testing does not require electrodes, wires, cables, sensors, or blood pressure cuffs. Instead, a computer like the one pictured above, uses software that detects and measures…

Interpreting Bloodstain Patterns

  The ability to effectively interpret bloodstain patterns is a science and an art. But, before investigators can dive into a crime scene, they must learn a bit of terminology, such as: Angle of Impact - the angle formed between…
Police Dogs and How they Operate

Don’t Mess With Police Dogs!

  Canines are a vital part of police work. Their training is extremely intensive and the animals are very loyal to their handlers. They'll stop at nothing, other than their handler's commands, to achieve their objective. Police…
Wendy Burt-Thomas

Wendy Burt-Thomas: The Importance of Query Letters

Wendy Burt-Thomas has more than 1,000 published pieces to her credit, including articles, short stories, essays, reviews, poems and greeting cards. She has worked as an editor, columnist, staff writer, copywriter, freelance writer, writing teacher…
Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Inside the Archives of Rome's Crime History

Protecting Evil: Suicide Watch

  Jails and prisons have the responsibility of protecting the general public by keeping bad guys behind bars. They're also responsible for the safety of the prisoners. Inmates face many dangers during their incarceration, such as…
Kentucky Horse Country

Weekend Road Trip: Kentucky Horse Country With Rhonda Lane

  Rhonda Lane is a former reporter and TV studio tech. She grew up in Kentucky horse country but now lives in central Connecticut. She's an aspiring mystery/suspense novelist who also runs and writes The Horsey Set Net, a horses &…
Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Officer Chris Jones, 37 Middletown Township Pennsylvania Police Department On January 29, 2009, Officer Jones was struck and killed while conducting a traffic stop. He leaves behind a wife and three children. Police Chief Johnny Hamilton,…
Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Inside the Archives of Rome's Crime History

Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Could You Marry A Serial Killer?

Dr. Katherine Ramsland has a master's degree in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a master's degree in clinical psychology from Duquesne University, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Rutgers. She has published thirty-three…
Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Inside the Archives of Rome's Crime History

Happy Birth-a-versary Graveyard Shift!

Today marks the one year anniversary of The Graveyard Shift. Our first post received 68 hits. Today we'll see thousands from all over the world. It's overwhelming. Please click the play button above and then scroll down for a peek at some…
Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Inside the Archives of Rome's Crime History

Forensic Image Clarification: Say Cheese

Forensic Image Clarification I can't count the number of times I've been handed a horrible surveillance photograph, or an extremely grainy video of an armed robbery, and was expected to use it as evidence to solve a crime. I'd have been…