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Today we are traveling to the great white north, Canada where we are chatting with Stephen G. Metelsky, M.A. Steve is a criminal psychology professor at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario. He also lectures about organized crime at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario.
Steve spent 21 years as a police officer and later was promoted to sergeant with the Halton Regional Police Service & the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He specialized in traditional organized crime, informant development and undercover operations as an operator and covert handler.
Please enjoy this eye-opening and entertaining conversation with Steve.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· How Steve got interested in police work.
· Life as a recruit in a Canadian police academy back in the 1990s.
· The best job on the police force, sergeant!
· Steve’s first exposure to undercover police work.
· “Good Stress” in police work.
· Steve specializes in organized crime, undercover operations, and informant development.
· Mexican drug cartels, Hell’s Angels, the Wolfpack alliance, and Asian gangs in Canada.
· Steve’s book, Undercover: Stories from the underworld of law enforcement.
Head on over to Steve's website to learn more about him and his books!
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.Support the show
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Today we are traveling across the pond to England to speak to Author, Award-Winning Journalist, and Television Producer Robert Murphy and Retired British Police Officer Michelle Leonard.
Ron Evans, aka, The Clifton Rapist, had been arrested and convicted of raping and killing a young woman but only served 10 years in prison. In 1979, when he was released from prison, he went back to his criminal behavior and raped at least 7 young women eluding the police for several years.
There was an incredible public outcry for the police to capture this maniac. In complete secrecy, a daring new plan was introduced, unlike anything previously attempted by a UK police force. A small group of young female officers – some just 18 – put their lives on the line, walking the quiet residential roads late at night, acting as bait until one fateful night The Clifton Rapist attacked Undercover Police Officer Michelle Leonard who was acting as a decoy.
Please enjoy this incredible story told by the police officer who lived it and the journalist who wrote the book and produced the movie, Decoy: The gripping true crime story of one of Britain’s most shocking and secretive historical undercover police operations.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· How Michelle got interested in police work.· How many years she was in the police force when she was approached to become a decoy.
· Bristol 1979 being a safe area before the Clifton Rapist started his one-man crime wave.
· How the British police force investigated sexual crimes back then without the aid of modern science.
· What it was like for Michelle when this homicidal manic attempted to assault her.
· Robert Murphy’s interest in the case and the book he wrote and the documentary he made depicting this case.
All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.
Please visit Robert's website to learn more about him, Michelle, and his work.
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.Support the show
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Get your pen and paper ready to take notes! Today’s show is for you writers out there or those of you who are curious how a New York Bestselling author navigates the ever-changing waters of publishing books and collaborating with other authors.
On the show today we chat with J.D. Barker and Christine Daigle.
J.D. Barker is the New York Times and international best-selling author of numerous novels, including DRACUL, THE FOURTH MONKEY, A CALLER'S GAME AND BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His books have been translated into two dozen languages, sold in more than 150 countries, and optioned for both film and television.
By day, Christine Daigle is a clinical neuropsychologist whose work includes brain-computer interfaces translating brain signals into commands to control technology. When she has time, Christine Daigle is a multi-genre author whose latest release, Heavy Are The Stones, is a serial killer thriller co-authored with New York Times bestselling author J.D. Barker. She and Barker are also collaborating on a reboot of Flatliners, based on the original screenplay.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· Their experience at Author Nation writers’ convention.
· The attention grabbing first line of Behind a Closed Door, “Would you kill a stranger to save your partner?”
· Pushing sexual boundaries in books and movies.
· The essential elements to writing a good thriller!
· The research involved with the controversial book, Behind a Closed Door.
· How to overcome writer’s block.
· Best advice for new writers or those writers trying to up their game.
Check out Christine's website to learn more about her and her books!
Head on over to J.D.'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.Support the show
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On the show today we are going true crime detailing the murder for hire plot involving former NYPD Police Officer Valerie Cincinelli.
On May 17th, 2019, Valerie solicited her boyfriend, John DiRubba, to hire a hitman to murder his own daughter and Valerie's ex-husband, Isaiah Carvalho. Isaiah and John worked with the FBI to secretly record conversations and to stage a crime scene photo which was sent to John by an FBI agent posing as a hitman.
