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Can you imagine being the only female in your police academy class? How about the instructor telling you that you shouldn’t be in the classroom and instead should be giving him a blowjob? Or being a rookie cop and being formally disciplined for egregious violations like failure to take a hint or having your feet too far apart for a female? Resilience and grit. Those are the words that come to mind when I interviewed today’s guest, retired Police Sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith of the Naperville Police Department.

These are just some things she had to endure at the beginning of her over 29-year police career. The conclusion of this interview will air next Sunday!

A little about Betsy: Betsy Brantner Smith started her career in law enforcement as a dispatcher when she was 17. Four years later, she began a 29-year career in a suburban Chicago department.

During her time as a cop and sergeant, she worked undercover in multi-jurisdictional agencies in Chicago and other areas around the city. She was also in charge of the K9 unit, FTO, and various other jobs, including investigations.

She wrote the book, The Ten Code: 10 Law Enforcement Principles for Victory in Life: Police Techniques for Personal Achievement.

Betsy has also been a dedicated trainer in law enforcement for years.

Today, Betsy is the spokesperson for the National Police Association, a non-profit organization focused on supporting law enforcement through education, advocacy, and legal action.

Please enjoy this sometimes shocking, fascinating, and genuine interview with someone who endured and overcame, making the lives of future female cops much better.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Will the Bears win the Super Bowl?

· Growing up on a farm in Illinois.

· Learning her amazing work ethic as a young teen from her parents.

· The influence of her father being an auxiliary sheriff's deputy.

· She and her dad working together on the local sheriff’s mounted posse.

· Why she chose the Naperville PD and not the Chicago PD.

· Her senior year in high school becoming a full-time police dispatcher.

· Facing shocking discrimination in the police academy and how she dealt with it.

· Almost getting fired for trumped-up charges like standing with her feet too far apart for a woman, and failure to take a hint.

· Her first day on the job and her first time going out solo on patrol.

Head on over to the National Police Association website.

Head on over to my website to learn more about me and my books!

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

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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With historical shortages in law enforcement, today's departments have to find ways of augmenting positions that were traditionally filled by sworn law enforcement officers. One option is to have civilians working these jobs. On today’s show, we will be highlighting the trend in crime scene investigations being civilianized. Some departments have embraced this a long time ago, having 100% civilians in this role, have a blend of civilian and sworn, or have dug in their heels and refuse to have civilian Crime Scene Investigators.

On the show today, I have two Crime Scene Investigators from the Prince George’s County Police Department.

William “Bill” Greene, who was hired as one of the first civilian C.S.I.s 42 years ago, and Frank Carson, who served as a sworn law enforcement officer with distinction for 35 years, and after retirement, went back to his department as a civilian C.S.I.

Bill and Frank both have incredible pedigrees that would take up most of the hour we have for the show. Frank has worked as a detective, a fatal crash investigator, a C.S.I., and other valuable roles with his department.

Bill has a very long list of impressive credentials and 42 years of investigating just about every type of crime imaginable.

Please enjoy this conversation with two pros as we map out the future of law enforcement.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Frank rejoins the ranks of the police department as a civilian C.S.I. after a long and distinguished career as a sworn officer.

• Bill being one of the first civilian C.S.I.’s for the department.

· 35mm cameras were used in police work before digital cameras.

· The role of C.S.I. at a major crime scene in different departments.

· Bill working on the case of the nurse who was suspected of killing at least ten of her patients before being arrested for murder.

· Bill working the Len Bias death case.

· The book, Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand by Dana Kollmann.

· The future of civilians working in law enforcement.

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

Head on over to my website to learn more about me and my books!

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

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 Last episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast bonus series, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O'Donnell reads Chapter 26, "The Howells vs. Pam From The Office," from his book:

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

BIG NEWS: The book launched yesterday and is LIVE NOW on Amazon (Kindle + Paperback).

After weeks of heavy stories - triple homicides, kidnappings, dying declarations - tonight's different.

It's a snowy Milwaukee night. A head-on collision in the middle of an intersection. A rookie cop who barely knows what he's doing. And three very different people.

The Howells - a wealthy couple in a Jaguar XJ12 who looked like they stepped off Gilligan's Island. Thurston, in his expensive suit, Lovey in her full-length fur coat, demanding arrests.

Pam - a young woman in a little black dress with piercing green eyes and blood-red lipstick. Fresh from an office Christmas party, now with a four-inch gash on her forehead.

And a busybody nurse with a scowl for a facial covering who wanted to be a cop more than Patrick did, armed with a syringe and ready to draw blood.

Sometimes being a rookie means pretending you know what you're doing. Even when you're making the sign of the cross with a red pen and calling it a sobriety test.

