Policing Matters

Policing may never have been more stressful for officers than right now. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the current protests and civil unrest in response to the in-custody death of George Floyd, cops nationwide are facing unprecedented levels of criticism from all corners. Managing the stress brought on by these events is key to peak performance. In this episode, host Jim Dudley talks to Ellen...

Police officers have myriad unique opportunities to positively influence America's children—from infancy to young adulthood and beyond. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss how informal, day-to-day interactions between officers and young people can help begin to change the anti-police sentiment that has taken root among some members of society, as well as how formally funded agency progra...

With the advent of social media sites like Facebook, Instragram, and Twitter—and the rapid rise in law enforcement agencies and officers posting humorous items to those services—the American public is getting a significantly better glimpse into the fact that police officers have a unique brand of humor. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss how police use humor to alleviate stress from the...

An estimated 40% of the homicides that occurred in the U.S. from 1980 to 2016—approximately 242,000—remain unsolved. Countless other violent crimes—from assault to rape to robbery—also remain open with investigators trying to piece together the evidence in pursuit of justice on behalf of the individual victims as well as society at large. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss how new techn...

Some jurisdictions are reconsidering the definition of "juvenile" as it relates to the prosecution of criminal acts. For example, California lawmakers are considering raising the age limit of individuals who would be tried and sentenced as juveniles from 17- to 19-years-old. The author of the bill, Democratic State Senator Nancy Skinner, says that "under the bill, 18- and 19-year-olds would be tre...

In this installment of Policing Matters, Jim Dudley interviews professor and author Jeffrey Snipes, JD, PhD and Police Organizational Practices consultant. Professor Snipes authored Causes of Crime: Vold’s Theoretical Criminology, and co-authored The Valley of the Shadow of Death, about the 1984 massacre of the family of former NFL star defensive back Kermit Alexander. Listen as they talk about th...

Protecting critical infrastructure is essential during any incident or situation. Considering the ever-changing, daily developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, good planning is especially valuable right now. Rex Scism speaks with Jim Dudley to describe the essential planning process, priorities, and dealing with county, state and federal governmental agencies. In the follow-up to his article...

In San Francisco and other cities across America, advocates of accused offenders have called for "cash bail" to be ended, citing economic inequities among offenders. The argument is that the system unfairly keeps accused offenders from low income backgrounds incarcerated while defendants from more wealthy backgrounds walk free on bail. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the fact that th...

In 2019, Blue HELP reported a total of 228 police officers died by suicide. Those are just the suicide deaths that had been documented—it is unclear how many other officers died by suicide that were reported as "a sudden medical emergency" or "single vehicle collision" or simply swept under the rug altogether. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss how police agencies and individual officer...

Two decades ago, a small group of dedicated entrepreneurs set out to create an online resource for law enforcement. In the intervening 20 years, a lot has changed in policing—from new technologies to improved training to more sophisticated patrol vehicles and duty gear. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the various events and milestones Police1 writers and contributors have noted over...

COVID-19—also known as coronavirus—may potentially pose a substantial threat to American law enforcement as the disease continues to spread across the country. The most vulnerable to serious illness—and even death—are currently elderly people with a pre-existing weakened immune system. However, the emergence into the national narrative of the worldwide pandemic provides an opportunity to remember...

The coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic is causing worldwide concern. First responders, whether they be law enforcement, fire or EMS personnel should be aware of the latest developments. Listen in as Jim Dudley interviews Rob Lawrence, PoliceOne's resident health expert, for the latest information on COVID-19. Members can get up to date information as it is released from the Center for Disease Contro...

Despite their effectiveness in helping police agencies—especially in densely populated urban areas—reduce the threat of criminal gangs to public safety, some places are pulling back on utilizing gang injunctions. For example, in San Francisco, newly elected District Attorney Chesa Boudin has declared that he will end the practice of gang enhancements when pressing charges against known gang member...

With the ever-increasing popularity of mixed martial arts as a spectator sport, just about every jurisdiction in America has seen the opening of a training facility—a dojo or a gym—specializing in teaching individuals how to fight in this potentially deadly style of combat. Indeed, many police officers are regulars at these gyms, learning everything from the grappling and submission techniques, ha...

In large-scale emergencies, police, fire, EMS, and a wide variety of other governmental organizations and private enterprises need to pull together and work as a single organism. At some major catastrophes, you might have city departments such as public works and social services racing to a scene alongside the electric company, the American Red Cross and others. This requires that police leaders a...

In late January, the Rio Vista City Council voted to dissolve its police department following the abrupt departure of the police chief, a commander, and a sergeant that left the agency all but gutted. The small city about of roughly 9,000 residents—located approximately 60 miles east of San Francisco—will now receive its police services from the Solano County Sheriff's Office. Rio Vista is not alo...

This Monday, thousands of the citizens of Iowa will gather in churches, schools, public buildings, and even individuals' homes to try to convince each other who should be the Democratic nominee to face off against incumbent President Donald Trump in November's general election. This election is sure to be a hotly contested one, with passions running high on both sides. In this podcast segment, Jim...

Traffic enforcement is one of the most common activities for many line officers. Code violations can lead to significant drug busts. Traffic violations can get dangerous drivers to change their ways. DUI check-points save an unknown number of lives. From speed traps to self-initiated stops, it's a big part of policing. But there are different methods that meet different objectives. In this podcast...

Interviewing victims of violent crime is a vastly different enterprise than interrogating the suspected perpetrators. Victims of violent crime—as well as witnesses—are likely to have suffered trauma that can impact their recall of the events. Vital elements may be erased from memory, while they may recall things that aren't precisely what happened. Victims of trauma also often recall events not in...

Cops must be all things to all people. They're drug counselors, child protectors, criminal investigators, social workers, and enemies of evil. This has been dumbed down in recent years into the debate over whether or not cops are "warriors" or "guardians"—a debate that is rendered meaningless by the use of the word "or." Cops are BOTH of those things and more. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug...

Many police agencies across the country host an annual (or even more frequent) Citizens' Police Academy with the intention of connecting with the communities they serve and helping to increase understanding among civilians about the ins and outs of law enforcement. Given the fact that there is so much widespread misinformation about what police officers do on a daily basis, this is probably a good...

This is the final Policing Matters podcast segment of 2019. With what is sure to be a tumultuous 2020 about to commence, Jim and Doug reflect on some of the topics that rose above the rest in the past 12 months, including police officer suicide, the impact of California's AB-392 on the use of force and officer safety, active shooter response during some of this year's tragedies, the use of facial...

Police officers in Alaska are unlikely to encounter an alligator, and officers in Alabama are unlikely to come upon a moose, but in every state in the union officers routinely come into contact with all manner of animals. There are some very important rules of the road when dealing with wildlife, as well as so-called domesticated animals that can turn suddenly dangerous. Generally, police officers...

In late November, four Good Samaritans came to the rescue of an officer in Georgia who was trapped inside a burning patrol vehicle. In August, three Good Samaritans came to the aid of a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department who was in a potentially deadly struggle with a suspect. There are myriad other examples of citizens coming to the assistance of an officer in trouble. In thi...

In November 2019, voters in San Francisco elected to the office of District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who ran on a platform of ending gang enhancements, part of a California law that adds additional prison sentences to defendants who participate in violent street gangs. His parents—Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert—were imprisoned for the felony murders of two police officers and a security guard in 198...