Ed Burns

Biography: Ed Burns is a television writer and producer with a background in police work and teaching. Burns is a twenty year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department and worked in the Homicide Unit and on several wiretap investigations. After retiring from the police department he worked as a teacher in inner city schools. In 1993 he researched and co-wrote a book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood that was later adapted into an Emmy-award winning mini-series, The Corner for HBO. Burns became a TV writer himself on the HBO original series The Wire. Burns' experience in wiretap investigations informed much of the shows story. After working on the first season as a writer Burns also joined the production staff for subsequent seasons. Burns' second career as a teacher informed much of the fourth season's examination of the Baltimore school system.