Cops and Writers Podcast
Cops and Writers is a podcast hosted by retired police sergeant and author, Patrick O'Donnell. The podcast provides valuable insights and humor for crime writers who want to create accurate and believable police stories. O'Donnell conducts in-depth interviews with members of law enforcement and civilian experts, discussing police procedures and culture. He also interviews crime fiction writers and writers from different genres, discussing what works in the ever-changing landscape of book sales and publishing. The podcast offers candid stories told with cop humor and technical details about the world of law enforcement.
Episodes
240 episodes
222 LAPD Lieutenant Jeff Wenninger (Ret.) Rodney King Riots, Rebuilding The Gang Unit After The Rampart Scandal, & Reenvisioning Police Work (Part Two)
Hey everyone, thanks for joining us as we’re going the back to west coast today for the conclusion of our interview with Author and Retired Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Jeff Wenninger! Jeff is a retired ...
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Episode 222
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1:04:23
221 LAPD Lieutenant Jeff Wenninger (Ret.) Rodney King Riots, Rebuilding The Gang Unit After The Rampart Scandal, & Reenvisioning Police Work (Part One)
Hey everyone, thanks for joining us, as we’re going west coast today! Welcome to part one of my two-part conversation with Author and Retired Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Jeff Wenninger! Jeff is a retire...
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Episode 221
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1:02:01
220 Former NYPD Police Officer, Attorney, Presidential Advisor, and Author Nick Chiarkas! (Part Two)
Welcome back everyone to the conclusion of my conversation with the amazing Nick Chiarkas! I was so excited about this interview I didn’t want you guys to wait for next Sunday! I really enjoyed talking to Nick and I think you guys are going ...
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Episode 220
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57:11
219 Former NYPD Police Officer, Attorney, Presidential Advisor, and Author Nick Chiarkas! (Part One)
Welcome to part one of my two-part conversation with the amazing Nick Chiarkas! I really enjoyed talking to Nick and I think you guys are going to feel the same about this episode. Nick grew up in the Al Smith housing pro...
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Episode 219
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54:42
218 DEA Agent Chris Feistl Busting The Biggest Drug Organization in History, The Cali Cartel! (Part Two)
Welcome back for the conclusion of my interview with Author and Retired DEA Special Agent Chris Feistl. Chris Feistl served with distinction for 26 years with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), retiring in 2014 as ...
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Episode 218
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1:00:47
Bonus Episode! Rectal Hot Sauce and a Last-Second Murder Confession With Me Being Interviewed on The Things Police See Podcast.
Welcome to a bonus episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, with me being interviewed on the Things Police See Podcast hosted by Steve Gould!We talk about everything from rectal hot sauce to a last-second murder confession. C...
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1:09:36
217 DEA Agent Chris Feistl Busting The Biggest Drug Organization in History, The Cali Cartel! (Part One)
Welcome to part one of my interview with Author and retired DEA Special Agent Chris Feistl. Chris Feistl served with distinction for 26 years with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), retiring in 2014 as an Assistant...
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Episode 217
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1:12:41
216 Founder Of The Wounded Blue & The Voice of America's Law Enforcement, Las Vegas Metro Police Department Lieutenant Randy Sutton. (Part Two)
Welcome back to the conclusion of my interview with retired Las Vegas Metro Lieutenant Randy Sutton. Most cops, including myself, have a recurring nightmare of being in a gunfight and their firearm malfunctioning or their ...
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Episode 216
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1:02:51
215 Founder of The Wounded Blue & The Voice of America's Law Enforcement, Las Vegas Metro Police Department Lieutenant Randy Sutton. (Part One)
Welcome to part one of my show with retired Las Vegas Metro Lieutenant Randy Sutton. Most cops, including myself, have a reoccurring nightmare of being in a gunfight and their firearm malfunctioning or their rounds hitting...
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Episode 215
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54:04
214 FBI Special Agent Turned Whistleblower Zach Schoffstall. Exposing Government Corruption at The Highest Levels & Paying The Ultimate Price For Doing The Right Thing. (Part Two)
Welcome back to the conclusion of a special two part show with former FBI Special Agent, Zach Schoffstall. You never embarrass the bureau! The truth and facts of a case be damned! That is what happened to my guest at the e...
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Episode 214
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59:53
Bonus Episode! How to Level Up Our Author Careers With Publishing Expert, Bryan Cohen!
Today is a bonus episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast I shall name, Author Spotlight. Think of it as an offshoot of the Cops and Writers Podcast, with more of an emphasis on giving writers actionable help with the authorly side of things....
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1:03:28
213 FBI Special Agent Turned Whistleblower Zach Schoffstall. Exposing Government Corruption at The Highest Levels & Paying The Ultimate Price For Doing The Right Thing. (Part One)
Welcome to part one of a special two part show with former FBI Special Agent, Zach Schoffstall. Zach started serving his country as an intelligence officer in the United States air force where he was stationed in Iraq and ...
