Policing Matters

Life as a rural law enforcement officer

According to Bureau of Justice statistics, nearly half of all local police departments have fewer than 10 officers. Three in four of the departments (75%) have no more than two dozen officers. And nine in 10 employ fewer than 50 sworn officers.

Policing is tough, but even more challenging when you consider the many responsibilities officers face in smaller departments, often responding to calls without backup and across large geographical distances.

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley chats with Police1 columnist Kathleen Dias, who writes features and news analysis on topics of concern to law enforcement professionals serving in rural and remote locations. She uses her background in writing, teaching and marketing to advocate for professional levels of training and equipment for rural officers, open channels of communication for isolated departments, and dispel myths about rural policing.

Book and release: 12 reads for a cop‘s next book club

We are all better off reading books, whether to expand our knowledge learn or just to relax. On this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley is joined by fellow podcaster, detective and Police1 columnist Christopher Littrell to share some book recommendations, both texts that will improve your performance as an LEO and recommended books to read for leisure. What books would you add to this list? Email editor@police1.com.

Check out Police1.com for the full list of books mentioned in this episode.

Building leadership capital with your cops and your community

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley chats with Pocatello Police Department Chief Roger Schei about how this mid-sized agency in the fifth largest city in Idaho is addressing defensive tactics training, police recruitment, law enforcement leadership and community engagement. 

Chief Schei has a widespread training background that includes the FBI National Academy, FBI Command College, and several other leadership courses. His management certificate in high liability instruction through Idaho Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) has assisted in implementing several progressive programs for the department, including training from Rener Gracie and embracing the leadership principles of Jocko Willink’s Extreme Ownership Academy.  

The chief is a resolute protector of children’s rights and takes pride in serving as the President of the Board of Directors for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). In 2016 he was honored to receive the Ron Timpson award from the local branch of the NAACP for human rights advocacy, volunteerism, and commitment to the improvement with the Pocatello community. 

How ‘Shop Talk’ is building bridges between the police and the community

The City of Irving (Texas) Shop Talk program is a community outreach program designed for residents who would not normally attend community town halls but have a desire and need to have their voices heard. The program provides police officers with the opportunity to talk with barber shop clients and workers to facilitate honest and genuine dialog and may be a vehicle that helps build trust in communities.

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley chats with Irving PD Officer Jon Plunkett who oversees the program and facilitates opportunities to use barber shops and beauty shops for outreach efforts. Since the start of this program, which is partnered with OneCommunityUSA, more than 30 shops are currently participating. Officer Plunkett recently received a US Attorney’s Distinguished Service in Policing award for the program.

Axon President Luke Larson on how virtual reality is democratizing police training

On this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley speaks with Axon President Luke Larson about the cutting-edge technology that is bringing relevant, realistic and efficient virtual training to law enforcement. Luke joined Axon in 2008 and has filled a variety of executive and management roles before being appointed president in April 2015. Prior to joining Axon, Luke served two tours in Iraq as a Marine Corps infantry officer and was awarded the Bronze Star with V for valor on his first tour.

Why police departments must streamline the recruitment process

Recruitment and retention are huge issues in policing and whether you are trying to get into law enforcement, applying as a lateral transfer to another agency, or if you are a recruitment officer, this is a show you will not want to miss.

Rob Cate is the CEO and co-founder of Interview Now, a modern recruitment system for law enforcement. The company makes it easy for agencies to recruit, communicate and manage the next generation of law enforcement officers using automation, modern communication tools and analytics. Interview Now’s text-message-based software is already helping agencies both large and small in 20 states, including the New York State Police, the Memphis Police Department, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. 

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley chats with Rob about how his software solution streamlines the policing recruitment process, making it more engaging for potential candidates and more effective for law enforcement agencies.

Public safety leaders reflect on the 20th anniversary of 9/11

In this special episode of the Policing Matters podcast, law enforcement, fire and EMS leaders from across the Lexipol media sites come together to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. Policing Matters podcast host Jim Dudley looks back on the industry-altering event with Inside EMS host Chris Cebollero, Side Alpha Podcast host Fire Chief Marc Bashoor and EMS One-Stop host Rob Lawrence.

Dr. Ervin Staub on active bystandership in law enforcement

Dr. Ervin Staub studied the roots of violence between groups after living through the horrors of Nazism and then communism in Hungary. His best-known book is “The Roots of Evil: The Origins of Genocide and Other Group Violence,” in which he explores the psychological, cultural and societal roots of group aggression.  After the Rodney King incident in 1991, Dr. Staub was invited to create a peer intervention training program for the LAPD with the goal of lowering the number and degree of uses of force. Then in 2014, he and other consultants assisted the New Orleans Police Department’s in developing EPIC (Ethical Policing is Courageous) training, designed to educate, empower and support patrol officers to play a meaningful role in “policing” each other. Georgetown Law's Project ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement) peer intervention program builds upon EPIC and Dr. Staub’s research to prepare officers to successfully intervene to prevent harm and to create a law enforcement culture that supports peer intervention. In this podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Dr. Staub about how law enforcement can develop a culture that supports active bystandership.

Back to school: The challenges SROs face as children return to the classroom

Over the past year, we’ve seen school districts nationwide scrutinize the deployment of school resource officers, with several cities moving to remove SROs from schools. In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley chats with Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, about the critical role SROs play, including addressing student mental health issues as children return to the classroom following a year of virtual education.

Assessing fentanyl exposure risks for law enforcement officers

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has contributed to many of the 91,000 overdose deaths in America over the past year. This Schedule II drug is said to be 80-100 times more potent than morphine. A recent video of a San Diego sheriff deputy who collapsed after he was exposed to fentanyl in the field went viral and led to much discussion about the risks of exposure. In this episode of Policing Matters host Jim Dudley chats with John M. Williams, Sr., MD, MPH, about the hazards of fentanyl and how officers can minimize risks.