Cops and Writers Podcast

24

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. 

More
Recent Episodes
  • 221 LAPD Lieutenant Jeff Wenninger (Ret.) Rodney King Riots, Rebuilding The Gang Unit After The Rampart Scandal, & Reenvisioning Police Work (Part One)
    May 4, 2025 – 01:02:01
  • 220 Former NYPD Police Officer, Attorney, Presidential Advisor, and Author Nick Chiarkas! (Part Two)
    Apr 28, 2025 – 57:11
  • 219 Former NYPD Police Officer, Attorney, Presidential Advisor, and Author Nick Chiarkas! (Part One)
    Apr 27, 2025 – 54:42
  • 218 DEA Agent Chris Feistl Busting The Biggest Drug Organization in History, The Cali Cartel! (Part Two)
    Apr 20, 2025 – 01:00:47
  • Bonus Episode! Rectal Hot Sauce and a Last-Second Murder Confession With Me Being Interviewed on The Things Police See Podcast.
    Apr 17, 2025 – 01:09:36
  • 217 DEA Agent Chris Feistl Busting The Biggest Drug Organization in History, The Cali Cartel! (Part One)
    Apr 13, 2025 – 01:12:41
  • 216 Founder Of The Wounded Blue & The Voice of America's Law Enforcement, Las Vegas Metro Police Department Lieutenant Randy Sutton. (Part Two)
    Apr 6, 2025 – 01:02:51
  • 215 Founder of The Wounded Blue & The Voice of America's Law Enforcement, Las Vegas Metro Police Department Lieutenant Randy Sutton. (Part One)
    Mar 30, 2025 – 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)
    Mar 23, 2025 – 59:53
  • Bonus Episode! How to Level Up Our Author Careers With Publishing Expert, Bryan Cohen!
    Mar 21, 2025 – 01:03:28
  • 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)
    Mar 16, 2025 – 58:25
  • 212 Former Gambino Mobster, Now International Bestselling Author Louis Ferrante Takes us Inside the Mafia, & the Kennedy Connection. (Part Two)
    Mar 9, 2025 – 01:20:44
  • 211 Former Gambino Mobster, Now International Bestselling Author Louis Ferrante Takes us Inside the Mafia, & the Kennedy Connection. (Part One)
    Mar 2, 2025 – 01:17:22
  • 210 Renowned Advocate & Expert in The Field of Human Trafficking/Modern Day Slavery, Tyler Schwab. (Part Two)
    Feb 22, 2025 – 58:46
  • 209 Renowned Advocate & Expert in The Field of Human Trafficking/Modern Day Slavery, Tyler Schwab. (Part One)
    Feb 16, 2025 – 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.
    Feb 8, 2025 – 01:01:16
  • 207 The Domino Effect of Murder With Psychologist, Author, Podcast Host, Speaker, and Homicide Survivor, Dr. Jan Canty
    Feb 1, 2025 – 01:15:56
  • 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)
    Jan 26, 2025 – 01:10:04
  • 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)
    Jan 19, 2025 – 01:01:41
  • 204 Special Solo Episode! The Sarge Answers Your Questions With Stories!
    Jan 12, 2025 – 28:38
  • 203 Terror Attacks, New Year's Eve Cop Stories, And The Year in Review With Chicago PD Det. Lt. Richard Rybicki.
    Jan 5, 2025 – 01:04:07
  • 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
    Dec 29, 2024 – 01:01:50
  • Bonus Episode! Christmas Eve 2024 With Chicago PD Detective Lieutenant Richard Rybicki And Myself Swapping Christmas Stories From the Job.
    Dec 24, 2024 – 01:02:16
  • 201 Halton Regional Police Service Sergeant Stephen Metelsky Fighting Organized Crime, Mexican Drug Cartels, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, And Doing Undercover Police Work in Canada!
    Dec 22, 2024 – 01:13:41
  • 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
    Dec 15, 2024 – 01:10:02
  • 199 Crafting Thrillers That Break Boundaries With J.D. Barker and Christine Daigle!
    Dec 8, 2024 – 50:09
  • 198 Former NYPD Cop, Valerie Cincinelli, Hires a Hitman to Eliminate Her Husband And Her Boyfriend's Daughter!
    Dec 1, 2024 – 01:19:33
  • 197 Overcoming PTSD and Bulldozing Fear: Susan Snow, Daughter of Slain LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams (Part Two)
    Nov 24, 2024 – 53:24
  • 196 Overcoming PTSD and Bulldozing Fear: Susan Snow, Daughter of Slain LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams (Part One)
    Nov 17, 2024 – 54:56
  • 195 Question and Answer Show With Chicago PD Detective Lieutenant Richard Rybicki! (And Clark the Wonder Dog!)
    Nov 10, 2024 – 01:01:30
  • 194 Having Fun With Cara Clare and James Blatch of The Indie Writers Club Podcast!
