Policing Matters

Off-duty employment considerations for police

Like many officers struggling to provide for their families, Chris White began working off-duty security jobs to supplement his income and purchased his first home with the money he earned. He then began assisting fellow officers by helping them schedule other regional off-duty requests, leading him to form ATHOS Group, a national off-duty hiring firm for law enforcement officers. In this episode, host Jim Dudley asks Chris to share his advice for police officers seeking outside employment, as well as how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted off-duty opportunities for police.

Is a criminal justice degree worth it? The answer is yes.

Janay Gasparini, P.h.D., a former police officer and current assistant professor of criminal justice at Shepherd University, recently wrote an article for Police1 titled “Why the next generation of cops need a criminal justice degree.” In this episode of Policing Matters, Dr. Gasparini explains why having a criminal justice degree helps those interested in a law enforcement career and also offers advantages for veteran law enforcement officers. Learn when you should and how you can obtain your degree, why it will serve you in your career from the academy through the police promotional process, and where you should look for colleges.

Rener Gracie on why every cop needs one hour of Jiu-Jitsu training a week

Law enforcement officers are often put into difficult situations where they need to make immediate decisions on levels of force needed to stop an attack, to defend others or themselves, or possibly to use to effect an arrest of a resisting offender. In this episode, host Jim Dudley speaks with Rener Gracie, world-renowned Jiu-Jitsu expert, practitioner and chief instructor at the Gracie University about the current deficits in law enforcement defensive tactics training and how use of force “reform” could endanger both cops and civilians.

Axon CEO talks TASER weapons, police performance and transparency

Rick Smith, CEO of Axon (formerly TASER International), has been a technology pioneer in law enforcement with a current vision of making the bullet obsolete by 2029. Rick founded the company, TASER International, in 1993 and as the TASER weapon became ubiquitous in law enforcement, he has pushed his company to think beyond weapons technology toward a broader purpose of matching technology to public safety needs in order to make the world a safer place. In this episode, host Jim Dudley speaks with Rick about current research around the development and deployment of TASER weapons, as well as new offerings from Axon designed to improve police performance and transparency.

How an app could integrate off-duty public safety personnel into mass violence response

There seems to be an app for just about everything these days, from accessing training to seeing how crime is occurring almost in real-time. Civilians have access to apps that warn them of traffic delays or police activity. Wouldn't it be great to have an app that provides access to off-duty LEOs to assist in responding to an act of mass violence when they are close to the incident? In this episode, host Jim Dudley speaks with Lt. Travis Norton, a 20-year veteran with the Oceanside (California) Police Department, about how to bring this concept to reality.

The FBI’s NIBRS deadline is fast approaching. What agencies need to know.

The FBI responded to law enforcement’s call to upgrade and update reporting of the nation’s crime statistics by transitioning from the Summary Reporting System (SRS) to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) by January 1, 2021. Recognizing this as a monumental shift in practice, the FBI gave several years' notice, from February 9, 2016, to be exact, to law enforcement agencies, and now the deadline is just weeks away. In this episode, host Jim Dudley speaks with Trudy Ford, the Section Chief of the Global Law Enforcement Support Section of the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division about what prompted the change, the improvements NIBRS offers and what the transition means for rank and file officers.

How to develop a social media messaging strategy ahead of Election Day

No one knows what the coming weeks leading up to Election Day hold, but there’s one thing we can all agree on – we’re heading for choppy waters. In a recent article for Police1, social media consultant Yael Bar-tur outlined 10 steps police chiefs can take right now to communicate on social media ahead of November 3. In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley talks to Yael about some of the strategies she details in the article.

The similarities and differences between law enforcement and the military

It is estimated that veterans comprise 20% of law enforcement personnel in the United States. In this episode, host Jim Dudley talks with U.S. military veteran and recently retired sheriff’s office deputy Greg Johnson about the unique skills and perspectives veterans offer police agencies, as well as the similarities and differences between serving in the military and serving in law enforcement.

Officer well-being in 2020: Addressing mental health challenges in LE

The year 2020 has presented numerous challenges for law enforcement, beginning with the management of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and then a rapid transition to rioting, looting and ongoing civil unrest. In this episode, host Jim Dudley talks with researchers Dr. Michelle Lilly and Sergeant Shawn Curry, both co-directors of the Training and Research Institute for Public Safety (TRIPS), about the startling findings of a recent survey they conducted to assess current psychological health in law enforcement officers.

Connect 2020: Lexipol‘s Virtual User Conference

Are you looking to improve community relationships, learn the latest developments in public safety technology and implement real change in your agency? Join us virtually for Lexipol’s first-ever user group conference: Connect 2020! On Wednesday, Oct. 14, explore how we can serve "Better Together."