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In this episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast bonus series, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O'Donnell reads Chapter 32, "Wojo," from his upcoming book:

Police Stories: The Rookie Years - True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop

There were characters on the job who should have been stand-up comedians. Wojo was one of those guys.

But one morning at 7:00 AM, Wojo got serious. A man barricaded himself in an apartment with a rifle pointed at his five-year-old son's head. SWAT was on the way. Hours of negotiation loomed.

The way Wojo negotiated with the suspect was unorthodox but effective.

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

🎧 This episode includes:

• Wojo running out of gas—again—and hitchhiking to a gas station
• Choir practice one-liners: "I had to feed the old lady breakfast first. A pack of Newports and a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon."
• A 7:00 AM rifle call-subject shooting out a window at a four-family apartment
• The scene: A man in boxers, covered in sweat, rifle pointed at his terrified five-year-old son's head
• Watching the suspect's trigger finger: "If he moved his index finger to the trigger, I would be forced to shoot."
• Wojo's unorthodox negotiation tactic: "I don't want to work too much overtime."
• The empty rifle reveal: "What if I shot this guy who was holding an empty gun?"
• Walking out like heroes—Wojo carrying the suspect "like a trophy."
• The aftermath: Commendation written up, but later denied
• "Thanks for the laughs, Wojo, until we meet again."

📘 About the Book:
Police Stories: The Rookie Years - True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop is a true crime memoir chronicling Patrick O'Donnell's early career as a big city cop during Milwaukee's crack wars in the 1990s.

Book Release: Mid-March 2026
Book Update: Pre-orders are LIVE on Amazon. The book is currently a #1 New Release in Biographies of Law Enforcement.

🔗 Pre-order now for $3.99 (price goes up after launch): Search "Police Stories Patrick O'Donnell" on Amazon or check the link below.

📧 Contact Patrick:
Email: sarge@copsandwriters.com
Website: copsandwriters.com
Facebook Group: Cops and Writers

👍 If this story stuck with you:
Subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who can handle the truth about what cops see behind the badge.

🎙️ Next week: We're back to regular programming with a guest interview.

New chapters every Wednesday night.

Visit the Cops & Writers website!

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Send a text

Welcome everyone as we travel to the city of brotherly love and Rocky, Philadelphia. Today on the show, we have former Philadelphia warrant squad member Tristin Kilgallon.

Tristin grew up in Philadelphia and started his career in law enforcement with the city’s Warrant Unit, tracking fugitives and working the tough streets of Philly.

Tristin later moved to Ohio to attend law school, earning a JD and LLM. Tristin went on to teach pre-law and criminal justice for more than a decade before joining LexisNexis, where he now works in the legal tech industry, helping law firms adopt AI-driven tools. He’s also the co-author of Philly Warrant Unit, a true-crime memoir about his time working fugitive apprehension in Philadelphia.

Please enjoy this fun interview about a unique and small crime-fighting unit that had a large impact on crime, which no longer exists.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Growing up in the rough part of Philly.

· Where and how Tristin got interested in law enforcement.

· What led him to the Philly Warrant Unit, and why he didn’t pursue a career with the Philly Police.

· Did his investigations ever conflict with the local PD, state, or feds?

· How they picked which warrants to execute.

· Knock vs. No-Knock Warrants.

· The difference between a search/arrest warrant.

· The prostitute calling the police on herself.

· Meeting Sylvester Stallone.

· Why he went into a teaching career.

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

Check out the Philly Warrant Unit Facebook page.

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

Check out my newest book! Police Stories: The Rookie Years - True Crime, Chaos & Life as a Big City Cop!

Support the show

Send a text

In this episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast bonus series, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O'Donnell reads Chapter 31, "All-City Assist," from his upcoming book:

Police Stories: The Rookie Years - True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop

Rachel and Patrick are processing a routine arrest at District Five when the radio crackles to life: "245B, they're shooting at us! Send us more squads!"

It's Grace—Rachel's old partner—getting shot at in a gangway next to the Blues Oasis Tavern. The dispatcher opens the channel citywide: "Any squad, assist the officers. They are taking gunfire."

An all-city assist. Every cop drops everything and responds.

When Rachel and Patrick arrive, they find three dead bodies, cops returning fire in a gangway, and a suspect shooting at officers with a .357 Magnum. Inside the tavern, they clear a dark basement not knowing if someone is waiting to shoot them. When they come back upstairs, Patrick looks down and sees a sea of bullet casings—more than he'd ever seen in 25 years.

Three people are dead. Cops were almost killed. And a short blurb on the evening news.

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

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence, active shooter scenarios, and multiple deaths. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

🎧 This episode includes:

• What "all-city assist" means
• Grace's voice screaming over the radio: "They're shooting at us!"
• The suspect with a .357 Magnum, pretending to surrender while shooting at cops
• A bullet ricocheting off bricks and shattering a cop's glasses
• The Marine who calmly requested backup as if he was "ordering a pizza"
• Patrick tripping over the first body in the gutter
• Two dead victims inside—one still holding his Budweiser
• Auditory exclusion, tunnel vision, and the fight-or-flight response
• Rachel and Patrick clearing a dark basement: "You're going too fast!" "You're going too slow!"
• A sea of bullet casings covered the floor
• "Swede" tearing the suspect off a fence and crushing his collarbone
• Choir practice at Rookies—cops using popcorn and glasses to replay the scene
• Going home to a family who had no idea what had just happened
• A short blurb on the evening news—three dead, but the public never knew the full story

📘 About the Book:
Police Stories: The Rookie Years - True Crime, Chaos, & Life as a Big City Cop is a true crime memoir chronicling Patrick O'Donnell's early career as a big city cop during Milwaukee's crack wars in the 1990s.

Book Release: Mid-March 2026
Book Update: The manuscript is with the editor! Pre-orders are LIVE on Amazon. The book is currently a #1 New Release in the Biographies of Law Enforcement category.

🔗 Pre-order now: Search "Police Stories: The Rookie Years Patrick O'Donnell" on Amazon or check the link below.

📧 Contact Patrick:
Email: sarge@copsandwriters.com
Website: copsandwriters.com
Facebook Group: Cops and Writers

👍 If this story stuck with you:
Subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who can handle the truth about what cops see behind the badge.

New chapters every Wednesday night.

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

Support the show