First Response with PepperBall CEO Bob Plaschke

Bob Plaschke

"First Response," is an interview series hosted by PepperBall CEO Bob Plaschke. This series aims to shine a spotlight on the thought leaders within the public safety industry and provide a platform for these individuals to share their experiences, insights, and the valuable lessons they've learned through their careers in law enforcement.

  1. 1d ago

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 28: Rajiv Mann, Expert in Threat Mitigation, Counterintelligence, Cyber Security, National Security Strategy & Policy

    Most people judge counterterrorism by what they see on TV: explosions, raids, and last-second saves. The truth is almost the opposite and that’s what makes it so hard to appreciate. When the FBI gets it right, nothing happens, and the public may never learn what was stopped or how close it came.  We sit down with Rajiv Mann, a retired FBI leader with more than 20 years in the Bureau and 31 years in law enforcement, to talk about how prevention actually works. He explains how counterterrorism investigations balance evidence, timing, and risk, and why Joint Terrorism Task Forces matter so much when the stakes are mass casualties. We also get personal about the mission-driven mindset it takes to run toward danger, the pressure of never wanting to fail, and the professionalism that comes from training built on research, constitutional law, and repeatable tactics rather than heroics.  Rajiv also walks us through major chapters of his career: the post 9-11 shift that brought him into the FBI, the reality of working state-sponsored terrorism, and what overseas assignments really look like when you’re operating openly through an embassy and coordinating with partner services. Finally, we dig into hostage recovery and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, an interagency effort that pulls together intelligence, defense, diplomacy, negotiation, and family support to bring Americans home and pursue justice when possible.  If you value clear-eyed conversations about public safety, national security, and the people doing the work in anonymity, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.  https://www.pepperball.com

    39 min

  2. May 18

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 27: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Training Officer Andrea Alt - More Than the Bite: Inside Police K9 Teams

    A police cruiser door pops open, a K9 rockets out, and the “bad guy” goes from confident to panicked in seconds. That viral moment is real training, and it opens the door to a bigger question: what do police K9s actually do all day, and how are they controlled when everything is loud, fast, and dangerous? We’re joined by Andrea Alt, one of the leading voices in police canine work, to walk through the mechanics and the judgment behind K9 deployment. We talk about why the professional term is "K9,” how working dogs learn commands in Dutch or German alongside English, and why tone and consistency matter more than any single word. Andrea also explains the difference between apprehension and detection, including how “bite and hold” is trained to target limbs under legal standards, and why that jaw pressure is the part people underestimate. From there, we dig into the less visible side of K9 units: tracking that recovers discarded clothing and DNA, passive alerts for firearms or explosives, and barking alerts used to locate hidden people during building searches. We also cover the practical realities of running a K9 program, including how many teams might operate in one area, what it costs to equip a dog, and why ballistic and stab-resistant K9 vests can be out of reach for some departments. Andrea closes with the mission behind her  nonprofit, the K9 Creed Armor Program, which helps fund protective vests for K9 teams in need. If you care about police transparency, K9 training, and public safety, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. https://www.pepperball.com

    43 min

  3. May 11

    First Response with Bob Plaschke Episode: 26: Chief Art Acevedo (Ret.) - Leadership, Ethics and Relational Policing

    You can’t understand modern American policing by looking only at headlines. The real story lives in the everyday moments: a traffic stop, a tense protest line, a hard conversation with a mayor, a decision to de-escalate instead of escalate. That’s why we sat down with Aurora CO, Chief Art Acevedo, (Ret.) one of the most decorated big-city police chiefs (Austin TX, Houston TX, Miami FL) of the last few decades, to talk about what actually builds trust and what quietly destroys it. We start with Art’s American journey, arriving from Cuba on the Freedom Flights, and how his family’s push to assimilate and embrace diversity shaped the way he leads. From there, we get honest about the trust gap around law enforcement, why police are still judged as part of government, and what changed after George Floyd. Art explains why mass crowd tactics can backfire, why precision and restraint matter, and how leaders earn credibility by showing up and leading from the front. The heart of the conversation is leadership and ethics. Art lays down a blunt rule for anyone chasing the top job: don’t become a police chief unless you can afford to lose the job, because integrity is the only thing you fully control. He also breaks down “relational policing” and his TREAT framework (transparency, respect, engagement to build emotional capital, accountability) as a practical blueprint for better outcomes, safer officers, and stronger community relationships. We close with why professional associations matter in a nation with 18,000 separate agencies but one Constitution. If you got value from this, subscribe, share it with a friend who cares about public safety, and leave a review.  https://www.pepperball.com

