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Hey everyone, thanks for joining us as we’re going the back to west coast today for the conclusion of our interview with Author and Retired Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Jeff Wenninger!

Jeff is a retired LAPD lieutenant with more than 33 years in law enforcement. He started with L.A. County Sheriff in 1991 and worked the Rodney King riots on the street and jail, where he and his coworkers were not allowed to go home for two weeks straight.

He later lateralled to LAPD in 1993 and went on to work with some of the most highly-trained units, including the Metropolitan Division which encompasses SWAT, K9, high risk warrants, and more. As a sergeant, he was handpicked as the officer in charge of the Rampart Gang Enforcement detail following the Rampart Scandal in the late 90s. As a sergeant and later as a lieutenant, Jeff was the officer in charge of the Use of Force Investigation Division and oversaw investigations of lethal force and other significant applications of force. Jeff's work earned him prestigious awards including the LAPD Medal of Valor, Police Star, and Meritorious Unit Citation.

Jeff is the founder and CEO of Law Enforcement Consultants, LLC. He is releasing a book called “On Thin Ice” that will be published on May 6.

Please enjoy this candid interview witch we talk about what’s good and bad with law enforcement today, and how we can fix it.

In today’s episode we discuss:

· The trends in law enforcement today regarding uniforms.

· How the O.J. Simpson trial changed the LAPD.

· Jeff’s career trajectory with the LAPD?

· The special units Jeff served on and supervised.

· At the apex of a promising career, why Jeff decided to retire from law enforcement.

· How difficult was it to transition to civilian life?

· Being the founder and CEO of Law Enforcement Consultants. What is this and why do it?.

· Your upcoming book, On Thin Ice: An LAPD Veteran’s Journey to Reimagine Policing, is due out soon. Why write it, and what, if any, message do you want to give the reader?

· What Jeff misses the most about the job.

Go check out Jeff's website to learn more about him and his newest book, On Thin Ice.

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

What would you do if you lost the one you loved the most? How far would you go to quench your thirst for vengeance?

https://a.co/d/2UsJPba

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Hey everyone, thanks for joining us, as we’re going west coast today! Welcome to part one of my two-part conversation with Author and Retired Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Jeff Wenninger!

Jeff is a retired LAPD lieutenant with more than 33 years in law enforcement. He started with the L.A. County Sheriff in 1991 and worked the Rodney King riots on the street and jail, where he and his coworkers were not allowed to go home for two weeks straight.

He later lateralled to LAPD in 1993 and went on to work with some of the most highly-trained units, including the Metropolitan Division which encompasses SWAT, K9, high risk warrants, and more. As a sergeant, he was handpicked as the officer in charge of the Rampart Gang Enforcement detail following the Rampart Scandal in the late 90s. As sergeant and later as a lieutenant, Jeff was the officer in charge of the Use of Force Investigation Division and oversaw investigations of lethal force and other significant applications of force. Jeff's work earned him prestigious awards including the LAPD Medal of Valor, Police Star, and Meritorious Unit Citation.

Jeff is the founder and CEO of Law Enforcement Consultants, LLC. He is releasing a book called “On Thin Ice” that will be published on May 6.

Please enjoy my candid interview, which we talk about what needs to be fixed and what is working with law enforcement today.

In today’s episode we discuss:

· Being adopted as a child, how did this affect your later life, especially in your career as a police officer? Or did it?

· His father being a professor at Kent State University and being there when national guardsmen opened fire on students.

· Jeff being the recipient of a hockey scholarship to go to college. How his career in hockey molded him and prepared him later in life?

· As a young man, there was an incident where he had a negative interaction with the police where he was unlawfully arrested. How did this affect him later as a police officer?

· Why leave the L.A. Sheriff’s to join the LAPD?

· O.J., guilty or not guilty?

· How the O.J. Simpson trial changed the LAPD and the city.

· Working the streets and jail during the Rodney King riots. Over sixty people dead and thousands injured.

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

Go check out Jeff's website to learn more about him and his newest book, On Thin Ice.

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

What would you do if you lost the one you loved the most? How far would you go to quench your thirst for vengeance?

https://a.co/d/2UsJPba

Support the show

Send us a text

Welcome back everyone to the conclusion of my conversation with the amazing Nick Chiarkas! I was so excited about this interview I didn’t want you guys to wait for next Sunday! I really enjoyed talking to Nick and I think you guys are going to feel the same about this episode.

Nick grew up in the Al Smith housing projects on Manhattan's Lower East Side. When he was in the fourth grade, his mother was told by the principal of PS-1 that "Nick was unlikely ever to complete high school, so you must steer him toward a simple and secure vocation." Instead, Nick became a writer, with a few stops along the way: a U.S. Army Paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division serving in the Viet Nam war, a New York City Police Officer, Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Deputy Chief Counsel for the President's Commission on Organized Crime; Chief Counsel for the USATBCB; and the Director of the Wisconsin State Public Defender Agency. On the way, he picked up a Doctorate from Columbia University, a Law Degree from Temple University, and was a Pickett Fellow at Harvard. Not bad for a guy whose principal told his parents that he wouldn’t amount to much.

