[3] He also volunteers his time as an investigative journalist, with a focus on police corruption and reform, for a local print newspaper in Long Beach, California.

As Commanding Officer of Juvenile Division, he established and published a file that brought an end to abuses in state probation subsidy programs.

As Commanding Officer of Southwest Area, he designed and implemented the first functionally integrated police operation in law enforcement aimed at combating gang activity, a program that became a national model.

As a Commanding Officer of the Personnel and Training Bureau, he chaired the Shooting Review Board and provided the leadership to adopt the first use of force policy in the nation that had as its preamble a reverence for human life and its taking to be at last resort.

[16][17] Downing has written opinion pieces advocating for the end of the drug war in publications such as the Huffington Post, New York magazine, and the Los Angeles Times.

Additional writing-only credits under his real name include CHiPs, Nero Wolfe, Sierra, McClain's Law, and Walking Tall.

[20] Downing has also been featured as himself many documentaries, including Legalize It, The Culture High, American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny, and With Justice and Dignity: A Caravan for Peace.

[20][17] His most recent work, Hate Train, a screenplay about a Black female homicide detective who derails a murderous PAC supported white supremacist conspiracy launched from Palm Beach, Florida, was completed and taken to the production marketplace in May 2021.

He is currently working on a screenplay about Shona Banda, a mother suffering from Crohn's Disease who became a victim of the state of Kansas' War on Cannabis.

[20] Downing's wife, Adrienne Allen, served as show publicist and their daughter, Julie, acted in multiple episodes of the series.

The Los Angeles District Attorney declined to prosecute the shooting, but a subsequent civil case resulted in a $6.5 million judgement against the city.