Policing Matters

Safeguarding your mental wellness: Tips from ‘the cop doc‘

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 Kirschman – AKA “the cop doc” – about strategies police can use to protect their mental wellness during these trying times.

Why kids are the key to good police-community relationships

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 programs like Police Athletic Leagues, Shop with a Cop, National Night Out, and Explorer programs can help improve police-community relations.

Cops‘ unique brand of humor

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 job.

Solving cold cases

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 technology and an increase in information sharing across agencies nationwide can help police close more cold cases.

Redefining ‘juvenile‘ crime

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 treated as juveniles in criminal proceedings." She added in a statement on her website, "When teenagers make serious mistakes and commit crimes, state prison is not the answer. Processing teenagers through the juvenile justice system will help ensure they receive the appropriate education, counseling, treatment, and rehabilitation services necessary to achieve real public safety outcomes." In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug Discuss this proposal as well as others like it, and what the ramifications would be on the criminal justice system as well as public safety in general.

The impact of COVID-19 on reported crime

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 the impact of COVID-19 on reported crime and the potential lasting effects. Will lessons learned from the shelter-in-place orders figure into future policing strategies and policies?

Protecting critical infrastructure during a pandemic

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 "Protecting critical infrastructure: What your organization can do to weather the storm", Rex further describes planning the continuity of operations for an agency. Captain Rex M. Scism (Ret) is a 32-year law enforcement veteran and former director of research and development for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Within that capacity, he was responsible for policy management, organizational accreditation initiatives, and statistical analysis. Mr. Scism also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Criminal Justice for both Columbia College and the University of Central Missouri. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy – Session 249, and currently serves as a Content Developer for Lexipol.

The hazards of bail reform

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 the idea of bail reform may have some merit—as long as serious, chronic, and violent offenders remain in custody unless they guarantee that they will return to court or show enough investment that they will not commit further acts while out of custody.

Preventing police suicide

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 officers are smashing the stigma of seeking mental or emotional assistance, and how the culture of policing still must continue to evolve to ensure that officers approaching crisis have access to the assistance they need to prevail.

Police1‘s 20th Anniversary

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 the years.