Police Pet Peeves

The cartoon character Goofy, used humorously to represent the well-meaning but incompetent officer who gets promoted simply because he aced the test

When Promotion Isn’t About Skill: A Reality Che...

I have found that this complaint is universal among police officers all over the country.  I have heard this PPP (Police Pet Peeve) from California to Chicago to Virginia. How...

When Promotion Isn’t About Skill: A Reality Che...

I have found that this complaint is universal among police officers all over the country.  I have heard this PPP (Police Pet Peeve) from California to Chicago to Virginia. How...

A glamorously dressed woman in heels, representing the unrealistic wardrobe fiction assigns to female detectives — impractical for real police work (145 chars) ✓

Provocative Wardrobes in Fictional Female Detec...

  Crime Fighting or Catwalk?  Female detectives wearing revealing shirts and high heels?  Well, this one’s pretty self-explanatory.  Can’t run, fight, or in my case, walk in high heels, not...

Provocative Wardrobes in Fictional Female Detec...

  Crime Fighting or Catwalk?  Female detectives wearing revealing shirts and high heels?  Well, this one’s pretty self-explanatory.  Can’t run, fight, or in my case, walk in high heels, not...

A SWAT officer in full tactical gear, representing the unit that handles high-risk entries in real police work — not the lone hero of fiction

Sorry, Main Character: SWAT Handles the High Ri...

Police Pet Peeve #3Most detectives in cop shows lead the way on a high-risk house entry. While it does make it more exciting for your main character to lead the...

Sorry, Main Character: SWAT Handles the High Ri...

Police Pet Peeve #3Most detectives in cop shows lead the way on a high-risk house entry. While it does make it more exciting for your main character to lead the...

A detective interviewing a suspect across a table, representing the real-life challenge of building a case without relying on a confession

How Writers Make Cops the Ultimate Confession M...

As I said in yesterday’s post, all of these pet peeves come from real cops, most of them friends of mine.  I realized the other day though that there has...

How Writers Make Cops the Ultimate Confession M...

As I said in yesterday’s post, all of these pet peeves come from real cops, most of them friends of mine.  I realized the other day though that there has...

A man pointing a shotgun at close range, illustrating why a point-blank miss is implausible — and a common pet peeve of cops reading fiction

Shotgun Shenanigans: When Even Six Feet Is Too Far

I have asked a lot of cops over the years to tell me what bothers them the most about fictional cops portrayed either on television or within the pages of...

Shotgun Shenanigans: When Even Six Feet Is Too Far

I have asked a lot of cops over the years to tell me what bothers them the most about fictional cops portrayed either on television or within the pages of...