A Smart Strategy for Building Writing Ability: Takeaways from a Former New York City Police Officer

C-Span video The Job: True Tales from the Life of a New York City Cop

bodyworn-794111_640

Ex-police officer Steve Osborne’s engrossing account
of his time on the job and head of a gang unit squad
(although he never fired his gun), and his career-change
after 20-years as a New York City
cop.

Osbourne’s lecture underscores
an important point about writing ability.
Osborn joked that as a boy his teacher feared he wouldn’t amount
to much because he was a solid barely average student

But Osborne always knew he wanted to be a cop like his father.
and often visited the police station observing the environment …

One of the regular duties of police work is report writing,
so Osborne learned how to adapt his skill set to manage
the task. While many of his colleagues wrote
lengthy reports, Osborne focused on writing detailed, factual,
shorter reports. And often called as a witness
in court he understood the importance of accuracy.

After leaving the force, Osborne tried writing short stories
but was told to try memoir writing, but he refused…
preferring to use his style of writing to communicate and
lecture about police work.

References
C-Span.org/Video
The Job: True Tales from the Life of a New York City Cop
Stories from his former life as a 20-year veteran
as a New York police office, who never fired his gun.
http://tinyurl.com/gnk3ccv

NPR.org/Article
After 20-years on the job as NYC police officer
http://tinyurl.com/zwho4g6