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. 5d ago

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 36: Chief Daniel Janickey - From Fairfax to Vienna: Leading Through Change

    The job of policing isn’t just chasing the worst people on their worst day. More often, it’s absorbing the stress, sadness, and anger and then showing up again the next day with patience and professionalism. That’s why this conversation with Vienna Police Chief Kevin Janickey hit so hard: it’s a clear-eyed look at what modern police work actually demands, and what leaders have to change if they want good officers to stay. Chief Janickey shares what surprised him most when he moved from the Fairfax County Police Department, a major agency with deep specialization, to leading a small-town department just outside Washington, DC. We talk about how bureaucracy, speed of policy change, and community policing differ when your team is 41 officers instead of 1,500. Then we get into the real pressure points facing law enforcement right now: retirements, fewer veteran field trainers, recruiting competition, rising starting pay, and the question families keep asking, “Would you tell your kid to do this job?” We also dig into the work police are increasingly asked to handle: mental health calls, homelessness, addiction, domestic disputes, and the constant need for de-escalation and “peace officer” skills. Chief Janickey breaks down what internal affairs teaches about accountability and public trust, and why transparency matters even when it’s uncomfortable. We wrap with leadership lessons, CompStat and data-driven deployment. If you care about public safety, police leadership, community trust, or officer wellness, listen now, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these behind-the-badge conversations. https://www.pepperball.com

  2. Oct 1

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 35: Chris Wigginton, Director, Georgia Public Safety Training Center - Training The Modern Police Officer

    A state decides to double police academy hours and suddenly every assumption about “basic training” gets challenged. We sit down with Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) Director Chris Wiggington to unpack why Georgia moves from 408 hours to nearly 800, what that looks like in real time, and how you convince lawmakers, agency leaders, and POST standards to align on a new baseline for modern policing.  We get practical about what works: a 16-week in-person academy backed by online learning, consistent statewide curriculum across regional academies, and gap classes that keep hiring from stalling for months. Chris makes the case that quantity is not the point by itself. The point is having enough time to teach law, tactics, communication, report writing, and decision-making without forcing recruits into a cram-and-dump cycle that fails them on the street.  The heart of the conversation is scenario-based training. We talk mock villages, role players, de-escalation, repeated report writing, and courtroom testimony practice that reflects how cases really unfold weeks later. We also dig into what police work has become for many departments: crisis response and mental health calls where the best outcome is often diversion to treatment, not another trip to jail. Along the way, we hit officer retention, annual continuing education, and resiliency training that finally treats mental, physical, and financial health as job-critical.  If you care about public safety, police training standards, crisis intervention, and how tax dollars translate into better 911 outcomes, this is the deep dive you’ve been waiting for. Subscribe, share this with a friend who debates policing, and leave a review with the training topic you think matters most. https://www.pepperball.com

  3. Sep 8

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 34: Chief Frank Frederickson - Serving Beyond the Uniform: A Chief’s Perspective on Policing

    Policing looks very different from the outside than it does from behind the badge. In this conversation with retired Chief Frederickson, we hear what 43 years in law enforcement teaches about leadership, responsibility, loss, and the commitment officers carry long after the uniform comes off. We begin in Massachusetts, where some of the earliest traditions of American policing took shape, and look at the family history, immigrant influence, and experiences that helped shape Chief Frederickson’s career. We also discuss how policing has changed over the decades while the fundamental responsibility to protect the community has remained the same. The conversation then turns to the Fraternal Order of Police and the role it plays beyond labor representation. Chief Frederickson explains why the organization’s fraternal mission matters, how state lodges work with national leadership, and what happens behind the scenes when major public safety issues reach Washington, D.C. Some of the most important discussion centers on what happens when officers and departments face loss. We talk about Law Enforcement Memorial Week, the impact of a line-of-duty death on families and agencies, and the mental health pressures chiefs often carry quietly. We also look at practical efforts to support officers and their families, including peer support for law enforcement executives, proposed pension protections for officers seriously injured in the line of duty, and the Blue Star license plate initiative honoring families of fallen officers. It is a candid conversation about the history of policing, the responsibility of leadership, officer wellness, and the work required to turn good ideas into meaningful support for the law enforcement community. Subscribe, share the episode, and tell us which part of the conversation stayed with you. https://www.pepperball.com

  4. Aug 10

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 33: Sheriff Bob Jonsen - Leading Santa Clara County Through Crisis And Change

    A sheriff’s office isn’t just patrol cars and 911 calls. It’s jails, courts, hospital security, transportation, staffing shortages, and a relentless 24/7 mission that never pauses. We sit down with Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Jonsen to talk about what modern public safety leadership really looks like in the middle of Silicon Valley, from the scale of his agency to the choices that shape morale and community trust. Starting with his path from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to leading Menlo Park and Palo Alto, we discuss how policing changes when you go from a massive system to a smaller city with fewer resources but the same urgent calls. Then we get blunt about politics: why he decided to run for elected sheriff during a period of controversy, what campaigning feels like for a career law enforcement professional, and why fundraising can create discomfort even when you’re determined to stay above reproach. From there, we dig into corrections and the part of public safety most people never want to see. We close with what Sheriff Jonsen is best known for nationally: officer health and wellness, including mindfulness, compassion training, and a music plus neuroscience approach designed to reduce stress and improve sleep without stigma. If you care about policing, jail reform, officer wellness, or what it takes to run a half-billion-dollar public safety organization, hit subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. https://www.pepperball.com

