Just the Facts, Ma'am

Lee Lofland is the author of the 2007 entry into the Writers Digest Books Howdunit series, Police Procedure and Investigation. But he's not just someone who researched the topic to write the book, he's actually lived it. As first an officer in Virginia's prison system, then sheriff's deputy, patrol officer, detective, Internal Affairs Investigator, and police academy instructor, he's just about done it all.

Although retired from his law enforcement career, he stays busy writing books and articles for the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters In Crime newsletters and newspapers across the country. He's also served as a consultant for Slate Magazine, Spike TV, BBC Television, and for many bestselling authors.

He's recently started a new blog, The Graveyard Shift, a virtual extension of his book, where he takes a look at police procedures, evidence, equipment, and techniques, helping crime fiction authors everywhere get a better handle on the inner workings of law enforcement agencies.

I was going to pepper him with a list of questions for this blog, i.e., words of wisdom to pass along to writers about how to get details right and also what writers often get wrong, but he's already been kind enough to provide those tidbits via the Sisters in Crime newsgroup. He's also recently provided a terrific interview for Julia Buckley's blog Mysterious Musings (complete with smiling mug shot). So I thought I'd summarize his advice to SinC, but also ask him what are the best resources for writers who want to be as accurate as possible in their stories (and for mystery readers who are interested in the topic, as well) and how to go about asking law enforcement for advice.

Here's the SinC summary first of things to keep in mind while writing about cops:

1. Most cops don't use the terms Perp and Vic. Instead, they say suspect and victim. Now, before someone yells at me, I said most cops. Please check with the department in question to see what they say and do.
2. The Miranda warnings are only recited prior to questioning, not as soon as an officer makes contact with a suspect. If you don't question them, you don't have to advise them of Miranda.
3. Revolvers do not automatically eject spent cartridges. Semi-automatics and automatic weapons do.
4. Detectives who've been suspended from duty do not continue their investigations. Suspension from duty normally means their police powers have been temorarily suspended and that means they have no authority.
5. Police officers do not fire warning shots. Never.
6. Suspects who've been shot do not fly backward through windows, walls, and off cliffs. They merely crumple and fold to the ground.
7. A blow to the head doesn't normally knock a person unconscious. It just hurts a lot and makes the person really angry.
8. Medical examiners are in charge of the body at a crime scene, but not the crime scene. Detectives do not poke and prod on, or in, dead bodies. And they DO NOT take the rectal temperature of the deceased.
9. Jurisdictional issues - the FBI does not come into town and take over cases from local departments. Please do your research. Learn the difference between a sheriff and a police chief. The differences are huge.
10. Number ten can be summed up with the words of my good friend, Officer Dave. He says, "I really dislike it when they (the public) calls us pigs and talk about us eating donuts. I just smile and think about what those letters actually stand for: Pride, Integrity, and Guts. It takes all those qualities to be a good cop. Then again, the letters could stand for Plain, Iced, and Glazed."
11. Don't have a character mess with the saftety on a Glock. That little thing on the Glock's trigger isn't a true safety. You can pull the trigger on a Glock any time you want, unlike a pistol with a traditional safety that totally prevents firing the weapon. I carried a Sig Sauer, a pistol without any type safety. By the way, cops leave the safety in the off position, anyway. The time it takes to flip the lever could mean the difference between living and dying. That's if they even remember to do so while someone's shooting at them.
12. Detectives quite often find themselves having to mend or sew patches on the inside linings of their jackets. The constant rubbing of the pistol's hammer against the fabric quickly tears the thin material. I still have jackets with four-inch square patches on the inside. I didn't say they still fit, I just have them.
13. There is a huge difference between a sworn police officer and a civilian police employee. The difference - civilian employees are not police officers. Not every CSI technician is a police officer with powers of arrest. Those employees do not conduct criminal investigations, nor are they trained or qualified to do so. This is also true with sheriff's deputies. Not all of them are police officers. It depends on their assgnment.
14. Officers don't use APB (all points bulletin). BOLO (be on the lookout) is the term that's used today. In fact, I don't ever remember using APB. I'm sure some places used it, I just don't know where or when.

