Burns is a former Baltimore police detective for the homicide and narcotics divisions, and a public school teacher.
[3] He found the experience profoundly challenging because of the emotional damage that the vast majority of his students had already experienced before reaching the classroom.
"[3] In 1995, he co-authored, with Simon, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, the true account of a West Baltimore community dominated by a heavy drug market.
They originally set out to create a police drama loosely based on Burns's experiences working on protracted investigations of violent drug dealers using surveillance technology.
Owing to its reputation for exploring new areas, HBO was initially dubious about including a cop drama in their lineup, but eventually agreed to produce the pilot.
The second season focused on the death of white working class America through examination of the city ports.
Burns was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2009 ceremony for his work on the fifth season.
[12] Burns traveled to Africa to film a miniseries as a producer and writer for Generation Kill (airdates July 13 to August 24, 2008) for HBO Network.
Burns stated that as a writer "(He) can use the universal experience of war to create a realistic scenario for the viewers.
The series was developed by Simon and George Pelecanos from the non-fiction book of the same name by former The Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton.