Policing Matters

Force is inevitable in law enforcement situations with non-compliant suspects. Police officers know how to use de-escalation, but sometimes voice commands are not effective in dealing with subjects under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or if they are in a mental health crisis. De-escalation does not work well when a suspect flees, so what are your options? In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with Kevin Mullins from WRAP Technologies about the BolaWrap, a remote restraint device officers can use to safely detain individuals without injury or the need to use higher levels of force. About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

Ghost guns are firearms that are privately assembled and untraceable. They can be assembled from "buy build shoot" kits or from other parts, or they can be 3D-printed. Unlike other guns, these weapons don't have serial numbers. Google “ghost guns” to see the ubiquity of them and that they have been used to assault law enforcement officers and commit crimes by people who most likely would not be able to lawfully purchase a firearm otherwise. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with Tom Chittum, who recently retired from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), about the proliferation of ghost guns, as well as the value of gunshot detection systems. About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

The future of policing is in the hands of our best recruiting efforts. In a world where most careers have swift hiring procedures, why does law enforcement take up to nine months? Can we continue to rely on passive strategies like billboards to attract quality applicants?  In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Coach George Rush, a legend in the realm of college football with an impressive record of 326 wins, 22 conference titles, 7 state titles and 7 national championships in his 38-year career. Post-retirement, Rush has taken on a new challenge – working with the San Francisco Police Department on their recruitment efforts. Can the strategies that led to overwhelming success on the football field be replicated in the law enforcement recruitment process? Tune in to find out as Coach Rush shares his experiences, strategies and vision for the future of police recruitment. ABOUT OUR SPONSOR This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn mor

A critical incident causes a full-on agency response, perhaps it involves fatalities, or perhaps it involves the use of force. The scene is secured and the media creates a narrative about the event that is not quite right. Does your agency respond? Does your agency have a policy? How soon does the agency chief or sheriff explain the facts to the media and the public? In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Judy Pal, founder and principal of 10-8 Communications LLC, about best practices in crisis communications – both internal and external to your agency. Judy is a co-author of the recently released "Strategic Communications for Law Enforcement Executives" published by the COPS Office. Prior to teaching and consulting full-time, Judy Pal was an assistant commissioner with the NYPD serving as an advisor to the Police Commissioner. Before that, she was Director of Operations for FBI-LEEDA, Chief of Staff with the Baltimore and Milwaukee Police Departments, and served as a mem

Imagine you are a law enforcement officer first on scene of a mass shooting, or a choking child, or another officer or civilian has been critically injured and needs immediate attention. Are you up to the task? Is it even something you have been trained to handle? In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with Eric Thomas O'Neal about adding yet another dimension to today's law enforcement officer, that of a trained emergency medical responder. ABOUT OUR SPONSOR This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

In this special crossover episode of the Policing Matters, Better Every Shift and Inside EMS podcasts, cohosts Jim Dudley, Aaron Zamzow and Chris Cebollero come together to discuss preserving the legacy of 9/11 responders and to assess our readiness to respond to a large-scale MCI in our communities. Together, they dive into technology trends used to improve the security of citizens and first responders, from license plate readers to crime mapping, facial recognition, drone surveillance and AI analysis. Tune in as our panel discusses: Keeping the 9/11 legacy alive with new generations How awareness of occupational cancer and mental health concerns is more prevalent today Community preparedness and incident command 9/11-related illness and its continued impact and devastation today How AI can contribute to the security of citizens and first responders The importance of information sharing and security ABOUT OUR SPONSOR This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by Verizon Frontline. The advance

In the sphere of public safety, we often overlook the crucial role of those people who answer 911 calls, gather necessary information, and relay it to law enforcement personnel. There's a vast amount of unseen work, and more often than not, the circumstances are filled with high stress. Carbyne, a leader in cloud-native emergency call management, in partnership with NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, recently announced the groundbreaking findings of their inaugural "Pulse of 9-1-1 State of the Industry Survey." This first-of-its-kind survey unveils compelling insights into the critical challenges faced by the 9-1-1 call center staff. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Karima Holmes, MPA, vice president of public safety at Carbyne about the survey's results. Karima Holmes has served as executive director at emergency communications centers (ECC) across the U.S. where she overhauled technical infrastructure and critical public safety programs. Holmes has also leveraged her in

