Police Pet Peeves

A male cop in uniform pressing his fingers to his head and shaking it in disbelief at yet another unrealistic police procedure in fiction

That Awkward Moment When the Door Does All the ...

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who has worked patrol for the past twenty years. As usual, the conversation eventually got around to my writing....

That Awkward Moment When the Door Does All the ...

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who has worked patrol for the past twenty years. As usual, the conversation eventually got around to my writing....

Towering reams of paper representing the mountains of evidence logs, property sheets, and reports that real detectives must complete — rarely shown in fiction

The Job Ain’t Over ‘Till the Paperwork’s Done

This Police Pet Peeve comes by way of a homicide detective. “Why doesn’t anyone ever show a detective buried in paperwork?” Sure, a detective gets to go to crime scenes....

The Job Ain’t Over ‘Till the Paperwork’s Done

This Police Pet Peeve comes by way of a homicide detective. “Why doesn’t anyone ever show a detective buried in paperwork?” Sure, a detective gets to go to crime scenes....

A chimpanzee holding a pistol completely wrong, humorously illustrating the firearm handling mistakes that make real police officers cringe in fiction

Fictional Cops and Their Dangerous Gun Hunch: O...

  I recently received this one from a friend of mine who is a retired Marine. He also did a stint in law enforcement in his “civilian life”. “Hey, about...

Fictional Cops and Their Dangerous Gun Hunch: O...

  I recently received this one from a friend of mine who is a retired Marine. He also did a stint in law enforcement in his “civilian life”. “Hey, about...

A menacing gang member glancing over his shoulder, representing the real-world threat that makes backup essential — not optional — in authentic police fiction

When Your Fictional Macho Cop Refuses Backup (A...

  This one comes from a friend of mine who can kick a** with the best of them when necessary.  “I hate it when someone is going to be arrested,...

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When Your Fictional Macho Cop Refuses Backup (A...

  This one comes from a friend of mine who can kick a** with the best of them when necessary.  “I hate it when someone is going to be arrested,...

1 comment
A person placing their head inside the open jaws of a crocodile, illustrating the reckless bravado of the fictional macho cop who thinks he's invincible

Courage or Clueless? The Fine Line Between Brav...

  One police sergeant, whose hair pretty much turned a dashing shade of grey during my rookie year, can’t stand it “when the idiot officer, empty-handed, approaches the suspect and...

Courage or Clueless? The Fine Line Between Brav...

  One police sergeant, whose hair pretty much turned a dashing shade of grey during my rookie year, can’t stand it “when the idiot officer, empty-handed, approaches the suspect and...

A cartoon of a broken-down police car, humorously representing the real-life equipment failures that plague officers at the worst possible moments

The More Ridiculous Your Equipment Fails, the M...

Equipment issues.  To any cops reading this, need I say more? For you authors, in your novel, does your main police character ever experience dangerous and often embarrassing moments in...

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The More Ridiculous Your Equipment Fails, the M...

Equipment issues.  To any cops reading this, need I say more? For you authors, in your novel, does your main police character ever experience dangerous and often embarrassing moments in...

1 comment