Episode
NPA Podcast with Guest, Richard Rybicki, Retired Chicago Police Lieutenant/Award-Winning Author
- Published
- Sep 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1881
- Processing state
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- https://share.transistor.fm/s/c7171d6e
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Summary
On this episode of the National Police Association Podcast, host Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith welcomes retired Chicago Police Lieutenant Richard Rybicki for a candid conversation about his 29-year law enforcement career, the enduring importance of talking to people, and his second career as an author. Rybicki, whose father also served as a Chicago police officer, explains why he chose a life inside the yellow tape. Beginning his career in 1977, he witnessed major changes in policing, from partners sharing a single portable radio to the arrival of automated fingerprint searches and DNA analysis. Through those advances, one principle remained constant: solving crimes requires getting out, knocking on doors, and earning people’s cooperation. He shares a memorable lesson from his early days as a homicide detective, when changing his approach to a suspect taught him more about effective interviewing than confrontation ever could. He and Smith also discuss why strong police reports matter, what television gets wrong about investigations, and why crime shows can bring back memories that retired officers would rather leave alone. The conversation then turns to Rybicki’s writing journey and Dead Weight , his novel featuring a detective who can communicate with the dead. Inspired by a former partner’s dark humor at homicide scenes, the premise explores both an investigator’s desire to hear directly from victims and the emotional burden of knowing their final thoughts. In this episode: · Growing up in a police family and choosing a career in law enforcement. · Why clear, thorough reports are essential to building a criminal case. · How forensic technology changed investigations—and why detectives still need to knock on doors. · The role of rapport, listening, and persistence in succ…