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In this special bonus episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O’Donnell reads Chapter 30, The Satin Doll, from his book:

Police Stories: Street Cop to Sergeant — True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop

These are true stories from Patrick’s years working the streets of Milwaukee as a veteran officer, FTO, and eventual sergeant — stories of chaos, dark humor, tragedy, and survival that don’t make it onto TV shows.

All stories are real. Names and locations have been changed where necessary.

🎧 This episode includes:

• A foot chase that ends when a suspect runs face first into the side of a building
• The unexpected appearance of an elderly woman carrying a pearl handled revolver
• The legend of Minnette Wilson, the Satin Doll, who saved two Milwaukee police officers during the riots of the 1960s and was gifted a revolver by the chief of police
• Her connection to Duke Ellington and the song that may have been written about her
• A piece of Milwaukee history that most people never knew existed

📘 Enjoyed the book? Please leave a review.
Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads make a real difference for independent authors. Two or three sentences is all it takes.

📘 Police Stories: Street Cop to Sergeant is available now.
Link: https://a.co/d/04dS56ie

📘 Haven’t read book one yet?
Police Stories: The Rookie Years — True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop is available now. Link https://a.co/d/0ekdgjK3

📘 Get ahead of the curve.
Police Stories: Rookie Sergeant is available for preorder now. Link: https://a.co/d/0i1LVvNm

👍 Like, comment, and share if this story resonated with you.

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Have you ever wondered what it takes to write for a hit television show? I think it’s safe to say many of us dream of our work appearing on a weekly TV show that millions of viewers can enjoy. Welcome back for the conclusion of my conversation with Author, Screenwriter, and Playwright Matt Witten. He takes us on an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of how it’s done.

Matt has had a career of ups and downs until he hit it big as a writer on the hit TV shows Homicide: Life on the Street, JAG, CSI: Miami, Law and Order, my favorite, House, and many other high-profile shows.

It was a pleasure chatting with someone who has written scripts for shows that I have enjoyed so much and having him share his expertise with all of us. I hope you find this episode entertaining, informative, and maybe it gives you the inspiration to never give up and write what you love.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· How much ad-libbing do actors do on set?

· How does he balance creative license with reality?

· His novel, The Necklace, being optioned for the movies by Appian Way and Cartel Pictures, with Leonardo DiCaprio attached as producer.

· NBC hiring him to co-write a TV adaptation of 51% and having AI as the antagonist.

· His advice for someone who wants to break into writing for TV or movies?

· Common mistakes rookie writers make and how do we fix them?

· What is the best way to market your book?

· How do we create ‘superfans’?

· What was the best and/or worst piece of writing advice he ever received?

All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.

Go to Matt's website to learn more about him and his work.

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

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

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Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a writer for a hit television show? I think it’s safe to say that many of us dream about our work being on a weekly T.V. show where millions of viewers get to enjoy it. Well, on today’s episode Author, Screenwriter, and Playwright Matt Witten takes us on an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of how it’s done.

Matt has had a career of ups and downs until he hit it big as a writer on the hit TV shows Homicide: Life on the Street, Law and Order, my favorite, House, and many other high-profile shows.

It was a pleasure chatting with someone who has written scripts for shows that I have enjoyed so much. I hope you find this episode entertaining, informative, and maybe it gives you the inspiration to never give up and write what you love. Part Two will go live next Sunday.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· When Matt was 17 years old and facing a life-threatening illness, he made a promise to himself.

· How he knew he would be destined to be a writer.

· The support and positive influence of his wife, Nancy.

· How he never gave up during the lean years.

· How can writers and other creatives get away from the “starving artist” mentality?

· How he landed an agent.

· What was it like teaching playwriting at a prison, and what it taught him.

· How he wound up writing freelance episodes of Homicide and Law & Order?

· How Matt dealt with rejection being in an over twenty-year career in Hollywood?

· What was a typical day in a Hollywood writing room, and how much influence did the actors have on the scripts?

All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.

Go to Matt's website to learn more about him and his work.

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

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

In this episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O’Donnell reads Chapter 6, 15th and North, from his upcoming book:

Police Stories: Street Cop to Sergeant — True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop

These are true stories from Patrick’s years working the streets of Milwaukee as a veteran officer, FTO, and eventual sergeant — stories of chaos, dark humor, tragedy, and survival that don’t make it onto TV shows.

All stories are real. Names and locations have been changed where necessary.

🎧 This episode includes:

• A shooting outside a tavern, where the bartender was already sweeping up the brass casings when police arrived
• The woman in the white dress — a heartbreaking portrait of life on the streets of Milwaukee
• One of the most disturbing crime scenes Patrick encountered in twenty-five years on the job
• The street corner that never let him forget what the job really was

📘 About the Book:
Police Stories: Street Cop to Sergeant is the second book in Patrick O’Donnell’s true crime memoir series chronicling his twenty-five-year career as a Milwaukee police officer and sergeant. The book goes live on October 13th, 2026.

