Book one of four · True stories
An Officer and…an Idealist
Sometimes the situations police officers find themselves in are stranger than fiction. You just can’t make this up.
The first book in a four-book series of true stories from Mike Thode’s years as a Wichita Police Officer, 1990–2004.
Prefer to listen? The Audible audiobook is coming soon.
The Book
Fourteen years, told honestly
An Officer and… an Idealist is the first book in a four-book series — an accumulation of short stories and three major incidents that occurred during Mike’s time as a Wichita Police Officer from 1990 to 2004.
Those years brought joy, sorrow, humor, anger, hard challenges and tremendous fulfillment. All of it is here, including the mistakes and the absurdities.
One purpose of the series is simple: to humanize the people behind the badge, rather than leave policing as an abstraction.
“You just can’t make this up.”
Written for
- Readers who love true police stories
- Current law-enforcement officers
- People considering becoming officers
- Families and friends of officers
- Civilians who want to understand what officers experience, think and feel
Where the proceeds go
All proceeds from An Officer and… an Idealist are being donated to the National Fraternal Order of Police Foundation to assist officers in need.
This is a donation of proceeds. It does not indicate sponsorship, endorsement or affiliation by the Foundation.
33+ years of service
Fourteen years of stories, out of a much longer career
The fourteen years chronicled in this series — 1990 to 2004 — were one stretch of a career spanning more than 33 years with the City of Wichita, Kansas.
1990–2004
Wichita Police Officer — the years these books are drawn from.
Along the way
Badges, patches, commendations and memorabilia collected over decades of service.
33+ years
A full career with the City of Wichita, Kansas.
From the archive
In the news, 1994
Long before the books, Mike’s time on the Wichita Police Department’s bicycle patrol made the front of the local paper. The Wichita Eagle, May 16, 1994.
The Series
An Officer and… — four books
The four books chronicle stories and major incidents from Mike’s years as a Wichita Police Officer between 1990 and 2004. Book one is available now; the next three are on the way.
Book One
An Officer and… an Idealist
Available nowShort stories and three major incidents from Mike’s years on patrol in Wichita — told plainly, with the humor and the hard parts left in.
Buy the BookMike started writing these stories about twelve years into his career. Why? You’ll have to make it to Book Four.
About Mike
An unlikely police officer
By his own description, Mike was an “ornery, pacifistic jerk with too much energy” — not exactly the profile of a future police officer. Then the desire to become a public servant struck him, and he never looked back. He entered the academy with a desire to save the world like a comic book superhero. Mike said, “Reality drove that silly notion out of my head. All it takes to save the world is everyone doing their part the right way for the right reason."
He spent more than 33 years working for the City of Wichita, Kansas.
Outside of work, he’s made a habit of moving: running, biking, swimming, hiking, fencing, martial arts, climbing, weight lifting, cowboy mounted shooting and sailing.
He began documenting events from work and writing short stories while still on the job — the raw material that became this series.
“Every day is the best day of my life because I live it with my wife.”
Made the old-fashioned way
The book was written without generative AI, and the cover artwork was created without it too. Mike’s explanation is simple: he saw The Terminator in the theater as a young man, and apparently it made an impression.
For media, libraries & organizations
Reviewers, librarians and organizations welcome
For journalists, podcasters, reviewers, librarians, law-enforcement organizations, criminal-justice programs and other interested groups. The paperback is being prepared for wider library and bookstore distribution.
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Placeholder — press kit details
- ISBN — to be added
- Publication information — to be added
- Downloadable media kit — to be added
- Author headshot download — to be added
- Book cover download — to be added
- Library ordering information — to be added
Contact
Get in touch
Questions, review requests, interviews or a note about the stories — Mike reads them.