Here are his responses to my questions regarding research:

(Q) What is the proper etiquette for contacting local law enforcement officials about research for stories and books?

(Lee) The biggest mistake most writers make is to call the main telephone number for a police department and then begin spouting off questions to the voice on the other end of the line. The employees answering those lines normally aren't authorized to answer detailed questions about their agency or their department's procedures. In fact, many of these people aren't police officers and wouldn't know the proper responses to questions about homicide and crime scene investigations, anyway.

Most departments have an officer who's in charge of media relations or community affairs. That's the person outsiders should attempt to contact. Public affairs officers are used to fielding questions from journalists and other media. A simple peek at a police department's website normally reveals the telephone number of the officer who's available for public contact. The sites should also list the names and numbers of the officers in charge for each division, such as robbery, homicide, and patrol. Either of those officers is normally happy to help. If not, they can certainly point you in the right direction.

Another great way to learn information about law enforcement is to introduce yourself to a patrol officer or detective. Of course, you don't want to interrupt them while their having a meal (that might be the only break they've had all day), but you could stop and chat for second while you're waiting in line at the bank or supermarket. Tell them about your project and that you really want to get the police details as precise as possible. They'll appreciate that effort after having read so many things about police officers that have been so, so wrong.

(Q) Other than contacting law enforcement agencies and using your wonderful book, "Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers" and your new blog, what are some of the best resources (books, magazines, videos, TV, Internet, etc.) you have come across where writers can turn for accurate information on how to write police procedures and settings?

Thanks for the kind words about my book. You know, when I conducted the research for PP&I I had to use some of the tactics I mentioned in my last answer. I made dozens of phone calls, waited for hours in police department lobbies, and stopped officers on the street to chat. I was turned down for several interview requests, but I was persistent and finally, after two-and-a-half years I wound up with the book you see today.

There are many wonderful resources out there that have current and accurate information. But there are just as many that are serving up some...well, let's just say inaccurate advice. I think the easiest way to address this is to list some Do's and Don't's:

Do not use reality television as a source of police/CSI/forensics information. Those shows are meant to entertain. They're fiction.

Do contact reliable, established experts, such as police officers, medical examiners, doctors, lawyers, EMS, fire department members, etc.

Do email professionals who know what kind of information that's important to writers. Those people can be found on panels and conducting workshops for writer's conferences. I speak for a dozen or so conferences each year all across the country. So do many other police and forensic professionals

An excellent internet resource for medical questions is Dr. D.P. Lyle's The Medical and forensic Lab. Dr. Lyle is the author of several fantastic books about forensics and he's always happy to answer a writer's questions. He's like having a private forensics encyclopedia at your fingertips. Dr. Lyle's website address is http://www.dplylemd.com/. You can tell him I sent you.

Many police departments post their policies and procedures on the internet. That's a great way to learn answers the internal workings of a police department.

Do use books like the new Writer's Digest Books Howdunit series. I know, my book is in that series, but there are some other great books in the same group. The first in the new series is Poisons by Stevens and Bannon; my book, Police Procedure and Investigation, A Guide For Writers is second; Dr. DP Lyle’s book Forensics, A Guide For Writers is scheduled for release in the spring of this year followed by The Book of Weapons by Sheila Stephens, a former ATF agent who really knows her stuff.

(Q) Any resources (other than bad TV shows) to steer clear of?

Be cautious about online discussion groups unless you know who's offering the advice. Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America both have great online Q&A groups. I've seem some pretty stinky information on some sites. The really bad thing about the questionable sites is that writers think they’re getting good information and they’re not. It’s always good to ask other writers if they know these so-called called experts before using their information in your books.

Lee is going to be the featured guest for the Sisters in Crime Internet newsgroup's Mentor Monday on March 31. We mentioned these Mentor Monday opportunities in a previous blog posting. For more information, you can check out the SinC web site.