To help me out today I brought in my favorite NYPD Detectives, Marique Bartoldus and Vic Ferrari. They both gave us invaluable insights into the NYPD and incredible feedback regarding the case, not to mention some laughs.
Please enjoy this story of greed, jealousy, lust, and sometimes, just plain stupidity.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· We talk about Vic Ferrari’s newest book, NYPD: Presumption & Dysfunction and Marique Bartoldus’ book, Twenty and Out.
· The term, ‘hairbag’.
· The evolution of Valerie Cuccinelli’s career with the NYPD.
· The beginnings of her breakup with her husband and starting an affair.
· Valerie’s unusual behavior.
· The FBI staging her husband’s murder and the sting operation that led to her arrest.
· Valerie’s eventual arrest and resignation from the NYPD.
· Final thoughts regarding this case.
Check out Marique's Amazon Author Page.
Visit Vic Ferrari's Amazon Author Page to learn more about him and his books!
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.Support the show
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Welcome back for the conclusion of my very special two-part interview with Susan Snow.
Susan Snow is the daughter of LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams, who was killed in the line of duty on October 31, 1985, in a contract hit while driving his six year old son to school. Thomas shielded his son from a hail of gunfire, saving his sons life while giving up his own. Detective Williams was a hero on so many levels.
Susan was only seventeen years old and a senior in high school at the time of this incident. Susan's book "The Other Side of the Gun" was born out of Susan’s journey through the trauma she experienced with the death of her father. She wrote it to heal herself and help others heal through her words and experiences.
Thank you Susan for sharing your story with us. I would like to dedicate this episode to your father, LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams, end of watch October 31, 1985. Rest easy hero.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· Was justice ever served?
· Why she wrote the book, The Other Side of The Gun. How this book changed her and her loved ones.
· The movie, In The Line of Duty, The Price of Vengeance that depicted her father’s murder.
· Are you hyper vigilant with your family and yourself?
· Did she ever consider becoming a cop? What if her kids want to?
· What advise she would give to anyone who is going through this type of trauma.
· Her new career being a public speaker.
· Bulldoze fear!
Visit Susan's website to learn more about her and her 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.Support the show
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Welcome to part one of a very special two-part interview with my guest Susan Snow.
Susan Snow is the daughter of LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams, who was killed in the line of duty on October 31, 1985, in a contract hit while driving his six year old son to school. Thomas shielded his son from a hail of gunfire, saving his sons life while giving up his own. Detective Williams was a hero on so many levels.
Susan was only seventeen years old and a senior in high school at the time of this incident. Susan's book "The Other Side of the Gun" was born out of Susan’s journey through the trauma she experienced with the death of her father. She wrote it to heal herself and help others heal through her words and experiences.
Thank you, Susan, for sharing your story with us so we can better understand and appreciate the heroes and their families who have had to endure these types of tragedies.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· The murder of LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams on October 31, 1985.
· How she was forgotten due to the attention that was focused on her brother and mother.
· Finally realizing that her father was killed in a contract hit because he was a LAPD detective.
· Having a father who was a LAPD detective and trying to be a normal teenager.
· Her grief process and negative experience with her therapist.
· Lunch with a nun.
· Discovering she had PTSD and how she coped with this diagnosis.
· How Susan navigated having a mom with a drinking problem, getting through her senior year of high school, and processing her father’s murder.
Visit Susan's website to learn more about her and her 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.Support the show
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It’s been a while since I recorded a question-and-answer episode, so that is what we are doing today. A very special thank you to the members of the Cops and Writers Facebook group for the questions.
I was lucky enough to get back up from my friend and fellow author, retired Chicago Police Department Detective Lieutenant, Richard Rybicki.
The good lieutenant served for over 29 years on the Chicago Police Department where he worked as a Patrol Officer, Tactical Officer, Gang Crimes Specialist, Detective, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant, and Detective Lieutenant. His last assignment was as the Lieutenant/commanding officer of the Area Three Homicide/Sex/Gang Crimes unit.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· Rick’s newest book series that is in development that has a very interesting plot twist!
