Policing Matters

What do Americans want from their cops?

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 discuss how the American people perceive police officers, what they truly want from law enforcement, and frame the conversation within the context of what's happened in recent years in San Francisco, where Jim worked as a law enforcement officer for three decades, and where Doug has called home for nearly two decades.

How a Citizens‘ Police Academy can strengthen community relations

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 strategy for educating the public. What goes into creating such a program? What are the benefits? Who should be the instructors? In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss best practices for putting on a Citizens' Police Academy.

End of Year 2019: The top trends in a tumultuous year

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 recognition software and artificial intelligence, ongoing anti-police sentiment — and the opposing force of police supporters — as well as the use of CBD oils, and the impact of legal marijuana on recruiting.

Officers and animals

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 are not equipped with tranquilizer guns, control poles, and animal cages, so it's ideal to call in your animal control partners, but there are times animals must be dealt with. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss dealing with wildlife on patrol.

How can civilians assist cops in danger?

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 this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss how police can be aided by police supporters, and how to tell interested citizens that they're most helpful in backing away.

Policing in jurisdictions with anti-cop DAs

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 1981. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss policing alongside hostile prosecutors.

Policing on Black Friday

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 Thanksgiving. Further, "Black Friday" is the semi-official start to the Christmas Holiday season. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss policing on the holidays, beginning with Black Friday and all the way through New Year's.

Pulling the pin: Planning for a long and happy retirement

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 they may just not realize that the time to move on has come and gone. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the need for officers to know when it's time to pull the pin, and how to plan for that day's eventual arrival.

Cops and sleep: How agencies can help mitigate the fatigue factor

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 matter of police officer sleep and how it affects effectiveness on the job.

Putting police in the political cross hairs

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 without knowing all the details of an issue. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss how O'Rourke's suggestion would put police officers in danger, how it doesn't really address the matter of gun violence in America, and how it shines a light on how police are too often put in the middle of a political debate.