🔗 Preorder now and save! Link below.
https://a.co/d/04dS56ie

📘 Police Stories: The Rookie Years is on Kindle Countdown for just $0.99 until October 13th.
Grab book one at the lowest price it will ever be. Link below.
https://a.co/d/0arfcIz9

👍 Like, comment, and share if this story resonated with you.

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

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In this episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O'Donnell reads Chapter 5, A Good Judge of Character, from his upcoming book:

Police Stories: Street Cop to Sergeant — True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop

These are true stories from Patrick's years working the streets of Milwaukee as a veteran officer, FTO, and eventual sergeant — stories of chaos, dark humor, tragedy, and survival that don't make it onto TV shows.

All stories are real. Names and locations have been changed where necessary.

🎧 This episode includes:

• Meet Boris — Patrick's new partner, a Bolivian-Croatian rugby coach who bore a striking resemblance to Vince Lombardi
• A cop knocked unconscious mid-sentence who springs back to life like a scene straight out of Pulp Fiction
• A biker who kicks out the rear window of a squad car from the inside
• A sixteen-year-old with a baseball bat who wants justice for his mom
• A pompous deputy inspector who tries to connect with a teenager and gets absolutely destroyed

📘 About the Book:
Police Stories: Street Cop to Sergeant is the second book in Patrick O'Donnell's true crime memoir series chronicling his twenty-five-year career as a Milwaukee police officer and sergeant. The book will be released on October 14th, 2026. Two weeks away.

🔗 Preorder now and save! Link below.
https://a.co/d/04dS56ie

📘 Haven't read book one yet?
Police Stories: The Rookie Years — True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop is available now. Link below.
https://a.co/d/0arfcIz9

👍 Like, comment, and share if this story resonated with you.

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

What the Flock is going on? Thanks for joining me and my partner in crime for today's show: retired 20-year NYPD detective, podcaster, and author Marique Bartoldus! On today's show, Marique (Monz) will break down the hysteria, misinformation, and the good, bad, and ugly regarding Flock cameras. Next week we conclude our Flock conversation and jump into the travesty of justice known as the Lindsey Clancy case.

A little bit about Marique. Monz attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Police Science. Shortly after graduating, she was sworn into the NYPD. She was assigned to multiple units within the Precinct, including Patrol, Conditions, SNEU, Anti-Crime, and Field Intelligence, then left the 105th Precinct and became one of the first detectives assigned to the Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad, where she investigated dog fighting and animal cruelty complaints throughout New York City. She returned to the 105th Precinct, where she ended her career assigned to the Intelligence Bureau, investigating illegal firearm and narcotics sales and possession. She effected 400 arrests and executed hundreds of search warrants during her distinguished twenty-year career.

Monz hosts the popular “Monz on the Mic” podcast and recently published Twenty and Out: A compilation of Chaos Experienced While Serving 20 Years in the New York City Police Department, and I can’t recommend this book enough.

Please enjoy this informative look at this hot topic through the lens of people who actually see the overwhelming good these cameras do in catching criminals and helping victims of crime. Make sure you join us next week when we wrap up the Flock camera’s hype and dive into the Lindsey Clancy debacle.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Why are people losing their minds over Flock cameras?

· The Flock camera issue uniting the left and right.

· Law enforcement has been using this technology for over 15 years; why the outrage now? What is fueling this?

· Criminals celebrating the removal of Flock cameras.

· There is no expectation of privacy for license plates attached to your car when you are driving down the street!

· What the Flock system is and how it works.

· Your smartphone and TV are tracking you.

· People complaining about Flock tracking them and volunteering to allow aps track adult children, spouses, and themselves.

· Comical public ‘outrage.’

· The misuse of the few outweighs the good it has accomplished in helping solve major crimes.

Check out Marique's Amazon Author Page.

Head on over to Monz on the Mic Podcast!

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

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

In this episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O'Donnell reads Chapter 4, Not the Villages, from his upcoming book:

Police Stories: Street Cop to Sergeant — True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop

These are true stories from Patrick's years working the streets of Milwaukee as a veteran officer, FTO, and eventual sergeant — stories of chaos, dark humor, tragedy, and survival that don't make it onto TV shows.

All stories are real. Names and locations have been changed where necessary.

🎧 This episode includes:

• A senior housing project that was nothing like the retirement communities you see on TV
• A crack pipe that disappeared the moment a paramedic mentioned the police were coming
• A dead on entry call that takes an unexpected and jaw-dropping turn
• Two daughters fighting over a $200 Pontiac while their father is still warm

📘 About the Book:
Police Stories: Street Cop to Sergeant is the second book in Patrick O'Donnell's true crime memoir series chronicling his twenty-five year career as a Milwaukee police officer and sergeant. The book releases on October 14th, 2026.

🔗 Preorder now and save! Link below.

https://a.co/d/04dS56ie

📘 Haven't read book one yet?
Police Stories: The Rookie Years - True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop is available now. Link below.

https://a.co/d/0arfcIz9

👍 Like, comment, and share if this story resonated with you.

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

Support the show