Are you an experienced or retired law enforcement officer who’s willing to share your advice with young cadets? Inspired by our Managing Director’s father (a law enforcement officer of 30+ years), Brighter Side Publishing is now accepting story submissions for our first-ever collection of short, inspirational, true stories and essays.
What do you wish you knew when you were graduating from the police academy?
If you could travel back in time, what would you tell your younger self about the career ahead of them and the experiences they’d be facing?
This book aims to equip and encourage new law enforcement officers with the answers to those questions.
Submissions can be written as:
- A letter of advice,
- An essay of reflection, or
- A story about the call that changed your life forever.
All entries should include:
- A letter, essay, or story that is 1200 words or less.
- Your suggested story title. (We can also create a title if you don’t have a preference.)
- Your name, department, call number, and years of service. (e.g. John Doe, San Antonio Police Department, #330, 16 years of service)
- A photo of yourself (by yourself, with fellow officers, with your family, whatever you’d like to share!).
- A short (50 words or less) officer bio.
Submissions are due to LEOadvice@brightersidepublishing.com no later than June 30, 2026. While you may have told your story or written versions of it elsewhere, the specific essay you submit for this collection must be unpublished anywhere else to avoid any copyright infringement.
While we will try to include as many submissions as possible, essay submission is not a guarantee of inclusion in the book. You will receive a response to your submission by July 31, 2026.