‘There’s always plenty in [crime] reports to stimulate the imagination’

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Quintin Peterson, a 25-year veteran of the D.C. police, is the author of two novels, “SIN” and “The Wages of SIN,” is a contributor to the crime fiction anthology “D.C. Noir,” edited by novelist George Pelecanos. He is native Washingtonian and attended the Corcoran School of Art. While in high school, he was honored with the University of Wisconsin’s Science Fiction Writing Award and the National Council of Teachers of English Writing Award. Peterson is a member of Mystery Writers of America and the author of several plays and screenplays.

When and how did you get into writing?

I’ve been writing stories since elementary school. I got my first copyright when I was 13 years old.

Why did you want to become a police officer?

I was a playwright when I joined the police department. I chose reality over fantasy.

How much do the real-life things you see and hear as a police officer appear in your fiction?

Quite often. By virtue of the fact that one of the hats I wear is that of media liaison officer for the Metropolitan Police Department, I have access to crime reports so that I can prepare news releases and address inquiries from members of the news media. There’s always plenty in these reports to stimulate the imagination of a crime fiction writer. For example, “Cold as Ice,” the short story I contributed to the anthology “D.C. Noir,” is a tale about witness intimidation. Were I a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker, the idea for that story never would have come to me.

You are a liaison between the department and members of the motion picture and television industries. What does that mean?

Representatives from motion picture and television production companies contact me whenever they are doing a D.C.-based movie or TV show involving D.C. police, either as main or peripheral characters. I provide them with clothing and equipment specs for our department and assist writers with any police procedural questions about the MPDC.

What are you working on now?

I’m sending out short crime stories to magazines and working on another D.C.-based crime novel.

Scott McCabe