Police1 Article Guidelines for Authors

Thanks for your interest in contributing an article to Police1, the leading news and information website for law enforcement professionals. Publication on Police1 is the best way for law enforcement leaders, line supervisors, training officers, PIOs and patrol officers to reach the largest audience of law enforcement officers in the United States.

Below we provide answers to some of the FAQs we receive from new authors.

WHAT CONTENT IS POLICE1 LOOKING FOR?

Police1 welcomes contributions from officers who can clearly and concisely communicate concepts and ideas through the written word. We seek to represent the full spectrum of law enforcement, from rural to metropolitan departments, from new recruits to seasoned veterans, as well as diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are also interested in videos and photographic essays.

We promote healthy and respectful discussion about topics within the industry. Check out our topic sections, product categories and most recent columnist articles for insights and ideas about the topics, products and themes we regularly cover.

We are currently seeking submissions for Police1’s Institutional Knowledge Project to create a repository of lessons learned around the management of people, policy, training, supervision and discipline. Click here to submit.

WHERE ARE ARTICLES PUBLISHED?

Articles are distributed by eNewsletter and social channels and optimized for search engine discovery and ranking.

Many of our authors cite their published articles on Police1 as important to receiving conference speaking invites, work recognition and growing a professional network.

“I enjoy making a difference in my community. Contributing to Police1 has enabled me to make a similar impact on the law enforcement profession. I hope others find value in my experiences, successes and failures,” said Sergeant Matt Cobb, who began regularly writing for Police1 in 2020.

“I wanted to reach out to thank Police1 for publishing my article. The results have exceeded my expectations. I have been commended by my command staff, contacted by potential applicants, and even received emails from civilians who aren’t cops but read the article. This article has been paramount in our recruiting efforts, and I look forward to working with you again in the future,” said Jesse Cohen, who recently wrote about his agency’s lateral transfer program.

“Thanks for taking the time to review the proposal and for supporting my effort. I have never had anything published before. This has been a really cool experience and a true pleasure. Your hard work is obvious and your publication is a real standard bearer for our industry. The fact that you noticed something worthwhile in my words means the world to me,” said Paul J. Bailey, Deputy Chief of Police for the Middletown Twp. Police Department, who first wrote for Police1 in August 2023.

HOW DO I SUBMIT AN ARTICLE PROPOSAL TO POLICE1?

Before you submit an article, please send an email to the Police1 editor with the following information:

• Working title for the article;
• 2-3 sentence description of the article;
• Bullet list of key points;
• Date article will be submitted by;
• Up-to-date resume or CV.

We regularly consider article proposals for:

• Analysis and opinion pieces on current events and breaking news;
• Recaps of events or programs;
• Analysis of police-related research;
• Human interest articles;
• Product, movie or book reviews;
• Process explainers – training, purchasing, leading teams, etc.;
• Tips and best practices;
• Incident reports;
• Essays, poems and illustrations.

HOW DO I SUBMIT AN ARTICLE FOR REVIEW TO POLICE1?

If a site editor accepts your proposed article idea(s), review and follow these important specifications for submission style and format. As you consider the format for your article, readers respond well to tips, resources, best practices and lists.

Police1 article specifications:

• Contributions must be unique and original writing that has not been previously submitted to other publications.
• Each submission should be between 800 to 2,000 words submitted as a Microsoft Word or Google document.

With your submission, please include:

• A list of references in a publication-ready format at the end of the document. If a URL is available for the reference, please provide.
• Include original photo(s) of related procedures or equipment with your submission.
• Include a 3-5 sentence author biography and headshot.

Note: On the use of generative AI, we understand that our contributors may want to use these tools to research story ideas and examples. We ask authors to share with the editor whether and how they’ve used these tools. Authors are accountable for the accuracy, integrity and originality of their content.

WHAT IS THE ARTICLE EDITING PROCESS?

If the Police1 editorial team determines the article matches the proposal, and meets our editorial needs and interests of readers, the editors will edit the document. In most cases, the edited document will be returned to you for approval of edits and required changes. After you return a revised document back to us, we will perform a final review and prepare the article for posting to Police1 and schedule promotion to registered Police1 members.

Finally, our regular columnists generally start as contributors. Based on the performance and quality of contributor submissions, we will consider bringing on a writer as a regular columnist. Lexipol is committed to conducting its business in accordance with the highest standards of business ethics. Police1 editorial standards promote accuracy, fairness, balance and accountability while promoting the advancement of the industry and the safety of those who serve their communities. Learn more about Police1 Ethics and Standards.