· Funny and disturbing Thanksgiving stories from the street.
· Alex Wilson asks; My story is a fictional murder in the UK.
Would a pathologist or similar ever go to see a body at the crime scene, to advise on the probable cause of death, possible weapons used etc, or would this only happen later at the postmortem?
· Sharon Reichs asks; How did you keep from killing a supervisor with all the liberal bullshit they spew as directives? (Not that I have an opinion or anything).
· Katherine Kovacic asks; What do you consider your best case and why? [Unrelated second question] Is there something you know now that you wish you knew then (specifically relating to policing!) and if so, what impact would that have had?
· Rose Bingham asks, Present day Chicago. A victim found strangled in the rain. Some paper found under her coat (that the killer would've handled) that didn't get wet had fingerprints on it (do-able?). Security camera at night had shown 2 separate people at the scene. I have the detective reviewing the footage but needs to have it blown up and possibly made a bit clearer. Who would be the people working on the footage?
· Lisa Messegee asks,California, present day, Is a detective required to attend the autopsy for a homicide victim? Would they want to, if it's not required? Could they delegate to a crime scene investigator?
Wellness Thru Reading
Visit Richard's author page on Amazon.
Check out the Sam Laska Crime Thriller page on Facebook.
Visit Richard at his 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.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Today’s show is for you authors out there who want to up their writing game, or just have a laugh, because we had a lot of fun recording this episode.
I traveled across the pond, virtually, to Jolly Old England and was lucky enough to have Cara Clare and James Blatch from the Indie Writers Club Podcast on the show today.
Cara Clare a prolific author who has penned over 47 books, is known for her steamy paranormal and fantasy worlds, Cara's the queen of "why choose" adventures, where love knows no bounds and neither do her characters.
Cara is best known for her TikTok sensation, The Phoenix Prophecy series, and also writes super spicy romantasy under Alexis Brooke and women's fiction under Poppy Pennington-Smith.
Returning champion James Blatch is back on my show! Many of you know James from the wildly popular Self-Publishing Show Podcast that he co-hosted with Mark Dawson. He also co-founded the Self Publishing Formula (SPF) that has been rebranded as Lean Self Publishing. James is also a cold-war aviation thriller author.
Cara and James now host the Indie Writers Club Podcast that is a lot of fun and gives valuable information for authors at all stages of their writing careers.
Please enjoy this very wide raging show where we talked about everything from the ending of the Self-Publishing Podcast, why you aren’t selling more books, me learning what a reverse harem’s, the upcoming presidential elections in the United States, and of course, James doing his Mafia Vampire Romance impersonation.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· Why the Self-Publishing Podcast came to an end.
· How the ending of the podcast and his partnership with Mark Dawson affected James personally and professionally.
· How Cara Clare produces an incredible number of words for her own books and as a ghostwriter.
· How and why the Indie Writers Club Podcast started.
· The Discord channel.
· Why your books aren’t selling.
· Taking a hard look at your title, blurb, and book cover and what they should and shouldn’t have.
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Visit Cara at her website!
Visit James at his website!
Come join the fun at The Indie Writers Club 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.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Have you ever told yourself that one day you will tell your parents story? I know I have. Both of my parents are immigrants who chased the American dream. But I still haven’t, and I don’t know why. My guest today, Shirley Novack, has done this and wrote a book about her father and his amazing life coming to America as a young teenager after living in a brothel for three years in Poland with his little brother.
Her book, The Story Of… is a story of hardship, joy, overcoming the odds, and realizing the American dream!
Shirley also has some grand tales to tell from her life. Everything from living next to a victim of the Boston Strangler and being detained as a suspected terrorist by the Secret Service and local police.
Please enjoy my chat with the captivating Shirley Novak.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· Having one of her neighbors killed by the Boston Strangler.
· Her interest in true crime and wanting to be a police officer.
· Being detained by the Secret Service and police as a suspected terrorist.