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Episode 213
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58:25
212 Former Gambino Mobster, Now International Bestselling Author Louis Ferrante Takes us Inside the Mafia, & the Kennedy Connection. (Part Two)
Welcome to the conclusion of a special two part show with fan favorite, former Gambino Family Mobster turned mafia historian and international bestselling author, Louis Ferrante. Mr. Ferrante grew up in New York City and b...
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Episode 212
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1:20:44
211 Former Gambino Mobster, Now International Bestselling Author Louis Ferrante Takes us Inside the Mafia, & the Kennedy Connection. (Part One)
Welcome to part one of a special two-part show with former Gambino Family Mobster turned mafia historian and international bestselling author Louis Ferrante. Mr. Ferrante grew up in New York City and became entangled in th...
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Episode 211
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1:17:22
210 Renowned Advocate & Expert in The Field of Human Trafficking/Modern Day Slavery, Tyler Schwab. (Part Two)
Welcome to the conclusion of a special two part show with renowned advocate and expert in the field of human trafficking, and the founder of Libertas International Tyler Schwab. I’m going to warn you that the subject matte...
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Episode 210
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58:46
209 Renowned Advocate & Expert in The Field of Human Trafficking/Modern Day Slavery, Tyler Schwab. (Part One)
Welcome to part one of a special two-part show with renowned advocate and expert in the field of human trafficking, and the founder of Libertas International Tyler Schwab. I’m going to warn you that the subject we cover du...
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Episode 209
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54:44
208 From Crime Scenes to Cat Stew. Dr. Dana Kollmann, Author of Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI.
Thank you for joining me today for a truly enjoyable and informative chat with Dr. Danna Kollmann. I knew this was going to be a lot of laughs when I was going to interview Dr. Kollmann, the author of Never ...
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Episode 208
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1:01:16
207 The Domino Effect of Murder With Psychologist, Author, Podcast Host, Speaker, and Homicide Survivor, Dr. Jan Canty
This is going to be a different Cops and Writers episode. Today’s interview is like something you would see in a movie or read in a piece of fiction. Unfortunately for my guest, she was forced to live and still lives this nightmare.
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Episode 207
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1:15:56
206 Warriors Never Quit! A True Life Story of Resiliency, Heroism, and Self-Awareness With Author and Retired Kansas City Police Detective Brent Cartwright. (Part Two)
Welcome back to the conclusion of my special two-part show with Kansas City Police Detective Brent Cartwright. Retired Detective Brent Cartwright dedicated over 25 years to serving as a US Army veteran and police officer, ...
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Episode 206
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1:10:04
205 "It turns out that getting shot wasn’t the worst thing." Warriors Never Quit! With Author and Retired Kansas City Police Detective Brent Cartwright. (Part One)
Welcome to part one of a special two-part show with Kansas City Police Detective Brent Cartwright. Retired Detective Brent Cartwright dedicated over 25 years to serving as a US Army veteran and police officer, spending mor...
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Episode 205
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1:01:41
204 Special Solo Episode! The Sarge Answers Your Questions With Stories!
Good evening everyone. It's evening as I record this special solo episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast.Why do a solo episode? Good Question. I have been super busy taking care of my wife who had a total knee replacement surg...
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Episode 204
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28:38
203 Terror Attacks, New Year's Eve Cop Stories, And The Year in Review With Chicago PD Det. Lt. Richard Rybicki.
It should be noted that this episode was recorded on January 2, 2025, one day after the terror attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Of course, there will be new information as the investigations proceed regarding these horrific acts of cowa...
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Episode 203
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1:04:07
202 NYPD Detective, Podcaster, and Author Vic Ferrari and I Discuss The Homicide of United Health Care’s CEO, Brian Thompson And Vic's Newest Book, NYPD: Presumption & Dysfunction
Today we are bringing back returning champ, retired NYPD Detective, Author, and Podcaster, Vic Ferrari. Vic worked a distinguished twenty-year career with the NYPD as a patrol officer and later moved up to the organized cr...
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Episode 202
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1:01:50
Bonus Episode! Christmas Eve 2024 With Chicago PD Detective Lieutenant Richard Rybicki And Myself Swapping Christmas Stories From the Job.
Welcome to a bonus Christmas Eve Cops and Writers with my friend Chicago PD Detective Richard Rybicki!Today’s bonus episode is filled with police stories from working Christmas during the holidays. We also both answer the burni...
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1:02:16
201 Halton Regional Police Service Sergeant Stephen Metelsky Fighting Organized Crime, Mexican Drug Cartels, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, And Doing Undercover Police Work in Canada!
Today we are traveling to the great white north, Canada where we are chatting with Stephen G. Metelsky, M.A. Steve is a criminal psychology professor at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario. He also lectures about organized crime at Queens Un...
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Episode 201
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1:13:41