    Nov 3, 2024 – 01:19:21
  • 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
    Oct 27, 2024 – 52:11
  • What the Dead Know with New York Death Investigator Barbara Butcher Part Two (Rebroadcast)
    Oct 21, 2024 – 46:47
  • What the Dead Know with New York Death Investigator Barbara Butcher Part One (Rebroadcast)
    Oct 20, 2024 – 48:12
  • 192 Attempted Assassinations of Donald Trump & How to Fix the Broken Secret Service. (Part Two)
    Oct 13, 2024 – 47:54
  • 191 Attempted Assassinations of Donald Trump & How to Fix the Broken Secret Service. (Part One)
    Oct 6, 2024 – 48:23
  • 190 Jerry "The Motorman" Palladino Shows us How to Ride a Motorcycle Like a Pro!
    Sep 29, 2024 – 01:09:18
  • 189 Perry Mason Was a Terrible Lawyer! With Author and Attorney Mark Bruce.
    Sep 22, 2024 – 01:06:22
  • 188 From Jazz Drummer to Police Chief: Rick Porrello on Music, Mob History, and Bestselling Books and Movies.
    Sep 15, 2024 – 01:19:57
  • 187 Twenty and Out! With Author and NYPD Detective Marique Bartoldus.
    Sep 8, 2024 – 01:38:09
  • 186 Award Winning Author, Green Beret, and Secret Service Agent Steve Stratton!
    Sep 1, 2024 – 01:30:15
  • 185 Criminal Minds With Author and Jail Psychiatrist Joseph Baskin MD
    Aug 25, 2024 – 01:08:57
  • 184 Bestselling Author, Producer, Actor, and Founder and Host of Killer Nashville, Clay Stafford Tells us to "Throw Ourselves Out There!"
    Aug 18, 2024 – 01:05:38
  • 183 City of Miami K9 Cop, Master Dog Trainer, Podcaster, and Entrepreneur Garret Wing! (Part Two)
    Aug 11, 2024 – 01:19:06
  • 182 City of Miami K9 Cop, Master Dog Trainer, Podcaster, and Entrepreneur Garret Wing! (Part One)
    Aug 4, 2024 – 01:00:57
  • 181 Dr. BJ Miller, How We Deal With Death And How We Honor Life.
    Jul 27, 2024 – 01:35:06
  • Bonus Episode! Mike Roche (The Swiss Army Knife of Law Enforcement) Discusses His Career With The U.S. Secret Service, ATF, And Local Police Work
    Jul 25, 2024 – 01:16:02
  • 180 Lt. Joe 'Homicide Hunter' Kenda! Donnybrooks to Bestselling Books and Popular T.V. Series (Part Two)
    Jul 21, 2024 – 01:11:05
  • 113 In The Line Of Fire With Author And Secret Service Agent Mark Brandenburg! (Bonus Episdoe)
    Jul 17, 2024 – 01:16:18
  • 179 Lt. Joe 'Homicide Hunter' Kenda! Donnybrooks to Bestselling Books and Popular T.V. Series (Part One)
    Jul 14, 2024 – 01:02:41
Recent Reviews
  • KayEm777
    I love this show!
    I absolutely love this show. The creator interviews the most interesting guests (both law enforcement AND criminals/reformed criminals). I follow the Facebook group, too, and although I don’t post often, I do once in a while and have gained a TON of knowledge from the community. I’ve been following this podcast on Spotify for a while. When I realized my MacBook comes with Apple Podcasts I decided to follow here, too. Looking forward to more excellent interviews to come!
  • Caliman1995
    Cops and Writers is a great podcast
    Patrick is an awesome host. Very knowledgeable, great question and insight. I enjoyed being in the show.
  • Spark517
    Highly Entertaining and Informative
    I came across this podcast from another podcast. It is definitely one of my favorites. Patrick interviews well, and has a good variety of guests with a bevy interesting topics. Highly recommended.
  • Wayno S
    Patrick is a great interviewer!
    I really am not sure where he continually gets these great guests. Patrick does a great job of picking the right questions and getting all the details out from his guests. You really cannot fake that, he is such a unique host with an amazing background. Love the show and I always keep coming back.
  • moonmist
    Nick Petrie - Episode 158
    A highly interesting interview with author Nick Petrie. He truly is a ‘blue collar’ author. Lots of great info in this episode. And, as always, Patrick O’Donnell brings out the best in each of his guests and lets them shine. Patrick is always well prepared and asks the questions each of his listeners would ask themselves. He never leaves his guests, or his listeners, hanging. I’ve listened to untold numbers of podcasts on writing and crime and none can hold a candle to Patrick’s Cops and Writers podcast.
  • RondaWrites
    Patrick is a great host
    Patrick has the perfect voice for a podcaster—and he does a fabulous job interviewing his guests. And the guests are always interesting! If you write crime/suspense/mystery, this is the podcast to follow. 🙌🏻
  • 46774222
    Distracting
    The podcast material is excellent. The main issue is that there is rustling and background noise ( I think some of it is where the host is writing) that makes it too distracting to listen to.
