I first “met” Lee Lofland through an online email group, Crimescenewriters. His comments and answers to questions others asked, to create realistic plots and characters, gave me tons of material I can use some day. After hearing he was a writer, too, I had to know more.

Lofland brings his experience as a veteran police investigator, who worked his way from an officer in Virginia's prison system, then a sheriff's deputy, a patrol officer, and a detective to his book Police Procedure and Investigation, A Guide for Writers. According to his web site, Lofland solved cases dealing with narcotics, homicide, rape, murder-for-hire, robbery, and ritualistic and occult crimes. He was an undercover officer and even a narcotics K-9 handler. He’s certified in the U.S. Department of Justice, Virginia State Police Academy, and the DEA, as well as continuing to be certified in Crime Scene Management and Crime Scene Investigations.

One major thing Lofland lets readers know is not everything shown on TV and in the movies is correct or accurate. Much is completely wrong. The material in this book, including photographs and illustrations and detailed information, gives a firm basis for mystery/suspense/detective writers to incorporate reality in their stories and books.

Chapters include “Law Enforcement in America,” with a breakdown of local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; “The Police Academy,” with information about the training and courses found in different jurisdictions; “Police Officers: Their Duties and Equipment,” including job descriptions and equipment used.

Personally, I found the chapters “Detectives” and “Tell it to the Judge: Courts and the Legal Process” to the most helpful for me in my writing career at this point, but most of the information is useful and enlightening. An index at the back of the book and appendixes helps readers find itemized material.

Lofland presents information in such a way that almost everyone can easily understand what he writes. He shares his mass experiences and research so that readers can know reality and authors can make their writing more interesting, believable, and realistic.

The material on the back of the book states, “Police Procedure & Investigation is the next best thing to having a police detective personally assigned to your book,” and I wholeheartedly agree.

I advise that anyone interested in procedure and investigations find, and keep on hand, a copy of this book. Police Procedure and Investigation, A Guide for Writers by Lee Lofland is one of the best written and most usable reference books for readers and writers interested in crime, mystery, police, and law enforcement.

Reviewed by Vivian Zabel
© March 2008