Policing Matters

With 4,300 missions under its duty belt, the Chula Vista Police Department's drone program isn’t just breaking deployment records, it is also reinventing how law enforcement agencies use UAS and drone technology. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with retired Chula Vista PD Captain Don Redmond about how the agency is using drones as first responders.

With the right mindset and tactics, it is possible to get into incredible shape, own your police career in a sustainable way and connect better with your family, says Marc Hildebrand. A sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department, Marc struggled through a 100-pound weight loss journey to get into the best shape of his life at age 43, and now shares what he learned on that journey with other officers through his company, First Responder Fitness. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Marc about the importance of setting goals and surrounding yourself with people who will hold you accountable for your actions.

It is believed that many cases of child abuse, including physical and sexual abuse and neglect, could be the dark figure of crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many mandated reporters being denied the usual access and observation they have during “normal times.” Since the coronavirus pandemic and associated national shutdowns began in early 2020, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has seen a drastic spike in the number of cases and reports of child sexual abuse materials online and online grooming of children. From March through December, NCMEC received 21 million CyberTipline reports, which is up from 18 million for the whole of 2019. “We see a correlation between the pandemic and people being homebound and connected on mobile devices,” says NCMEC President and CEO John F. Clark. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with John Clark about the work of NCMEC, which serves as the nation's clearinghouse and comprehensive reporting center for

“A year like no other” could be the epitaph for 2020, along with words like unprecedented and unrelenting. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with fellow podcaster Patrick Fitzgibbons, host of the CJ Evolution podcast. Critical issues up for debate include recruitment and retention, law enforcement mission creep, the decriminalization of drugs, officer wellness, and how police leaders can improve morale in the coming year. Patrick Fitzgibbons is a retired police commander from Colorado with over two decades of experience in many different roles. He is also an adjunct college professor and enjoys teaching the next generation of criminal justice professionals. Patrick holds advanced degrees in Business and Organizational Leadership. A former Army Paratrooper with the elite 82nd Airborne Division, Patrick is an avid supporter of active military members and veterans. Patrick is a personal coach, speaker and is the host and creator of CJEvolution.

Hiring the right people and building a workplace that makes them want to come back to work every day is key to improving both officer retention and community relations, especially in small departments. In this episode, host Jim Dudley chats with Chief James Small who serves as the public safety director for the Village of Palmyra in Wisconsin about police leadership best practices in small departments. Chief Small recently won the 2020 Innovative Approach to Problem-Solving Award from the Wisconsin Policy Forum for his “ISLAND” approach to leadership and policing. Chief Small talks about the ISLAND concept, which stands for inclusion, safety, laughs, authentic accountability, nourishment and direction.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

In August 2019, Elijah McKnight, who was allegedly intoxicated and struggled with a sheriff’s deputy, was TASERed, handcuffed and subdued by three people. Identifying the patient was experiencing excited delirium, the attending medics administered one 500 mg dose of ketamine and another dose of 250 mg about nine minutes later after consulting with a physician. The story elevated to the front-page level as body camera footage identified that deputies asked if the medics could "give him anything," to which a medic replied they can give him ketamine and, "he'll be sleeping like a baby," but would need to be transported. A second case occurred that same month when another Colorado arrestee, Elijah McClain, was administered ketamine, went into cardiac arrest, and was subsequently declared brain dead and died on Aug 30, 2019. Last month the Aurora city council voted to temporarily ban paramedics from using ketamine to sedate patients.  In this episode, host Jim Dudley speaks with EMS1 columnist Rob Lawrence and D

On September 23, a Kentucky grand jury announced three counts of wanton endangerment against former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison for shooting into neighboring apartments during the execution of a search warrant on the night of March 13 that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor. In this episode, host Jim Dudley talks with Police1 columnist Sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith about the Breonna Taylor case and the grand jury’s indictments.

While all police officers pull their weapons during their careers only a very small percentage actually end up firing them in a deadly force confrontation. On April 8, 2016, Detective Adam Meyers became one of those officers after he was involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting that changed his life forever. In this episode, host Jim Dudley chats with Adam about the events of that day and the immediate aftermath, as well as the ongoing stress he experienced as a result of the incident.

Founded in 1976 as a nonprofit organization, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is a police research and policy organization and a provider of management services, technical assistance and executive-level education to support law enforcement agencies. In this episode, host Jim Dudley chats with PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler about the organization’s current work in development of best practice policy and dissemination of law enforcement resources and information, as well as how PERF is addressing the critical issues facing law enforcement agencies today.

When it comes to police officers and sleep there is one certainty – cops are not getting enough shut-eye. But did you know that moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments equivalent to those of alcohol intoxication? With mandatory overtime, court appearances and in-service training all taking a toll on the time available for officers to actually sleep, what can cops and their supervisors to do ensure sleep deprivation doesn’t result in fatal errors? In this episode, host Jim Dudley chats with Dr. Stephen James, an assistant research professor at Washington State University, about his work relating to the interaction between physical stressors, such as sleep-related fatigue, and police performance.