Cops and Writers Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back for the conclusion of my conversation with retired Chief of Police and Author Brian Brady. Brian was born and raised in the San Francisco area and became a police officer in Berkeley, California, in the late sixties. He moved around to four different police departments, eventually attaining the rank of Chief of Police.  After decades of serving and protecting, he reti...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me retired Chief of Police and Author Brian Brady. Brian was born and raised in the San Francisco area and became a police officer in Berkeley, California, in the late sixties. He moved around to four different police departments, eventually attaining the rank of Chief of Police.  After decades of serving and protecti...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back for the conclusion of my interview with Sgt. Bert “Maverick” Gonzalez. Sergeant Maverick served the South Florida community for 37 years with the Miami-Dade Police Department, retiring in 2020. His career included assignments in uniform patrol, narcotics, airport and port security, and crime scene investigations. Following 9/11, he became a national leader in port sec...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me Bert “Maverick” Gonzalez for this special two-part interview that will conclude next Sunday. Sergeant Bert “Maverick” Gonzalez served the South Florida community for 37 years with the Miami-Dade Police Department, retiring in 2020. His career included assignments in uniform patrol, narcotics, airport and port secur...

Send us Fan Mail So, you want to go on a cruise. What could go wrong? After listening or watching today’s episode, you might think twice, for good reasons. When Jamie Barnett said goodbye to her daughter, Ashley, in 2005, who was going on a three-day cruise with her boyfriend and two other couples to Mexico, she never dreamt that it would be the last time she would see her daughter alive. What was...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back for the conclusion of my interview with Marine, FBI Special Agent, and HRT Operator Rob D’Amico. Rob D’Amico has over thirty-six years of federal government service—ten years in the United States Marine Corps and nearly twenty-seven with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is the founder and principal consultant for Sierra One Consulting.   Rob began a life of ser...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a bonus episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast! This is something I will throw out there to you all once in a while. Today’s bonus episode will be a part of my author spotlight series, where I focus on the author side of the business to see what is working for them and what makes them tick as successful authors. So, as you can guess, today’s episode is for the authors...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me Rob D’Amico for this special two-part interview that will conclude next Sunday. Rob D’Amico has over thirty-six years of federal government service—ten years in the United States Marine Corps and nearly twenty-seven with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is the founder and principal consultant at Sierra One C...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, we have something special for you all. I was approached by the Wisconsin Sisters in Crime author group to be the moderator for a group panel of cops and a firefighter. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity because of my experiences with the Sisters in Crime groups all over this country, which have been very positive. I want to g...

Send us Fan Mail There was so much to unpack with Wes about his incredible career in law enforcement and his accomplishments off duty that this is my first three-part interview. Thanks for sticking around until the end! Honestly, I could have talked to Wes all day. I will definitely have him back on the show in the future. Here's a quick bio of just some of Wes’s accomplishments. Wes became a...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me Author and Retired DEA Agent Wes Tabor. There was so much to unpack about his incredible career in law enforcement and his accomplishments off duty that this is my first three-part interview. Part three of the interview will go live tomorrow. Honestly, I could have talked to Wes all day. I will definitely have him...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me Author and Retired DEA Agent Wes Tabor. There was so much to unpack about his incredible career in law enforcement and his accomplishments off duty that this is my first three-part interview. Part two of the interview that will go live next Sunday, and part three with be released the next day on Monday. Honestly, I...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the conclusion of my interview with Author and retired FBI Forensic Artist Lisa Bailey. Just a heads up, today's interview consists of two separate interviews. The first part is more about her exciting career as an FBI forensic Artist. The second half of our interview will expose the dark side of the FBI and how Lisa, a woman who devoted her life to service to...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me Author and retired FBI Forensic Artist Lisa Bailey for this special two-part interview that will conclude next Sunday. Lisa Bailey spent most of her adult life serving our country. She enlisted in the United States Navy after high school and served for six years as a linguist translating Russian during the Cold War...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the conclusion of my interview with Author and Retired DEA Special Agent Léo Silva. Leo Silva spent over twenty-eight years on the frontlines of the global war on drugs as a special agent with the DEA. Leo’s journey took him from the alleyways of Fronton Street to some of the most dangerous corners of North America, leading high-impact investigations against the Ze...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me, Author and Retired DEA Special Agent Léo Silva, for this special two-part interview that will conclude next Sunday. Leo Silva spent over twenty-eight years on the frontline of the global war on drugs as a special agent with the DEA. Leo’s journey took him from the alleyways of Fronton Street to some of the most da...

Send us Fan Mail What's the craziest thing you saw when you were a cop? My first week on the job, a guy running at me with a butcher knife. He'd just killed his brother over the last hot dog. That's chapter 1. There are 33 more. Police Stories: The Rookie Years just launched - available on Amazon.  Search 'Police Stories Patrick O'Donnell' or click th Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Send us a text Have you ever known someone who is a bit off? It could be a boss, co-worker, or your significant other. It can start with someone too good to be true, filled with charm and fake empathy. Then, they begin to show their true colors by controlling, manipulating, and destroying your life, or worse, ending it. Well, today we are going to be talking about psychopaths and...

Send us Fan Mail Send us a text Welcome back everyone for the conclusion of my interview with former Ventura Chapter President of the Hells Angels, George Christie. But first a disclaimer. I do not and never have condoned criminal behavior. I was a cop for 25 years and my heart is with the men and women who enforce the law and bring criminals to justice.  That being said, I wanted to bring you the...

Send us Fan Mail Send us a text I wanted to start the show today with a disclaimer. I do not and never have condoned criminal behavior. I was a cop for 25 years, and my heart is with the men and women who enforce the law and bring criminals to justice.  That being said, I wanted to bring you, the listener/viewer, a different perspective. One from an unapologetic outlaw living out the last chapters...

Send us Fan Mail Send us a text Welcome back for the conclusion of my interview with Professor, bestselling Author, and Retired ATF Special Agent Jay Dobyns. If you're enjoying this episode, you'll love my interview with ATF Special Agent Ken Croke from episode 120, where he chats about his deep undercover mission taking down the outlaw motorcycle gang, The Pagans. I thought it would be...

Send us Fan Mail Send us a text Do I have a treat for all of you! On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me Professor, Bestselling Author, and Retired ATF Special Agent Jay Dobyns for this special two-part interview that will conclude next Sunday. Jay Dobyns spent over two decades as a federal agent embedded in the dark heart of America’s violent crime, participating in mo...

Send us Fan Mail Send us a text Welcome, everyone, to a special bonus edition of the Cops and Writers Podcast. A few weeks back, it was my pleasure to be a guest on the Ireland Crimes and Mysteries Podcast hosted by the wonderful Nules Ní Chleirigh. Being a child of two Irish immigrants, I jumped at the opportunity to be on her show. Her podcast is recorded over in the Emerald Isle in County Tippe...

Send us Fan Mail Send us a text Welcome everyone to the conclusion of my special two-episode conversation with Author and Retired DEA Special Agent Jaime Forza! Here are just some of Jaime’s career highlights.  After serving eight years in the U.S. Navy, Jaime joined the U.S. Department of Defense, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) as a Special Agent serving for two years. In 1989, he be...

Send us Fan Mail Send us a text Welcome to part one of my special two-episode conversation with Author and retired DEA Special Agent Jaime Forza! Here are just some of Jaime’s career highlights.  After serving eight years in the U.S. Navy, Jaime joined the U.S. Department of Defense, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) as a Special Agent serving for two years. In 1989, he became a Special...