· Sitting next to a drug mule on an airplane.
· Her incredible book, The Story Of...
· Why she wrote the book.
· How she researched the book interviewing her relatives.
· What it was like for her telling her father’s incredible story.
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Grab a copy of Shirley's book, The Story of...
Visit Shirley on her 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.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Welcome back to the conclusion of our special two-part interview with retired Death Investigator and author, Barbara Butcher of the New York City Medical Examiner's Office.
Barbara Butcher spent 23 years at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner as a death investigator, director of the Forensic Sciences Training Program, and chief of staff. There she investigated more than 5500 deaths, 680 of them homicides. She worked mass disasters, including 9/11, the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, the London Underground bombing, and the crash of Flight 587.
During this interview, Barbara opens up and lets us into the life of a death investigator being confronted with death and profound sadness on a daily basis and the toll it took on her physical and mental health.
We also have a candid talk about alcoholism and her “rock bottom.” Barbara also shares her recovery from this deadly disease and the good that came from it.
I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.In today’s episode we discuss:
· Tools of her trade as a death investigator.
· The relationship she had with the cops and how they worked together to solve the crime.
· How the time of death gets determined in real life. Spoiler alert, not like what you see on T.V. or the movies.
· Advise for rookie death investigators or someone thinking about this job as a future career.
· Testifying in court.
· What she misses the most about the job.
· Faith in a higher power after being subjected to so much death and profound sadness.
· Why she wrote her book, “What the Dead Know” and why it is so popular.
· Her writing process.
· “You don’t have that much time. Be kind.”
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Visit Barbara at her website!
Purchase her book, What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator
Check out Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych ER and When Breath Becomes Air
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Today is episode one of a special two-part interview with retired Death Investigator and Author, Barbara Butcher of the New York City Medical Examiner's Office.
Barbara Butcher spent 23 years at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner as a death investigator, director of the Forensic Sciences Training Program, and chief of staff. There she investigated more than 5500 deaths, 680 of them homicides. She worked mass disasters including 9/11, the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, the London Underground bombing, and the crash of Flight 587.
During this interview, Barbara opens up and lets us into the life of a death investigator being confronted with death and profound sadness on a daily basis and the toll it took on her physical and mental health.
We also have a candid talk about alcoholism and her “rock bottom.” Barbara also shares her recovery from this deadly disease and the good that came from it.
I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.In today’s episode we discuss:
· Her interview on the James Altucher Show Podcast and his notion that New York is dead, spoiler alert. She doesn’t think so!
· Her honesty and willingness to be vulnerable with her new book and this interview.
· Growing up in New York being the oldest of nine kids and her dad being on the New York Police Department rising to the rank of Deputy Inspector.
· Ghosts or other paranormal feelings being involved in 5,500 death investigations.
· Myths and misconceptions regarding alcoholism.
· Barbara hitting rock bottom with her drinking and rising from the ashes.
· How Barbara got the job with the New York Medical Examiner’s Office as a death investigator and the training involved in her job.
· Her first time going to a death investigation solo.
· The job of the death investigator.
Wellness Thru Reading
Visit Barbara at her website!
Purchase her book, What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator
Check out Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych ER and When Breath Becomes Air
Check out my newest book, The Good Collar!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Send us a text
Welcome back to the conclusion of a special Cops and Writers Podcast where myself and my special co-host, Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter Forcelli will attempt to break down the problems with the United States Secret Service and what can be done to fix them. Because, who wants to hear a bunch of bitching and complaining without any answers?
I hope you enjoy this thought-provoking and critically important discussion.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
· How to fix the broken Secret Service.
· Having Secret Service Agents go to Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and work with the cops on the street. It’s like army trauma surgeons going to ERs in these cities to learn how to work on gunshot wounds. They need to experience police work.
· The Congressional hearings and the grandstanding by the people asking the questions. It was nauseating.
· Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and her incompetence as a leader, including the things she should have done as the director of the Secret Service.
· Secret Service Agent burnout and what can be done to alleviate this during an election cycle.