Law enforcement officers may encounter situations where an individual may be unresponsive, appearing confused, agitated, or acting in a manner that doesn’t quite fit the situation. How can an assessment be made to help connect with this person? People with intellectual and developmental disabilities or IDD continue to be overrepresented in the criminal justice system as suspects, defendants and incarcerated persons, often because the manifestations of their disability can cause suspicion. This is especially true for individuals with invisible disabilities, such as autism. People with IDD may also unknowingly confess to a crime they didn’t commit. After arrest, the problem worsens as they often can’t assist in their own defense and often alienate juries. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Leigh Anne McKingsley, director of The Arc's National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability, about how law enforcement can improve response to persons with intellectual and develo

Artificial intelligence technology is impacting all aspects of our lives. In today's episode, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with ZeroEyes' Chief Customer Officer and Co-Founder Dustin Brooks about how his company uses AI to detect firearms.  ZeroEyes is a proactive visual gun detection and situational awareness software platform based on computer vision and advanced machine learning AI. It is layered on existing digital security cameras at schools, businesses and government offices. The technology is designed to identify illegally brandished guns and instantly send images to the ZeroEyes Operation Centers, which are staffed by military and law enforcement veterans for human verification. Once these experts verify that a gun has been identified, they dispatch alerts and provide situational awareness and actionable intelligence, including visual description, gun type and last known location of the shooter, to local staff and law enforcement as fast as 3 to 5 seconds from detection.  ABOUT OUR SPO

There is no question that advancements in technology are helping communities fight crime as the number of law enforcement officers continues to diminish. But are we the technology efficiently and effectively? Are we integrating various applications to address crime prevention? Can we do it in small, medium and large agencies, and in urban and rural areas? In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with Jamie Hudson, Real-Time Information Center Manager at the Elk Grove (California) Police Department, about how his agency is using technology to harness information and intelligence. ABOUT OUR SPONSOR This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com. About our guest Jamie Hudson is the Real-Time Information Center (RTIC) Manager at the Elk Grove (California) Police Department. He has led t

The death of George Floyd in 2020 from the unlawful actions of a Minneapolis police officer sparked the largest protests in U.S. history – resulting in the erosion of community trust in law enforcement, particularly for youth. After connecting with distraught students who expressed confusion and fear at several organized protests in the summer of 2020, then Fremont Police Captain Sean Washington recognized that the youths’ voices needed to be heard.  When he later became police chief in Fall 2021, he made it one of his priorities to listen – resulting in the establishment of the Chief’s Youth Advisory Board, enabling a direct line of transparent communication between Fremont youth and the Fremont Police Department (FPD).   In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with Chief Sean Washington about the work of the youth advisory board.  ABOUT OUR SPONSOR This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training,

Ever walk the beat or head into a coffee shop and hear, “See that police officer over there? If you don’t behave, they will arrest you!” Most officers have heard a parent say those exact words to a wide-eyed child and it infuriates them. Wouldn’t it be great to have a positive image of police and deputies portrayed to children? In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks to veteran NYPD officer Adrian S. Goodwin about her mission to deliver that positive image through her newly released children's book titled "Twins in the City: Let's Learn About Police Officers."   ABOUT OUR SPONSOR This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To learn more, visit lexipol.com.

We often discuss the impact of vicarious trauma witnessed by public safety personnel. Not many in the profession joined with the intent of being mental health counselors to those on the street. The city of Aurora, Colorado has a series of programs that takes the pressure off law enforcement officers by pairing them with civilian mental health clinicians. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with Courtney Tassin, LPC, who is the Crisis Intervention Program Manager for the City of Aurora, Colorado where she oversees four mental health/emergency services collaboration programs to include an alternative response, law enforcement co-response, targeted violence prevention program and a cold weather emergency activation team. Prior to this role, she served three years on the Aurora Police Department’s co-responder model, the Crisis Response Team, and was then chosen to build the City’s first alternative response model, the Aurora Mobile Response Team. ABOUT OU

The "Small Town Dicks" podcast follows big-time crime in Small Town, USA, with each episode featuring the detectives who broke the case in their small town, and includes assets like jailhouse phone calls, suspect interviews and 9-1-1 calls to explore the case from all angles. The show is anchored by veteran, identical-twin detectives Dan and Dave, retired cold case investigator and "New York Times" bestselling author Paul Holes and hosted by actress, Yeardley Smith, the iconic voice of Lisa Simpson. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Lexipol, host Jim Dudley speaks with Dan and Dave about the podcast, which has built a dedicated following during its nearly six-year run. Listen to the Small Town Dicks podcast Follow online, and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.  ABOUT OUR SPONSOR This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Lexipol, the experts in policy, training, wellness support and grants assistance for first responders and government leaders. To l