  5. Jul 31

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 32: Deputy Chief Victor McDowell Jr - What If Trust Were The First Tactic

    A housing authority with its own police department sounds unusual until you hear how it actually works. We're joined by Deputy Chief Victor McDowell Jr from the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) Police Department, one of the oldest housing authorities in the country, serving more than 55,000 residents across Cleveland and nearby suburbs. We break down how CMHA Police operates with concurrent jurisdiction, why they run their own dispatch center, and what it means to be the primary law enforcement presence on housing authority property while still working shoulder-to-shoulder with city, county, and federal partners. We also get real about today’s calls for service: domestic violence, mental health crises, and the constant demand for de-escalation and good judgment from young officers who may be in their first professional job. Deputy Chief McDowell shares why the hardest part isn’t only what first responders see, but what they can’t solve in a single encounter and why wellness has to include everyone, especially 911 dispatchers who take the first wave of stress for hours at a time. One of the most practical takeaways is CMHA’s police-assisted referral culture: officers connect people directly to social service partners who proactively reach out with resources, instead of handing over a list of phone numbers and hoping someone calls. We also talk CALIA accreditation, policy and training standards, and a definition of trust I won’t forget: trust is given, and distrust is earned. If you care about community policing, public housing safety, modern law enforcement training, and what legitimacy looks like on the ground, this conversation delivers. Subscribe for more behind-the-badge stories, share this with someone who cares about public safety, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway: what builds trust fastest in your community? https://www.pepperball.com

  6. Jun 29

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 31: Dr. Serena Liebengood - How Culture Change Can Prevent Police Suicide

    More officers die by suicide than are killed in the line of duty and that single fact should change how we talk about public safety.  Dr. Serena Liebengood, a physician and public health professional who also knows this crisis in the most personal way, talks today about her husband, Howard “Howie” Liebengood, who served with the U.S. Capitol Police and died by suicide after years of service and the intense strain that followed January 6. We talk about who Howie was, what police families live with, and why the hardest injuries are often the ones nobody can see. We dig into the real mechanics of law enforcement mental health: cumulative trauma, understaffing, overtime, sleep loss, and the nonstop exposure to high-stress incidents that pile up across a career. We also explore why awareness isn’t enough. With about 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, even excellent research and resources can fail to reach the departments that need them most, especially smaller agencies with tight budgets and limited staff. Dr. Liebengood explains how the Howard C. Liebengood Foundation is designed to close that implementation gap through interdisciplinary collaboration, education, and research with a strong focus on systems and organizational change. We talk change management, culture, labor and management working together, and the foundation’s Washington symposium with Johns Hopkins Carey Business School aimed at helping leaders and teams bring practical improvements back to their agencies.  If you found this conversation valuable, subscribe, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and leave a review so more people can find honest discussions about police wellness and suicide prevention. https://www.pepperball.com

  7. Jun 16

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 30: Lieutenant Frank Borelli - Behind the Badge

    We talk with retired Lieutenant Frank Borelli about why police officers get flattened into stereotypes and how everyday courtesy can prevent conflict before it starts. We also dig into the family cost of the job and why honest communication matters as much as any tactical skill. Lieutenant Frank Borelli, a longtime law enforcement trainer and a leading voice at Officer Media Group and Officer.com, talks about what people miss when they only see policing through the loudest headlines. We get honest about how mainstream incentives can sensationalize police incidents, how context gets stripped away, and why that fuels stereotypes that harm community trust and public safety.  Then we go where most conversations don’t: the impact on officer families. Policing is a lifestyle with odd hours, constant situational awareness, and the quiet fear that lands on spouses, partners, and kids who have the least control. Frank talks openly about what gets shared at home, what gets held back, and why 100% open communication is the best chance at making it work. We also point to Police Week and the importance of supporting survivors through Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS).  If this helped you see the badge differently, subscribe, share this with someone who only knows policing from clips, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. What’s one thing you wish the public understood about police officers and their families? https://www.pepperball.com

  8. Jun 6

    First Response with Bob Plaschke, Episode 29: Captain Abrem Ayana - Trust Through Technology

    A 911 call gets answered and, in under a minute, a drone is already overhead. That single detail forces a bigger question: can public safety technology make policing both more effective and more ethical at the same time? PepperBall CEO Bob Plaschke sits down with Captain Abram Ayana from the Brookhaven Police Department, the leader behind some of the most forward-thinking programs in American policing, to find out what’s real, what’s hard, and what other agencies can actually learn from it.  We start with the human side. Ayana walks  through why he joined law enforcement, what the academy does and doesn’t prepare you for, and why field training officers are the backbone of good policing. He also speaks candidly about stress, burnout, and the reality of drawing a weapon, including how training and repetition are meant to create calm decision-making, not aggression.  Then Ayana gets into innovation with guardrails: Brookhaven’s mental health co-responder program with licensed clinicians, peer support for officers, and drones and first responders paired with tools like Live 911, cameras, and license plate readers.  The conversation then turns to  community trust, transparency, and the tension around surveillance, including why Brookhaven limits drone use to 911 calls and why sitting down with the ACLU matters. If you care about ethical policing, de-escalation, real-time crime centers, and practical public safety reform, this conversation is for you.  If this sparked a new perspective, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more people can get behind the badge with us. https://www.pepperball.com

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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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