· Disbanding the United States Secret Service and having the FBI and U.S. Marshalls absorb those duties.
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Visit Peter's website to learn more about him and his books.
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.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Send us a text
Welcome to part one of a special Cops and Writers Podcast. Today, myself and my special co-host, Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter Forcelli will attempt to break down the problems with the United States Secret Service and what can be done to fix them. Because who wants to hear a bunch of bitching and complaining without any answers?
I hope you enjoy this thought-provoking and critically important discussion.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
· My special co-host, Retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director Peter Forcelli. In January, Peter was on the show talking about Government Cover-Up and Corruption Surrounding Operation Fast and Furious. Peter has testified before Congress and was considered a whistle-blower for doing the right thing.
· In a historical event on July 15 in Butler, Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump was shot in an assassination attempt.
· How the gunman, 20 years old with little to no training, armed with an AR-15 platform rifle with scope, got on the roof of a shed 130 yards away from the former president.
· On September 16 at the Trump International Golf Course, a subject armed with an AK-47 with a scope, two ceramic plates and a GoPro and food lay in wait for about 12 hours, about 400-500 yards away in what the F.B.I. is calling an assassination attempt. The Secret Service fired at the gunman, and missed, who got away, but was captured later by local law enforcement.
· The biased media’s coverage of these events and the dangerous political rhetoric that is plaguing our country.
· The history of presidential attempted and completed assassinations.
· The difference between protection for a former president/candidate and a sitting president/vice president.
· Poor communication between the USSS and local law enforcement in Butler, Pennsylvania.
· The understaffing and inadequacies of some agents on scene in Butler Pennsylvania.
Visit Peter's website to learn more about him and his books.
Wellness Thru Reading
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.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Send us a text
On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, we are hitting the road with retired Motorcycle Officer and Master Motorcycle Trainer Jerry “The Motorman” Palladino.
I grew up watching CHIPs and have been riding motorcycles since I was 16. I love being on my bike, so I thought it would be fun to have a police motorcycle expert on the show. Jerry “The Motorman” Palladino served with the Pasco County Sheriff's Department for 25 years, 15 of those as a motorcycle officer.
Jerry Palladino is a certified Police Motor Officer and certified Motor Officer Instructor. His extensive background as a Motor Officer Instructor and owner of Ride Like a Pro, Inc. in the State of Florida has Jerry Palladino ranked as the “go to” authority when it comes to anything dealing with motorcycles and rider training.
Jerry is also called upon as an expert witness helping jurors understand the physics of motorcycling and the causes of most motorcycle accidents with his compelling expert witness testimony.
Sit back and roll the throttle forward and enjoy my conversation with Jerry “The Motorman” Palladino.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· His beginnings as a lounge singer and entertainer before becoming a sheriff's deputy.
· Why he decided to hand up his mic and become a sheriff's deputy.
· How and why, he became a motor officer.
· What is the function of the motorcycle unit in a police department?
· Why motor officers are loved by their colleagues.
· Most common causes of car and motorcycle crashes.
· Jerry’s ‘Ride Like a Pro’ motorcycle course.
· Where he got his entrepreneurial spirit.
Wellness Thru Reading
Visit Jerry's website to learn more about Ride Like a Pro!
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.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Send us a text
On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, we are going into the courtroom with Attorney and Author Mark Bruce.
California native Mark Bruce attended Humboldt State University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Journalism. He then attended UC Berkeley Law School, where he graduated with his jurist doctorate.
While attending UC Berkeley, he was a finalist in an oral advocacy competition where he appeared before Justice Scalia, who told him. “I like you because you’re not a wimp.”
Attorney Bruce has been a lawyer for 38 years, 18 as a public defender. Presently, he works for Estelle & Kennedy doing criminal and family law.
In 2018, he won the Black Orchid Novella Award and has appeared four times in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, including the May 2023 Cover Short Story.
In today’s episode, we discuss:· His education in journalism and his shift to attend UC Berkeley law School.
· His encounter with Supreme Court Justice Scalia as a law student.
