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
232 episodes
215 Founder of The Wounded Blue & The Voice of America's Law Enforcement, Las Vegas Metro Police Department Lieutenant Randy Sutton.
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
200 Decoy! The Gripping True Crime Story of Heroism and Groundbreaking Police Work With British Police Officer Michelle Leonard and Bestselling Author and Journalist Rob Murphy
Today we are traveling across the pond to England to speak to Author, Award-Winning Journalist, and Television Producer Robert Murphy and Retired British Police Officer Michelle Leonard. Ron Evans, aka, The Clifton Rapist,...
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Episode 200
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1:10:02
199 Crafting Thrillers That Break Boundaries With J.D. Barker and Christine Daigle!
Get your pen and paper ready to take notes! Today’s show is for you writers out there or those of you who are curious how a New York Bestselling author navigates the ever-changing waters of publishing books and collaborating with other autho...
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Episode 199
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50:09
198 Former NYPD Cop, Valerie Cincinelli, Hires a Hitman to Eliminate Her Husband And Her Boyfriend's Daughter!
On the show today we are going true crime detailing the murder for hire plot involving former NYPD Police Officer Valerie Cincinelli. On May 17th, 2019, Valerie solicited her boyfriend, John DiRubba, to hire a hitman to mu...
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1:19:33
197 Overcoming PTSD and Bulldozing Fear: Susan Snow, Daughter of Slain LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams (Part Two)
Welcome back for the conclusion of my very special two-part interview with Susan Snow. Susan Snow is the daughter of LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams, who was killed in the line of duty on October 31, 1985, in a con...
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53:24
196 Overcoming PTSD and Bulldozing Fear: Susan Snow, Daughter of Slain LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams (Part One)
Welcome to part one of a very special two-part interview with my guest Susan Snow. Susan Snow is the daughter of LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams, who was killed in the line of duty on October 31, 1985, in a contrac...
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Episode 196
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54:56
195 Question and Answer Show With Chicago PD Detective Lieutenant Richard Rybicki! (And Clark the Wonder Dog!)
It’s been a while since I recorded a question-and-answer episode, so that is what we are doing today. A very special thank you to the members of the Cops and Writers Facebook group for the questions.I was lucky enough to get ba...
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Episode 195
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1:01:30
194 Having Fun With Cara Clare and James Blatch of The Indie Writers Club Podcast!
Today’s show is for you authors out there who want to up their writing game, or just have a laugh, because we had a lot of fun recording this episode. I traveled across the pond, virtually, to Jolly Old England and was luc...
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Episode 194
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1:19:21
193 Shirley Novack Proves It's Never Too Late to Tell The 'Story Of...' Her Father's Incredible Journey Coming To America and Tales From Her Own Amazing Life
Have you ever told yourself that one day you will tell your parents story? I know I have. Both of my parents are immigrants who chased the American dream. But I still haven’t, and I don’t know why. My guest today, Shirley Novack, has done th...
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Episode 193
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52:11