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

🎧 This episode includes:

• Two-car head-on collision at Lafayette and Lake Drive
• Nissan Sentra vs. Jaguar XJ12 - both totaled
• The couple who looked like Thurston and Lovey Howell from Gilligan's Island
• The young woman who looked like Pam from The Office
• Lovey: "I demand that you arrest that young girl! Obviously, she's been drinking!"
• Mrs. Howell: "Look at her! Her little party dress, her hair, and makeup. She was definitely partying tonight!"
• "If I'm going to investigate it as alcohol-related, I'll have to have your husband perform field sobriety tests."
• "My wife has had a bit too much to drink and isn't thinking clearly."
• The nurse: "I sure hope you're taking her in for drunk driving! I'll draw the blood for you!"
• "Aren't you a little helper?" Patrick thought
• The last time Patrick did an HGN test was at the police academy a year ago - he forgot how to do it properly
• Patrick winked at Pam: "Just go along with it."
• The nurse stomped her feet: "I can't believe this! I'm calling your sergeant!"

📘 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 Launch: LAUNCHED YESTERDAY - LIVE NOW!
Book Status: Available on Amazon NOW (Kindle + Paperback). Already climbing the charts.

🔗 Get your copy NOW: 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 grab your copy of the book on Amazon.

If you read it, please leave an honest review - launch week reviews make a huge difference.

🎙️ This is the FINAL bonus chapter. Next week, we're back to regular programming with guest interviews.

Thank you for riding along these past weeks.

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Today’s show will be especially helpful for you writers out there, or if you are curious to see what makes a full-time thriller author tick. On the show today, we have award-winning and bestselling author Nick Petrie, who just released his 9th book in the Peter Ash series, The Dark Time.

His first novel, The Drifter, won the ITW Thriller and Barry Awards and was nominated for Edgar, Anthony, and Hammett Awards. He won the 2016 Literary Award from the Wisconsin Library Association and was named one of Apple’s 10 Writers to Read in 2017. Apple Books named Light It Up the Best Thriller of 2018. Both Light It Up and The Wild One were shortlisted for the Barry Award.

Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels, said. “Lots of characters get compared to my own Jack Reacher, but Petrie's Peter Ash is the real deal.”

Nick is the quindecennial blue-collar author. He has an impeccable work ethic forged with years of working as a carpenter and other trades, which has paved his way to becoming a full-time, bestselling author.

Please enjoy my conversation with one of the nicest guys I know in the business, Nick Petrie.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· What has changed in the publishing business in the last two years since he released his last book?

• Luck finds people who show up for work every day.

· Artificial Intelligence and the publishing business.

· Best marketing practices for authors.

· How his former professions and life experiences have helped him in his writing career.

· Pros and cons of writing in a series.

· His advice for new or newer authors looking to break through.

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

Visit Nick's website to learn more about him and his books.

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

My first week as a rookie cop, I had to decide whether to pull the trigger on a man running at me with a butcher knife. He'd just killed his brother over the last hot dog.

That was my introduction to policing in Milwaukee.

From Wall Street Journal-featured author Patrick O'Donnell comes a memoir of rookie years on Milwaukee's streets.

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In this episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast bonus series, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O'Donnell reads Chapter 14, "Scooby-Doo Where Are You?" from his upcoming book:

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

You've probably seen it in movies or TV shows: a cop arrives at a crime scene, a victim is barely clinging to life, and with their final breath, they reveal who killed them. Case closed. Roll credits.

Reality is messier.

This is a short chapter, but one of the most unforgettable stories in the book. It's about a dying man's last words—and how Patrick can never watch Scooby-Doo the same way again.

Jimmy T was one of the genuinely nice cops on the late shift. Five-foot-nine, built like a prizefighter, always had a smile on his face. When he shook Patrick's hand and introduced himself, nobody had ever been that nice to the FNG before. He called Patrick "Paddy" from that night on.

They were working plainclothes backup in an unmarked Crown Vic when they heard twenty gunshots ring out. They found a man lying in the middle of the street, steam rising from multiple bullet holes in his chest. The paramedic shook his head 'no'—this guy wasn't going to make it.

Patrick needed a dying declaration: "You're going to die. Who killed you?"

The man's last words: "Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo, shot me!"

To this day, Patrick can't watch Scooby-Doo without thinking of that night.

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

🎧 This episode includes:

• Plainclothes park operation - people getting robbed after hours
• Twenty gunshots rang out.
• Steam rising from the bullet holes - "extra eerie with the streetlights and flashing red and blue lights."
• The victim to the female cop: "Am I going to die?"
• The dying man's last words: "Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo, shot me!"
• Scooby-Doo was a local drug dealer's street name
• Working with homicide until 4:00 p.m. - looking for Scooby
• "To this day, I can't watch Scooby-Doo without thinking of that night"

📘 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 Launch: TUESDAY, March 17, 2026 (St. Patrick's Day!)
Book Update: Pre-orders are LIVE on Amazon. The book is currently a #1 New Release in Biographies of Law Enforcement. This is the last bonus chapter episode before launch!

