Outside the Crescent City

The Crescent City is not the only birthplace of Louisiana police officers who have authored books. Indeed, Police-Writers.com added four officers from surrounding Parishes who have penned gripping tales of murder, corruption and the dark side of humanity. Added to the list are Chester Pritchett, Karl Kretser, Gary Lee Bordelon and James S. Prine.

Chester Pritchett has served for more than twenty years with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, which is in south Louisiana near New Orleans and Baton Rouge. He is a life long bachelor and devoted public. Since 1994, Chester has finished four manuscripts and continues to write. “Exit 28: The Case of The Hooded Shooter” is his first book and is based on the events that unfolded in Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana in 1995. The case proved controversial from Los Angeles to New York because it involved high-profile names like Edmondson and Oliver Stone.

Retired Lieutenant Karl Kretser, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, is the Lieutenant of Detectives who writes true crime novels based on the cases he investigated. As an example, “Danced to Death” focuses on the 1985 discovery of a badly decomposed body of a nude woman. That woman turned out to be 25-year-old Teresa Moore, who disappeared days before from a convenience store. The suspect’s sketch hit the papers and then the case went cold. After many years, Karl Kretser took over the case and the hunt for a serial rapist in the state of Louisiana.

Shades of Grey is the autobiography of Gary Lee Bordelon who was a Louisiana State Trooper and a Louisiana State Narcotic Agent. His book depicts the corruption Gary Bordelon witnessed by other city and state Louisiana police officers; until his dismissal as a state Louisiana police officer and state narcotic agent in April, 1979. His personal tale of corruption details drug dealing, lying and stealing done by fellow officers. It breaks down dates and times of several shake downs and meetings that resulted in many arrests.

James S. Prine, a veteran of the New Orleans Police Department has written “Real Police: Stories from the Crescent City.” The book is a compilation of stories about police work from a police officer’s point of view. The term “Crescent City” is one of the nicknames given to New Orleans and refers to the course of the Mississippi River around the city. According to a review from the New Orleans Gambit, “I wouldn't suggest it to the squeamish, the politically correct or anyone who prefers not to know too much about their neighbors or our protectors. It is suggested reading, however, for those with morbid curiosities, those who empathize with our police force and anyone planning a career in law enforcement.” James’ second work is a collection of short stories brought together under the title “Tales from the Id.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 271 police officers (representing 110 police departments) and their 679 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.