Policing Matters

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...

Inevitably, every year on the day after Thanksgiving, police are forced to deal with crowd control issues as massive numbers of people crush the front doors of retail establishments offering "great deals" for holiday shoppers. Police get thousands of calls for shoplifting, domestic violence incidents, public drunkenness, and other misbehavior that spikes for about 72 hours on either side of Thanks...

Several years ago, PoliceOne reported on the retirement of an 84-year-old lieutenant who had served 61 years with the Montgomery County Police Department. This was an extreme case to be sure, but there are many officers who overstay their time in the ranks for a variety of reasons—they may fear losing their entire identity, they may have not planned for the financial realities of retirement, or th...

According to a 2011 study by the Automobile Association of America, 53 percent of police officers get less than 6.5 hours of sleep daily (compared to 30 percent of the general population), 91 percent report routinely feeling fatigued, 14 percent are tired when they start their work shift, and 39 percent admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the m...

Former presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke famously said during a recent debate that he'd gladly enforce a mandatory gun buy-back program that would target legally purchased "assault rifles" such as AR-15s and AK-47s. Disregarding the discussion about the Constitutionality of such a proposal, his suggestion highlights how politicians have a tendency to put police in the middle of political issues...

Following the active shooter event at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California, one police agency in the Golden State has decided that during large-scale events in its jurisdiction, a certain number of uniformed personnel will be "strapped" with patrol rifles. The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office announced in mid-August that an undisclosed percentage of officers patrolling festivals and other e...

Policing on Halloween is different from any other day of the year. Children who are ordinarily on their living room couch after supper are out on the streets. Adults consuming large quantities of alcohol wander from one bar to another carrying costume "props" resembling edged weapons and firearms. Teenagers get into all manner of mayhem. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the various ch...

Do police, fire, and EMS share the same priorities and communication during the response to critical and mass casualty incidents? How can all of the first responders address their individualized priorities while sharing the same goals? Do current policies adequately address the need during urgent times when wounded and bleeding victims remain in a hot or warm zone of a critical incident? In this p...

Two high-profile active shooter incidents in the span of two days in early August—one in Dayton, Ohio and the other in El Paso Texas—has reignited discussions about the threat of individuals conducting mass murder. Later in August, police in Connecticut, Florida, and Ohio arrested three men in the span of two days, potentially preventing three separate but unrelated mass shooting plots. One of the...

Well-lit areas have less crime than areas that are enshrouded in darkness at night. Properties with waist-high fencing at the front of the dwelling and shoulder-height fencing on the B, C, and D sides tend to be less prone to break-ins. Structural elements that prevent access and egress to open areas help prevent criminal activity. Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is not a new...

There are now 33 states (as well as the District of Columbia) that allow the sale and use of medical marijuana products. Among the myriad options available are topical CBD oils that are intended to relieve muscle pain, among other things. These products do not contain the psychoactive THC element of the plant that causes a "high" and proponents say that these oils are safer and more effective than...

A recent series of articles published by a California organization called The Center for Investigative Reporting—a nonprofit founded in the late 1970s—alleged that a significant number of American police officers were members of "closed" groups on social media that have racist, sexist, or other extremist ideologies. The articles seemed to indicate that a large number of officers belong to groups o...

Recently, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 392. Media reaction would indicate that the bill would drastically reduce police use of force, but the reality is that the new language does little to restrict officers from using force when they reasonably believe that there exists an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or to another person, or to apprehend a fleeing person fo...