    46 min
  4. Special Episode - CEO Bob Plaschke as a Guest on the Officer Roll Call Podcast with LT Frank Borelli (Ret.)

    Apr 30

    Special Episode - CEO Bob Plaschke as a Guest on the Officer Roll Call Podcast with LT Frank Borelli (Ret.)

    A lot of agencies are being asked to lower use of force complaints while handling more mental health calls, addiction-related incidents, and day-to-day disorder with fewer people on shift. That squeeze creates a simple operational question: how do we keep officers safe and still resolve resistance without defaulting to higher-force tools? Lieutenant Frank Borelli sits down with PepperBall CEO Bob Plaschke to dig into what command staff are asking for right now and why “non-lethal at distance” is becoming central to modern de-escalation. We get specific about the street realities: why creating 35 to 50 feet of space can change decision-making, reduce panic, and keep officers out of the close-range danger zone. Bob explains how less-lethal launchers are being used to drive behavior change, what the effects feel like, and why shorter decontamination time matters for both subjects and officers. We also talk about the situations everyone dreads, like noncompliant vehicle occupants and barricaded subjects, and how distance-based tools can reduce the need for risky hands-on extraction or blind entries. Along the way, we connect tactics to the bigger picture of community policing and officer wellness. Fewer injuries, clearer body-camera narratives, and less lifelong “baggage” after violent encounters aren’t abstract benefits, they shape careers and trust. If you care about police officer safety, law enforcement de-escalation, and practical less-lethal options that work in the real world, this conversation is for you.  https://www.pepperball.com

    18 min

  5. Apr 10

    First Response with Bob Plaschke- Episode 25: Col. Frank Milstead, Chief of Police, Mesa, AZ (Ret.); Colonel, Arizona Department of Public Safety (Ret.): Body Cams And The Burden Of Proof

    Video has become the new witness, and that changes everything for public safety. PepperBall CEO Bob Plaschke sits down with retired Colonel Frank Milstead, former Mesa Police Chief and former head of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, to get brutally practical about body-worn cameras: why they took off, why “recording” is only step one, and why agencies that do not review footage are setting themselves up for failure in court and in public trust. This episode also digs into what cameras can’t do. A body cam is a single viewpoint that can be blocked by hands, steering wheels, or the officer’s own movement, and it will never recreate the full perception of a high-stress moment. Frank connects that reality to today’s fast-moving headlines, especially around ICE operations, where multiple videos can trigger instant judgment while the real facts still require time, review, and investigation. Plaschke and Milstead talk about how quotas and poor arrest planning can raise risk, and why accountability has to be aimed at leadership decisions as much as front-line actions. From there, the discussion steps back to modern policing’s hardest workload: mental illness, addiction, and homelessness calls that officers are not truly equipped to solve with a vest, cuffs, and a sidearm. Milstead also calls out public safety technology that gets overhyped through data overload, and he makes a strong case for drones as first responder as the next big tool, plus the coming need for counter-drone defense. If you care about police transparency, body cameras, ICE oversight, and the future of public safety tech, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. https://www.pepperball.com

    45 min

  6. Mar 31

    First Response Podcast with Bob Plaschke, Episode 23: Asst. Chief, Mesa, AZ PD - Ed Wessing (Ret.): Leadership, Wellness and Modern Policing