In light of serious problems in our schools – from student disruptions, fights, even stabbings and shootings – are we doing enough to maintain the peace in our schools without getting caught up in administrative infractions? In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by L3Harris, host Jim Dudley speaks with Jerrie  Newport, one of three Threat Assessment Coordinators for the NEWESD and the Student Threat Assessment program. Jerrie facilitates and trains Level 2 community-wide threat assessment teams using the Salem-Keizer/Cascade threat assessment model for Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON SCHOOL SAFETY Prevention, disruption & response: The strategies communities must deploy to stop school shootings An integrated technological approach to school attack prevention and response Bystanders: One key to preventing school violence On-demand webinar: Building safer schools Building multi-disciplinary school threat assessment teams What law enforcement can learn f

Law enforcement recruiting is an issue we have been scrambling to address across the country. Our guest today has some ideas that have been put into action with some great initial results. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Staccato, host Jim Dudley speaks with Marvin "Ben" Haiman, who serves as the Chief of Staff for the Metropolitan Police Department, about how the agency is using data-driven initiatives to improve recruiting. Mr. Haiman oversees the daily operations of the Executive Office of the Chief of Police and is responsible for broad agency management and implementing strategic agency objectives.  About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Staccato. Choose the handgun trusted by over 900 law enforcement agencies across the country. With Staccato, you can feel confident knowing you aren’t sacrificing incredible accuracy for reliability. Whether you’re protecting your family at home or on duty, Staccato has your back. Military and law

The movies show us exactly how hostage negotiation works. Cut to the helicopters, searchlights, the holed-up hostage taker and the hostage negotiator approaching on foot, arms extended, without cover and wearing no protection aside from the nylon windbreaker that says “Hostage Negotiator” across the back. In reality, only a very small percentage of law enforcement officers become crisis negotiators, and face the reality of impromptu callouts with little information and less-than-ideal settings from which to work. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Staccato, host Jim Dudley speaks with Jonathan Pultz, a 25-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department and author of the book “Negotiating Like Lives are on the Line.” Jonathan is currently a tactical team leader on the LAPD's SWAT team and a crisis negotiator. He has a Master’s degree in Dispute Resolution and a certificate of Negotiation Mastery from Harvard Business School online. Jim and Jonathan discuss the training and experien

We often talk about policing in urban areas on the show – from mid-sized cities to large metropolitan areas and all related issues confronting law officers. But in this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Staccato, host Jim Dudley speaks with the sheriff of a large department in Arizona, located at the southernmost tip of the U.S. at the intersection border with New Mexico on the Mexico border, where deputies patrol in extremely rural areas.  Sheriff Mark Dannels, a 38-year veteran of law enforcement, has served as the 26th Cochise County Sheriff since November 2012. Discussion points in this episode include staffing, funding, border-related crime and drug interdiction. About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Staccato. Choose the handgun trusted by over 900 law enforcement agencies across the country. With Staccato, you can feel confident knowing you aren’t sacrificing incredible accuracy for reliability. Whether you’re protecting your family at ho

Front-line officers are the backbone of every law enforcement agency, and some officers have the ability to perform without second-guessing or unreasonable restrictions. Great leaders give those officers a degree of confidence and autonomy by providing them with the training and resources to lead every day.  In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Staccato, host Jim Dudley speaks to Chief Gerald W. Garner about how to turn good chiefs into great leaders. Chief Garner has spent his 53-year career seeking to disseminate leadership training. He has authored several books including the "Basic Handbook of Police Supervision: A Practical Guide for Law Enforcement Supervisors," "Police Chief 101: Practical Advice for the Law Enforcement Leader" and "Making Sergeant: The Biggest Leap in Law Enforcement." His most recent publication is "Leading the Small Police Department." About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Staccato. Choose the handgun trusted by

Law enforcement underwater sonar operations and recovery teams perform a variety of tasks, many of which are crucial to solving crimes, finding missing people and assisting in disaster situations In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Staccato, host Jim Dudley speaks to underwater recovery expert Ray Wichus who retired after nearly three decades as a Conservation Police Officer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Ray worked in the field as a firearm trainer, a fitness monitor officer, and a SONAR operator and trainer.  Jim and Ray discuss some of the challenging responses in the field of underwater recovery, as well as Ray's work in the Reptile Undercover Unit. About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Staccato. Choose the handgun trusted by over 900 law enforcement agencies across the country. With Staccato, you can feel confident knowing you aren’t sacrificing incredible accuracy for reliability. Whether you’re protecting your f