· 38 years as an attorney, 18 as a public defender.
· Why is he a defense attorney?
· One of his most memorable cases as a defense attorney and what it meant to him personally.
· Winning the 2018 Black Orchid Novella Award and appearing 4 times in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, including the May 2023 Cover Short Story.
· Why Perry Mason was a terrible lawyer.
· Has he ever refused to defend a client? Why?
· How he explains the fact that he defends guilty criminals.
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Visit Mark at his website to learn more about him and his work.
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.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, we are going to the greater Cleveland area to chat with Bestselling Author, Drummer, and former Police Chief Rick Porrello.
Rick’s first career was as a jazz drummer. At the age of 18, he got his first big break when he started touring internationally with Sammy Davis, Jr. Despite a skyrocketing music career, Rick traded his sticks for a badge. What followed was a 33-year career as a police officer in Greater Cleveland, with the last ten of those years as chief of police.
As an organized crime historian, Rick Porrello’s perspective is an intriguing one. He began writing his first book during family research into the murders of his grandfather and three uncles, all of whom, he learned, were mob leaders killed in Prohibition-era violence. The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia quickly became a regional favorite.
His second book caught Hollywood’s eye before it was published. Hollywood snapped up To Kill the Irishman—the War that Crippled the Mafia and turned it into the movie Kill the Irishman, starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Christopher Walken, and Val Kilmer.
Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation where we talk about everything from being on tour with Sammy Davis Jr, becoming a police officer and eventually becoming the chief of police, researching his family’s organized crime roots, to writing bestselling books that become movies.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
· Playing the drums for Sammy Davis Jr.
· Why Rick became a police officer and his career trajectory.
· How and why, he became a police chief.
· Why are we, as a culture, so fascinated with organized crime?
· Omerta. What it is and what it means in mob culture.
· His father’s pushback when writing the book, “The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia Corn Sugar and Blood.”.
· Elliot Ness and The Untouchables cleaning up police corruption in Cleveland.
· The book, “Kill the Irishman.” The story of Cleveland Mob Boss Danny Greene. Why he wrote this book and how it became a major motion picture.
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Visit Rick Porrello's website for links to his books.
Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a female detective in the mean streets of New York City? Today’s guest, Marique Bartoldus, is here to tell us all about it. She’s a retired 20-year veteran of the NYPD and an author!
Marique 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, and after six months of training in the Police Academy, was assigned to Transit District 20. After a year, she was reassigned to Patrol Borough Queens South's 105th Precinct. 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.
Marique 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 entertaining and honest conversation about being a big-city detective, through the eyes of someone who actually did the job.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
· The universal cop slang of Felonious Mopery.
· Her father being an NYPD homicide detective and growing up in a cop house.
· Coming to the NYPD a short time after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
· Working in the subway during a major power blackout.
· Working undercover, posing as a prostitute.
· Her promotion to the rank of detective.
· Being a cop on New Year’s Eve working in Times Square.
· Marique’s author career, including her debut book, Twenty and Out: A Compilation of Chaos Experienced while serving 20 years in the New York City Police Department
Wellness Thru Reading
Check out Marique's Amazon Author Page.
Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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On Today’s show, we will chat with Award-Winning Author, Green Beret, and Former Secret Service Agent Steve Stratton!
Steve joined the Army in 1973 at the age of 19. His first assignment – the White House Communications Agency supporting the President, Vice President and Secretary of State. The next four and a half years included trips to Russia, Africa, South America, the Pacific and all over the US.
The transition to Secret Service was an easy move and Steve’s role changed to that of Technical Security Specialist. Working at the White House when not on travel his more interesting tasks included managing suspicious package incidents, the Carter-Sadat-Begin peace accord meetings, and support for candidates during the 1980 Presidential Campaign.
After a job change to take on a security role with DOE as a contractor, Steve also earned his Green Beret as a member of the National Guard 20th Special Forces. From 1986 until his retirement in 2000 Steve and his teams supported counter-drug missions in the US, Central and South America.
Steve’s contractor career includes programs at the FBI, the Pentagon, Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and US SOF commands.
