One of Pretty Girls’s major themes is the necessity of moving forward. This idea is neatly encapsulated in the novel’s depiction of inept and outdated law enforcement. Slaughter describes the Dunwoody police station as old fashioned, with fake wood paneling and sparse metal furnishings. The police are not just outdated, they are an anachronistic force ill-equipped to deal with modern crime. This bare description foreshadows the police’s deliberate commitment to ineptitude by purposefully avoiding modernity in the workplace.

This ineptitude is not unique to Julia’s case. When Claire sees Sheriff Huckabee for the first time since Julia’s disappearance, she notes that he was “older and more stooped, but he still sported the same finely combed, linear mustache and too-long sideburns that had looked out of date even in the 1990s” (337). The sheriff has been out of touch with society for decades, and the policing institution follows his lead, dragging behind in resolve, technology, and approach. This suspended development has slowed law enforcement to the point that nothing is ever resolved or fully investigated.

This lack of progress stemming from an inability or unwillingness to change is also reflected in Sam, who is just as stifled as the police.