I found this interview to be so captivating and entertaining. I didn’t want it to end. I hope you guys feel the same. Please enjoy my conversation with Nick.

In today’s episode we discuss:.

· Why Nick left the NYPD after only seven years on the job.

· His experience of being sent to the Woodstock music festival as security and meeting some of the musicians, including Jimi Hendrix.

· His part in the movie, The Anderson Tapes (Starring Sean Connery, Diane Cannon, and Christopher Walken).

· How Nick wound up being the Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and the Deputy Chief Counsel for the President's Commission on Organized Crime.

· His awkward first meeting with President Reagan.

· His becoming the director of the Wisconsin State Public Defender Agency and how he was not welcomed with open arms because him being a former police officer.

· The changes he instituted in the public defender’s office.

· His books, Weepers and Nunzio’s Way.

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

Check out Nick's Amazon Author page!

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

What would you do if you lost the one you loved the most? How far would you go to quench your thirst for vengeance?

https://a.co/d/2UsJPba

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Welcome to part one of my two-part conversation with the amazing Nick Chiarkas! I really enjoyed talking to Nick and I think you guys are going to feel the same about this episode.

Nick grew up in the Al Smith housing projects on Manhattan's Lower East Side. When he was in the fourth grade, his mother was told by the principal of PS-1 that "Nick was unlikely ever to complete high school, so you must steer him toward a simple and secure vocation." Instead, Nick became a writer, with a few stops along the way: a U.S. Army Paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division serving in the Viet Nam war, a New York City Police Officer, Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Deputy Chief Counsel for the President's Commission on Organized Crime; Chief Counsel for the USATBCB; and the Director of the Wisconsin State Public Defender Agency. On the way, he picked up a Doctorate from Columbia University, a Law Degree from Temple University, and was a Pickett Fellow at Harvard. Not bad for a guy whose principal told his parents that he wouldn’t amount to much.

I found this interview to be so captivating and entertaining. I didn’t want it to end. I hope you guys feel the same. Please enjoy my conversation with Nick.

In today’s episode we discuss:.

· The principal who told Nick’s folks that he would never graduate from high school.

· Growing up in a housing project in New York in the 1950s to60s.

· The street gangs of that era and his affiliations.

· Volunteering to join the army and being in the elite 101st Airborne Division, serving in Vietnam.

· Why he became a New York Police Officer.

· The influence of his father and other relatives being police officers with the NYPD.

· Coming across an armed robbery in progress as a rookie cop, by himself!

Check out Nick's Amazon Author page!

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

What would you do if you lost the one you loved the most? How far would you go to quench your thirst for vengeance?

https://a.co/d/2UsJPba

Support the show

Send us a text

Welcome back for the conclusion of my interview with Author and Retired DEA Special Agent Chris Feistl.

Chris Feistl served with distinction for 26 years with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), retiring in 2014 as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division.

After serving an initial six-year assignment in Miami, Florida, Chris was sent to Colombia in July 1994 and assigned to a special Task Force created to take down the notorious Cali cartel, “the most powerful criminal organization in the world." In Colombia, Chris partnered with Dave Mitchell, and together they spent almost three years investigating the cartel; their joint efforts resulting in the arrest of the four ruthless Cali “Godfathers” and the dismantlement of the biggest drug cartel in history.

Chris has long been considered an expert on the Cali cartel, consistently making him a highly sought-after guest on television documentaries and podcasts with a particular focus on his pursuit of the Cali cartel leaders. Chris was portrayed in an 80-episode Spanish-language Netflix series entitled En la Boca del Lobo, as well as in Season 3 of Netflix’s widely acclaimed hit Narcos Colombia: Rise of a New Empire, The Cali Cartel.

Chris is also an author with his highly anticipated novel, After Escobar: Taking Down the Notorious Cali Godfathers and the Biggest Drug Cartel in History scheduled for release June 24.

Please enjoy this enlightening and captivating conversation with DEA Special Agent Chris Feistl.

In today’s episode we discuss:.

· How he dealt with the rampant corruption within the Colombian police? Also, how he dealt with the changing political winds in the U.S. and Colombia.

· The Cali KGB, what this was, and how they combated this.

· Drawn and quartered with motorcycles on the Netflix show. How real was that?

· How did the Cali Cartel dispose of bodies?

· What was the relationship with the CIA and FBI like during his work there?

· Using a chicken truck to arrest one of the Godfathers.

· When he feared the most for his life as a DEA Agent.

· His upcoming book, After Escobar: Taking Down the Notorious Cali Godfathers and the Biggest Drug Cartel in History. How did this happen, and why write the book?

Learn more about Chris and his upcoming book!