🔗 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 thinks dying declarations are just like in the movies.

🎙️ The book launches NEXT TUESDAY, March 17th. This is the last bonus chapter before launch. Thank you for listening to these snippets from the book.

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Welcome everyone, to the conclusion of my interview with Professor and El Paso County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jennifer Bucholtz.

Jennifer Bucholtz is a former U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent, and a decorated veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northern Arizona University, a master’s degree in criminal justice from the City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a master’s degree in forensic science from National University. Ms. Bucholtz has an extensive background in U.S. military and Department of Defense counterintelligence operations.

Ms. Bucholtz is currently an adjunct faculty member at AMU and teaches courses in criminal justice and forensic sciences. Additionally, she is a cold case investigator for her local sheriff’s office, host of AMU’s investigative podcast “Break The Case,” and founder of the 501(c)3 nonprofit, Break The Case.

Please enjoy this eye-opening and fascinating interview with someone who has done so many incredible things and continues to serve her community.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Meeting Lt. Joe Kenda.

· Why is she so interested in cold cases?

· The Steven Avery case.

· The Rebecca Gould murder. Was her killer a serial killer? All the missteps of the original detectives and how she overcame those errors.

· Why does she still communicate with her murderer?

· Her company, Break The Case.org.

· The Debbie Sue Williamson case.

· What is her criteria for taking a case?

· Forensic and investigative science has never been better. Why are clearances not keeping up with the science?

· What’s in the future of cold cases? DNA keeps getting better, and perhaps using AI as a tool, not a replacement for humans.

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

Visit Break the Case!

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

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

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 bonus series, retired Milwaukee Police Sergeant Patrick O'Donnell reads Chapter 33, "A Tale of Two Kidnappings," from his upcoming book:

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

With the Nancy Guthrie case dominating headlines, this chapter reveals what kidnapping calls are really like for cops—and the difference between what you see on TV and what actually happens on the streets.

Most kidnapping calls are bullshit. But when they're real, every cop drops everything.

The first story: One of Patrick's first nights riding solo. A "kidnapping" call that turned out to be a domestic dispute, with an unfortunate twist.

The second story: A real kidnapping. A mother duct-taped to a chair, beaten unconscious by her ex in a crack cocaine-fueled rage. Her five-year-old son is missing. Every cop on the shift came together. They weren't going home until they got that child back.

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

🎧 This episode includes:

• Nancy Guthrie case context - "search, not a rescue."
• Patrick's first solo kidnapping call as a rookie
• The real kidnapping: Woman beaten unconscious, five-year-old son taken
• Hitting every crack house in the district
• Good news: The kidnapper dropped the kid off at Grandma's house
• "He didn't have the stomach for being a dad. Five-year-olds are a lot of work."
• Suspect arrested in Memphis, brought back to Milwaukee
• When it's real, every cop drops everything - "We weren't going home until we got that child back."

📘 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 Launch: Coming sooner than you think - stay tuned!
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 wants to know what real kidnapping investigations look like—not the TV version.

🎙️ Next week: Back to regular programming with a guest interview.

New chapters from the book continue every Wednesday night.

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

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Welcome everyone to part one of my interview with Professor and El Paso County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jennifer Bucholtz. The conclusion of this interview will air next Sunday!

Jennifer Bucholtz is a former U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent and a decorated veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northern Arizona University, a master’s degree in criminal justice from the City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a master’s degree in forensic science from National University. Ms. Bucholtz has an extensive background in U.S. military and Department of Defense counterintelligence operations.

Ms. Bucholtz is currently an adjunct faculty member at AMU, teaching courses in criminal justice and forensic sciences. Additionally, she is a cold-case investigator for her local sheriff’s office, host of AMU’s investigative podcast “Break The Case,” and founder of the 501(c) (3) nonprofit, Break The Case.

Please enjoy this eye opening, and fascinating interview with someone who has done so many incredible things and continues to serve her community.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Jen’s Childhood and influences.

· Working as a corrections officer in a maximum-security prison.

· Her internship with the New York Medical Examiners' Office.

· Her first death case and autopsy.

· Joining the army and being a counterintelligence agent.

· What it was like interrogating enemies of the United States.

· Using science and intuition in her interrogations.

· Body language, micro-expressions, and other clues in interrogations.

· Her book, There is no GOAT.

· People in Afghanistan not knowing about 9/11 or Osama Bin Laden

· Post-military life and working as a contractor overseas.

· Working for the State Department, teaching Indonesian police.

· Being a college professor.

· Her interest in cold cases.

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

Visit Break the Case!

Visit the Cops & Writers Website!

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

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