  • Rored8
    Not a cop and not much of a writer but very entertaining
    I first heard Patrick being interviewed on things police see podcast and decided to check this podcast out. I’ve enjoyed his interviews with many interesting people in law enforcement and writers.
  • Steve the Jew
    Great podcast
    Almost and I mean almost as good as Game of Crimes podcast.
  • Katwriter20
    Great Interviews
    Cops and Writers is a fantastic podcast! Patrick O’Donnell is a great interviewer and has a variety of fascinating guests. I started listening as a writer working to improve my accuracy about law enforcement and this podcast has given me so much great information and insight. Patrick has on guests from all over the world and I’ve loved learning about different agencies. Patrick has had some great episodes about publishing too. I highly recommend this podcast. You’ll be hooked!
  • markbv
    Gary Edgington’s episode on “Cop’s and Writer’s”
    Outstanding host, who did an outstanding job moderating and providing interesting questions. The guest, Gary Edgington shared many personal and interesting stories of his time in Law Enforcement. Fascinating perspective on life and the world we live in. I found this podcast as I just finished his book “Outside the Wire”, which itself was an interesting and great read.
  • Nr006
    Insightful, entertaining, and informative!
    I really loved listening to the host and doctor banter.
  • BilliamYes
    Excellent
    Great info and very entertaining. Love the stories and inside perspectives
  • Resort Mike
    Awesome Writers Resource
    Patrick’s conversational tone with his interviewees is like overhearing two folks at the bar sipping a drink. His guests share great insights into the law enforcement community for those who have an interest in writing fiction or nonfiction with cops as characters or crime fiction. His FB group is also a treasure trove of information.
  • Pl Chas
    Enjoy the Format
    I like the conversational tone. This reminds me that there is a difference between real life and what is portrayed in the media. I look forward to more episodes.
  • Traffic 11
    Great Listen!
    I have subscribed to the Cops and Writers podcast since it started. I am not a writer, but am a police officer. I enjoy all of Patrick’s podcasts. They are well done and Patrick’s easy going conversational style makes it seem more a casual chat than an “interview”. That style pays off in how pleasant the conversation is on the show. I was a guest on the show, and it was quite enjoyable. For me, I get to hear about other aspects of the police profession as well learn about the art of writing (who knows, it may come in handy) and have a few chuckles. I highly recommend it! Frank Carson
  • blacy
    Super interesting
    Cops & Writers has a unique hook: he is a retired cop—so he has an inside point of view, and he is a writer. He not only asks “writer” questions, but his guests are very interesting people! Example: a former KGB?
  • ontarget2020
    Variety!
    I love all the different people & diverse backgrounds brought to the show! Patrick truly loved the work that he did & wants to help others “get it right”! Thanks for the authenticity
  • Seawarrior73
    Riveting and informative
    Mr. O’Donnell and his guests are very informative explaining and detailing today’s law enforcement community and procedures for the independent writer. This is the material which will help so many authors craft accurate and detailed novels. Thank you, Sgt. O’Donnell!
  • BG4293
    Great info but…
    This podcast has great info especially from the various guests but the host can never stop himself interrupting them to talk about himself. He seems to think it furthers the conversation but it hijacks the great info from his guests. I find myself screaming “I don’t care about your childhood sock debacle” “here we go again with his need to feed his ego with his stuff vs. letting his guest shine.” If he could just reel in his narcissism it could be a great podcast.
  • Kemosabe402
    Great information
    Patrick does enjoyable and informative interviews. A great mix of stories, procedures, and indie writer methods. Interesting guests well interviewed.
  • Jerri Williams
    Authentic
    As a former fed, whenever I’m asked a question about local policing I refer the writer to the Cop and Writers book series and Facebook group. I’m excited that I can now also refer them to this informative podcast. Good stuff, Patrick!
  • dressagehappy
    Realistic
    Very honest material
  • Joey 0107
    A view behind the curtain.
    An interesting glimpse that most do not see. There is far more to police work than car chases and gun battles. “Cops and Writers” offers a rare glimpse behind the curtain to a world that most never see. This is a well done podcast and I look forward to more!
  • Alaskann
    Interesting info!
    If you are writing any kind of book that involves law enforcement, this is the podcast for you! Even if you aren’t a writer, this podcast has interesting information and is quite entertaining.
  • _bp8
    Truer crime
    I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts so listening to a cops perspective and seeing another side of it is very informative and interesting- love the authenticity!
  • QuelGo
    New fav indie author podcast!
    Great information, fun back-and-forth conversations, interesting host and guests to keep all entertained!
  • Johotheman
    Informative and funny
    Love the flow and it’s great to have the information straight from the person who lived it!
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.