We also talk about Steve’s newest book, Shadow Sanction.
Please enjoy this amazing conversation with a guy who has been there and has done that. And yes, we do discuss the recent assassination attempt on President Trump and our mess of a withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· Protecting President Ford while skiing, when he didn’t know how to ski.
· Why Steve Joined the Army and how his career progressed to Special Forces and earning the Green Beret.
· The difference between Special Forces (Green Berets), Ranger, Ranger Battalion, SEALS, Marine Force Recon, Delta Force, and Air Force PJ’s.
· The biggest misconceptions regarding S.F. you see in movies and books.
· With your experience, what is your opinion on our withdrawal from Afghanistan?
· Steve’s path to becoming a Secret Service Agent.
· Looking at the recent assignation attempt on President Trump, what were the glaring errors? How can they be fixed?
· Steve’s Award-Winning Author career.
Wellness Thru Reading
Check out Steve's website to learn more about him and his books!
https://x.com/strattonbooksTwitter
https://instagram.com/stevestrattonusa – Instagram https://facebook.com/stevestrattonusa - Facebook
Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Send us a text
Welcome everybody! On Today’s show we are going to jail with Author and Jail Psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Baskin.
Joseph H Baskin is a psychiatrist in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was Born and raised.
After graduating medical school at The Ohio State University, he completed a surgical internship in Chicago. Seeking a way to stab at patients without the use of a scalpel, he switched to psychiatry, training in The Harvard South Shore Program in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Additional fellowships in the specialties of psychodynamic psychotherapy (Freudian-based without the sofa) and forensic psychiatry (the interface between the law and mental health) followed. His unique background has fostered an ability to work with varied populations, including incarcerated folks both in prison and in jails where the level of mental illness is far greater than the general population.
Dr. Baskin’s newest book, Burning River is his first in the Horror/Supernatural genre.
Please enjoy this super informative conversation where we dig into the minds of criminals and not-so-criminal folks.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· Joseph’s beginnings in medicine and how he became a physiatrist in prisons and jails.
· The concept of ‘re-parenting’ and how it helps jail inmates.
· Explaining ‘executive function.’
· PTSD and helping military veterans overcome mental challenges.
· Throwing pills at patients, the overprescribing of psych medications.
· Using de-escalation techniques in the jail/prison setting when dealing with inmates.
· Can people change for the better?
· Dr. Baskin’s wide variety of books and his writing process.
Wellness Thru Reading
Please visit Dr. Baskin's latest book, Burning River!
Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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Send us a text
Welcome everybody! Today’s show is for you writers out there! No matter if you are a bestselling author with a huge backlist or you are just kicking around the idea of writing a book, today's show will have huge value to you!
My guest on the show today is Clay Stafford! This guy has been in the entertainment business since he was 10 years old being discovered as a singer/actor child protégé in rural Appalachia. Did I mention he became a published author at age 10 and started a film production company at age 16?
Clay is an award-winning author, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He has sold over four million books that are available in 16 languages and has seen his film work distributed internationally in over 14 languages.
Clay is the founder and operator of the acclaimed mystery/thriller writer's conference, Killer Nashville, which I will attend this year from August 22-25. If you’re going to be attending, come say howdy and I will buy you a drink at the open bar
Please enjoy this informative and inspirational conversation with this one-of-a-kind entertainer.
In today’s episode we discuss:
· Clay being discovered at age 10 and being a child actor.
· The life, or lack of, of a child actor.
· Being a published author at age 10.
· Having mentors as a young actor, including Alan Alda, and hanging out on the set of MASH.
· The importance of Being a risk taker in the entertainment biz.
· How he sold over four million books and what sells books today.
· Conversations with David Hasselhoff.
· How can we prepare ourselves for a career as a writer?
· Hosting Killer Nashville, who it is for, and how to get the most out of it as an attendee.
Wellness Thru Reading
Visit Clay's website!
Learn more about Killer Nashville!
Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel!
Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website.
Greetings and salutations book lovers. Welcome to Wellness Thru Reading. A podcast...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Support the show
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