Howdunit Book of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers (Paperback)

by Lee Lofland (Author)
Key Phrases: marshals service, downtown boys, autopsy technicians, United States, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Sam Browne (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Lee Lofland's Police Police Procedure & Investigation reads like a thriller. It's every crime writer's indispensable reference--packed with the kind of information and insider knowledge that make the police procedure in crime fiction feel authentic. -- Hallie Ephron, Edgar-nominated novelist and author of Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel

Police Procedure & Investigation is an invaluable tool for writers of mystery fiction. -- J.A. Jance, New York Times best-selling mystery author

This book is a zinger! Police Procedure & Investigation is packed with all-you-need-to-know detail, yet it reads like a best-selling thriller. I know it's a "Guide for Writers," but I think anyone interested in the world of law enforcement should get a copy. Read it on the beach, read it on the train, read it on your way to a murder scene. -- Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector and The Sleeping Doll

Product Description
Not everything you see on your favorite crime show is accurate. In fact, a lot of it is flat out wrong. Police Procedure & Investigation helps you get your facts straight about the inner workings of law enforcement.

With a career in law enforcement that spanned nearly two decades, author Lee Lofland is a nationally acclaimed expert on police procedures and crime scene investigations who consults regularly with best-selling authors and television producers. Now you can benefit from his years of experience with Police Procedure & Investigation.

This comprehensive resource includes:

• More than 80 photographs, illustrations, and charts showing everything from defensive moves used by officers to prison cells and autopsies
• Detailed information on officer training, tools of the trade, drug busts, con air procedures, crime scene investigation techniques, and more
• First-person details from the author about his experiences as a detective, including accounts of arrests, death penalty executions, and criminal encounters

Police Procedure & Investigation is the next best thing to having a police detective personally assigned to your book!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books; 1 edition (August 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582974551
• ISBN-13: 978-1582974552
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #72,619 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #53 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Criminal Law > Criminal Procedure
  #53 in	Books > Nonfiction > Law > Criminal Law > Criminal Procedure
  #79 in	Books > Reference > Writing > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll be 10-7 Without This Book, September 7, 2007

By	Joyce Tremel - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book should be required reading for anyone writing crime fiction. It is packed full of just about everything a writer needs to make their fictional police characters ring true. Lofland's book dispels many of the myths of police work that are shown in abundance on popular TV shows. The book is well organized and interspersed with stories from Lofland's twenty year career as a law enforcement officer. His narrative of a shootout with a bank robber will touch even the most jaded heart. The tale of the Mountain Man will make you laugh out loud.

Crime writers, if you only buy one book this year, this is the one to get.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best, March 1, 2008

By	PF Davids (WA) - See all my reviews

I had the pleasure of being in one of Lee's writer's conference lectures. I found his classes to be the most helpful of all the one's I'd attended (no small feat).
On the basis of what I saw in the lectures I later picked up a copy of his book. The ones at the conference sold out before I could get any.
Lee's information is the most thorough of any police procedural book I have come across, and he portrays the information in easy to read format that keeps the readers engaged.
Any failings are small enough to be overlooked (IMHO), though he should probably stay away from writing fictional scenes as samples. ;o) They tended to be a bit overwritten. Luckily, they are few and far between, and do NOTHING to diminish the value of this work.
You won't go wrong if you pick up a copy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasure trove for crime writers, October 16, 2007

By	Suspense reader (USA) - See all my reviews

My book shelf is full of books that promise to explain in detail the police procedures careful writers need to understand but this one actually delivers. Not only is Lofland's approach comprehensive, the book is organized and very easy to read. The index allows you to look up specific points but I found myself reading it from cover to cover because it's so well written. I'd highly recommend this great guide to any writer serious about getting the details straight or anyone simply interested in the world of police procedures.