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

What would you do if you lost the one you loved the most? How far would you go to quench your thirst for vengeance?

https://a.co/d/2UsJPba

Support the show

Send us a text

Welcome to a bonus episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, with me being interviewed on the Things Police See Podcast hosted by Steve Gould!

We talk about everything from rectal hot sauce to a last-second murder confession.

Check out the most awesome Steve Gould's Things Pollice See Podcast!

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

What would you do if you lost the one you loved the most? How far would you go to quench your thirst for vengeance?

https://a.co/d/2UsJPba

Support the show

Send us a text

Welcome to part one of my interview with Author and retired DEA Special Agent Chris Feistl.

Chris Feistl served with distinction for 26 years with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), retiring in 2014 as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division.

After serving an initial six-year assignment in Miami, Florida, Chris was sent to Colombia in July 1994 and assigned to a special Task Force created to take down the notorious Cali cartel, “the most powerful criminal organization in the world." In Colombia, Chris partnered with Dave Mitchell, and together they spent almost three years investigating the cartel; their joint efforts resulting in the arrest of the four ruthless Cali “Godfathers” and the dismantlement of the biggest drug cartel in history.

Chris has long been considered an expert on the Cali cartel, consistently making him a highly sought-after guest on television documentaries and podcasts with a particular focus on his pursuit of the Cali cartel leaders. Chris was portrayed in an 80-episode Spanish-language Netflix series entitled En la Boca del Lobo, as well as in Season 3 of Netflix’s widely acclaimed hit Narcos Colombia: Rise of a New Empire, The Cali Cartel.

Chris is also an author with his highly anticipated novel, After Escobar: Taking Down the Notorious Cali Godfathers and the Biggest Drug Cartel in History scheduled for release June 24.

Please enjoy this enlightening and captivating conversation with DEA Special Agent Chris Feistl.

In today’s episode we discuss:.

· How Chris got his start in law enforcement at the age of 20!

· How he broke the news to his folks that he was going to Colombia to hunt down the biggest, most dangerous drug cartels in the world.

· His first assignment as a rookie DEA agent in Miami during its cocaine heyday.

· His first tour of duty in Colombia.

· How did the Cali Cartel help take down Pablo Escobar?

· Examples of how powerful and rich the Cali Cartel was at the height of their power.

· What were the differences between the Cali Cartel and Pablo and the Medellin Cartel.

· How NAFTA opened the door to the illegal drug trade coming into America.

· How did two gringos, you and your partner blend in?

· How did you deal with the rampant corruption within the Colombian police?

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

My interview with Murph and JP about taking down Pablo Escobar. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1595839/episodes/11030413

Learn more about Chris and his upcoming book!

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

What would you do if you lost the one you loved the most? How far would you go to quench your thirst for vengeance?

https://a.co/d/2UsJPba

Support the show

Send us a text

Welcome back to the conclusion of my interview with retired Las Vegas Metro Lieutenant Randy Sutton.

Most cops, including myself, have a recurring nightmare of being in a gunfight and their firearm malfunctioning or their rounds hitting the bad guy with no effect. My guest on today’s show lived that nightmare, going toe to toe with a gunman less than a few feet away from him, with his pistol malfunctioning, and once he cleared his weapon, the rounds hitting, but having no effect. All the while the bad guy was firing his gun at him so closely he could see the fire coming out the barrel.

Lt. Sutton joined the Princeton Police Department at 19 years of age, becoming one of the youngest Police Officers in the state. He served the town for ten years before joining the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, where he served for almost 24 years, retiring at the rank of lieutenant. During his service, he distinguished himself as one of the highest decorated officers in department history, having earned multiple Lifesaving awards, Exemplary Service awards, Community service,e and a Medal for Valor.

The good lieutenant is also a public speaker, prolific author, podcaster, and the founder of Wounded Blue whose mission is to improve the lives of injured and disabled law enforcement officers by providing support, education, assistance and legislative advocacy to our true American heroes.

Please enjoy this often raw and very real conversation with Lieutenant Randy Sutton.

In today’s episode we discuss:.

· Saving a baby who was shot in a drive-by shooting during a gang initiation.

· Randy’s career progression in the Vegas Metro PD.

· Randy’s opinion of the Vegas Metro PD now compared to back when he was on the job.

· The biggest changes in the department in the last twenty years.

· How many times was he told by tourists that prostitution is legal in Vegas?

· What if anything is being done about prostitution in Las Vegas?

· How is order kept in a town that is flooded with drunk/high tourists who are vulnerable to criminality?

· How Randy dealt with an unexpected end to his law enforcement career.

· What is The Wounded Blue? What he is trying to accomplish with this organization, and how can we help?

Visit the Wounded Blue website and donate to this worthy cause!

Visit Randy's website!

Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

What would you do if you lost the one you loved the most? How far would you go to quench your thirst for vengeance?

https://a.co/d/2UsJPba

Support the show