Police In-Service Training

Scott Phillips
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

This podcast is dedicated to providing research evidence to street-level police officers and command staff alike.  The program is intended to provide research in a jargon-free manner that cuts through the noise, misinformation, and misperceptions about the police.  The discussions with policing experts will help the law enforcement community create better programs, understand challenging policies, and dispel myths of police officer behavior.  

  1. JAN 30

    Police Body-Worn Cameras and Mental Health Calls

    Send us a text Police body-worn cameras (BWC) have been around for several years, and a large number of studies have examined their acceptance by officers and their impact on use-of-force incidents.  Recent research expands on more subtle aspects of the use of body cameras.  This week Dr. Vincent Mousseau discusses his recent research, looking at officer’s views of activating body cameras when engaged with a person experiencing a mental health event.  Main Topics Officers provided diverse opinions on the proper use of BWC when dealing with these calls for service.The research finds officers continue to show the need for discretion when their experiences conflict with policy.  Thus, developing a comprehensive policy is a complex endeavor for police leaders.Streaming the BWC images with mental health professions is an unexplored option.Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

    28 min

  2. JAN 23

    Human Trafficking: Identifying Victims

    Send us a text Human trafficking is not the first thing you might think about as a policing issue, but it occurs everywhere.  In this episode Dr’s Gibbs and Strohacker from Penn State Harrisburg discuss their research that indicates training is imperative for street-level officers to recognize human trafficking.   Main Topics •While human trafficking is portrayed in a sensational manner in entertainment media, officers are really navigating more nuanced situations, ambiguous situations. •A survey of police officers from a large agency in Pennsylvania found that training, rather than experience handing or investigating human trafficking, was better for identifying victims. •They suggest that standardized training is needed for officers to identify human trafficking victims Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

    28 min

  3. JAN 9

    Police De-Escalation

    Send us a text Dr. Robin Engel takes a deep dive into police de-escalation, an approach that includes techniques to reduce the tension that can be part of any police-citizen interaction.  The tactics are designed to minimize the use of force by resolving incidents peacefully.   Main Topics Until recently, de-escalation research was non-existent and seen as potentially threating to the officers.Dr. Engel discusses how training contributed to substantial reductions in the use-of-force, as well as reductions in officer injuries.Still, de-escalation training must be combined with supervisor support and frequent reminders of it’s utility.Dr. Engel can be contacted at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.  Her research can be found on Google Scholar. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

    28 min

  4. 12/17/2025

    Episode 14: When the Police Back Off

    Send us a text There have been many questions about police proactive behavior and its impact on crime.  In 2020 two events caused police officers to “back off” on their street activity.  Dr. Jessica Huff explains the research into de-policing and how a reduction in proactive behavior lead to an increase in some types of crime. Main Topics Police officers backed off on their proactive behavior as the result of both department policy during COVID, as well as the social pressure after the death of George Floyd.Street-level officers demonstrated a significant reduction in some behavior.Backing off on proactive behavior was associated with an increase in some types of violent and property crime.If you are interested in the de-policing research discussed today, you can find the article using the following citation: Nix, J., Huff, J., Wolfe, S. E., Pyrooz, D. C., & Mourtgos, S. M. (2024). When police pull back: Neighborhood‐level effects of de‐policing on violent and property crime, a research note. Criminology, 62(1), 156-171. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

    27 min

  5. 04/03/2025

    Episode 13: High-Stress and Officer Recall

    Send us a text A police officer’s body camera can record the objective reality of an event, but the officer’s recall of the event will often be inaccurate.  Dr. Louise Porter from Griffith University joins the podcast to discuss her research exploring the memory and recall of police officers who are exposed to high-stress events. Main Topics -Dr. Porter discussed the perceptual distortions as they related to high stress events.  -We cover the differences in asking officers to document an incident as soon as possible or providing them with a waiting period before they are interviewed. -Finally, Dr. Porter will review the findings of her research on how an interview should be conducted to allow an officer the best opportunity to document an incident as accurately as possible. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

    37 min

  6. 03/14/2025

    Episode 12: Policing Deaths during Active Shooter Events

    Send us a text Police officers are trained to use deadly physical force as a last resort.  They are also trained to reduce their own risk of death.  Active shooter events, however, require a different behavior formula.  Officers are trained to move toward danger, and there is an expectation that they should “kill the killer” (as stated by a Florida Sheriff after the active shooting incident at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School).  These behaviors may contribute to the deaths of police officers.  Dr. Pete Blair, from Texas State University, joins us to break down these events and what might increase the survivability of police officers who respond to an active shooter event. Main Topics •Dr. Blair will discuss Normal Accidents and Resilience Engineering and their relation to officer behavior during these events. •He’ll examine the common conditions that lead to officer deaths. •Finally, Dr. Blair will discuss the changes to training that may be needed for responding to an active shooter event. If you are interested in discussion your agency's participation in the research project I mentioned in the leadup to the podcast episode, feel free to contact me at my Buffalo State email address: phillisw@buffalostate.edu If you are interested in the data discussed by Dr. Blair, use the link below: https://tacticalscience.substack.com/p/updated-data-on-the-most-dangerous Chain Survival: Responding to an Active Attack, by Dr. Blair and Dr. Martaindale, is available at Amazon (check the link below):  https://www.amazon.com/Chain-Survival-Responding-Active-Attack/dp/B0DFS3K8P8/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1 Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

    33 min

  7. 03/07/2025

    Episode 11: Contagious Fire

    Send us a text Whenever a police officer fires their weapon at another person it is important to understand why.  What were the conditions that lead to the shooting?  Explaining why a single officer shoots two or three times is important but explaining why three or four officers empty their clips seems to be a completely different question.  To better understand the idea of something called “contagious fire” we are joined today by Eric Dlugolenski from Central Connecticut State University. Main Topics •We’ll discuss the importance of studying contagious fire even if it’s a rare event. •Eric will explain the use of video simulators to study officer shooting behavior. •I also ask Eric to clarify the difference between shooting “errors” and justifications. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

    31 min

  8. 02/28/2025

    Episode 10: Hot Spots Policing

    Send us a text Hot spots policing has been around for more than 20 years, and there are many studies exploring its use.  Joining us to discuss the broad range of research on the topic is Brandon Turchan, a professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University. Main Topics •We’ll summarize the nuts and bolts of hot spots policing. •Brandon will explain that even if a hot spot never goes away, the police can keep these locations “cool.” •Hot spots policing tactics can be successful, but the gains are amplified when combined with procedural justice or problem-oriented tactics. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

    35 min
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About

This podcast is dedicated to providing research evidence to street-level police officers and command staff alike.  The program is intended to provide research in a jargon-free manner that cuts through the noise, misinformation, and misperceptions about the police.  The discussions with policing experts will help the law enforcement community create better programs, understand challenging policies, and dispel myths of police officer behavior.  

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Phillips
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Police In-Service Training
  • Show Website
    Police In-Service Training