    The loudest part of policing is what you see on the street. The harder story is what happens before and after the call, when the phone rings at 2 a.m. and someone’s life is suddenly on the line. We talk with Ed Wessing, retired Assistant Chief from Mesa, Arizona and a former Marine, about what it really feels like to step away after 30 years behind the badge and why retirement can be the first time your mind truly gets to exhale. We get into how modern policing has changed: the jump from minimal tech to body-worn cameras and real-time scrutiny, and the shift from arrest-only metrics toward community policing that rewards relationships and trust. Ed explains the broken windows theory in plain language, why parts of it fell out of favor, and what replaced it: problem-solving that includes residents, city services, and long-term fixes that make neighborhoods safer. We also talk about homelessness, community courts, and why you cannot arrest your way out of every societal problem. A big thread is police wellness and first responder mental health. Ed shares how leaders and officers cope with cumulative trauma, why younger officers push for better work-life balance, and how training has evolved into immersive scenario-based simulators with coaching and debriefs. We close with the misconceptions he wishes more people understood: most officers do not want force, they want compliance and everyone going home safe, and they carry the weight of what they see for years. If you care about public safety, police training, community trust, and the future of law enforcement, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the conversation. What’s one policing misconception you’ve heard that needs correcting? https://www.pepperball.com

    42 min

  7. Mar 1

    First Response Podcast with Bob Plaschke, Episode 22 - Chief Polly Olson, Appleton, WI - From Morgue Assistant to Police Chief

    The sirens get the headlines, but the choices that shape a city’s safety often start far from the street. We sit down with Appleton Police Chief Olson to trace her unexpected path from biology student and morgue assistant to the department’s first female chief, exploring how a ride‑along turned into a calling and why the future of policing hinges on empathy, de‑escalation, and smarter support for families. Across a candid, story-rich conversation, we unpack the realities behind the badge: what drew a young mom into patrol work, how her husband navigated fear without a ready-made spouse network, and why fewer applicants and rising overtime create a burnout loop for departments nationwide. Olson offers a clear-eyed view of recruitment trends, from hundreds of candidates per opening to just a few dozen today, and explains how Appleton pushes back by building trust locally, showing up in schools, investing in transparency, and staying engaged long before a crisis. We also get practical about representation and retention. Olson breaks down the obstacles that keep women from staying and leading - pregnancy, postpartum recovery, shift work, and rigid schedules - then connects them to solutions: transitional duties, parental leave that works, and mentorship that opens doors. Along the way, we discuss less-lethal options, tasers, and de‑escalation tactics that reduce hands-on force and center communication skills many officers hone over time. And yes, there are human moments too—like dropping off teens in a marked squad car and making a traffic stop as they slide out of sight in the backseat. If you care about community policing, officer wellness, and smarter public safety, this conversation offers grounded insights and real steps forward. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review with the one change you believe would best improve trust where you live. https://www.pepperball.com

    39 min

  8. Jan 5

    First Response Podcast with Bob Plaschke, Episode 21 - Captain Kristen Neubauer (Ret.) - Behind The Badge, Beyond The Bias

    The sirens fade and the real work begins. That’s where Kristen Neubauer, former captain and investigator with the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, takes us. Into the spaces where competence erodes bias, where leaders guard their team’s energy like a scarce resource, and where evidence, not instinct, carries the truth across the finish line. From being the only woman in her academy to leading complex investigations, she shares how pressure can unify teams and how empathy, used wisely, keeps you human without letting the job hollow you out. We explore the difference between patrol’s volatility and an investigator’s long exposure to trauma, and why that distinction matters for mental health. Kristen breaks down what follow‑through with families looks like, how to be present without making promises the facts can’t support, and why small, timely check‑ins can change how people carry their grief. Her candor about leaving before burnout hits is a roadmap for anyone in a demanding role: know your energy, plan your exit at a high point, and carry your skills forward with intention. The conversation turns into a masterclass on communication and decision‑making.  If you care about public safety, resilience, and the craft of finding truth in noisy systems, this story will stick with you long after the credits. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs these insights, and leave a review to tell us what challenged your thinking. https://www.pepperball.com

    39 min
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"First Response," is an interview series hosted by PepperBall CEO Bob Plaschke. This series aims to shine a spotlight on the thought leaders within the public safety industry and provide a platform for these individuals to share their experiences, insights, and the valuable lessons they've learned through their careers in law enforcement.

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