Police In-Service Training

Scott Phillips
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Semiweekly

This podcast offers conversations with policing experts to help the law enforcement community create better programs, understand challenging policies, and dispel myths of police officer behavior.  The program is intended to provide research in a jargon-free manner that cuts through the noise, misinformation, and misperceptions about the police.  

  1. 8h ago

    Policing, Moral Injury, and Occupational Stress: Lessons for Policing Leadership Everywhere

    Send us Fan Mail Studies of policing and their wellbeing often focus on critical incidents.  These would be the officer-involved shooting incidents, or if they have to deal with some graphic crime scene.  But what might surprise some listeners is that an officer will also deal with organizational stressors that can be equally or even more harmful than a traumatic event.  Joining the podcast today is Dr. Susannah Hickie, who specializes in trauma, mental health, and organizational stress in high‑risk and security‑sensitive occupations, particularly within policing and defense.  She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology, where she conducted extensive qualitative research on PTSD, trauma, mental health, and organizational stress among police officers in Northern Ireland.  Her recent study is “‘The enemies are now inside the station’: trauma, organizational stress and institutional support in frontline policing.” Main Topics Officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland avoid seeking mental health services because of barriers inherent to the organization.There is a sense of moral injury based on the agency’s leadership. Blue Lights is, unfortunately, accurate.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

  2. Sep 22

    Policing and Crime Analysis Centers

    Send us Fan Mail How good are the crime analysis centers that are a growing part of policing?  I've heard a lot of stories about how analysts have made major contributions to solving crimes and tracked wanted criminals, but those are similar to the war stories police officers tell each other.  They are true, but rare.  So, how effective are crime analysis centers?  Dr. Bradley O’Guinn, Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida International University, joins the podcast to discuss his research titled, “Current trends in crime analysis in the state of Ohio: evaluating law enforcement agencies’ ability to adopt evidence-based policing strategies” (coauthored by Cory Haberman). Main Topics Crime analysis is intended to provide systematic inquiry of data for good decision making.In Ohio, 67% of police agencies had no crime analysis functions. Improvements in analysts abilities required funding for training and standardized qualifications.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

  3. Sep 8

    Police Leadership Turnover

    Send us Fan Mail The leader of an organization has a difficult task.  Anyone coming up the chain in any police agency would appreciate the issues and problems of that agency.  While the leadership issues of a large PD would dwarf those of a smaller department, both would have features unique to their size and location.  Regardless of whether an agency is large, medium, or small, the difficulties of leadership can often get to a point that the leader pulls the plug.  If this happens frequently, I would suspect that this creates its own problems for the organization itself.  But I’ve been wrong before.  Today we're going to talk with Dr. Tarah Hodgkinson from the Department of Criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Brandford, Ontario about her recent article, Churn a the top: Understanding predictors of turnover in police leadership in Canada (coauthored by Vanessa Currado). Main Topics There are both plusses and minuses to police chief turnover.Externally hired chiefs can offer fresh eyes and new perspectives for an agency. Police chiefs tend to leave when they’re older, MORE educated, and when they are an internal hire.Chiefs tend to stick around when the population is larger and there are more females on the force.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

  4. Aug 27

    Policing with Less-Lethal Options: Minimizing Civilian Injuries

    Send us Fan Mail Many police officers now carry less-lethal tools, which provide police officers with the means to apprehend resistant suspects without the need for hands-on tactics or firearms.  Hopefully this reduces the risk of civilian injury and death.  Still, a civilian can sustain an injury from a less-lethal tool.  Since most police agencies support the use of these tools, why not use the one that works but also reduces the risk of civilian injury?  Dr. Keven Petersen from the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte joins the podcast to discuss his recent study, “Less‑Lethal Weapons and Civilian Injury in Police Use of Force Encounters: A Multi‑agency Analysis,” coauthored by Christopher S. Koper, Bruce G. Taylor, Weiwei Liu and Jackie Sheridan‑Johnson. Main Topics An officer’s use of force is linked to police-community relations.Ranking the different less-lethal force tools on the force continuum remains challenging. Chemical agents appear to cause the least harm to civilians.The impact on officer’s safety remains important.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

  5. Aug 18

    Gunshot Detection Systems: The Price of Policing?

    Send us Fan Mail Gunshot detections systems work.  No, gunshot detection systems don’t work.  Can we have it both ways?  It’s kind of like the first line in A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  Well?  Which is it?   This week we’ll be discussing Gunshot Detection Systems and the impact on evidence collection and crime.  Dr. Eric Piza, the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice and Director of Crime Analysis Initiatives at Northeastern University, joins the podcast to discuss his 2024 study, “Gunshot detection technology effect on gun violence in Kansas City, Missouri: A microsynthetic control evaluation, coauthored by David N. Hatten, George O. Mohler, Jeremy G. Carter, and Jisoo Cho. Main Topics The price tag for a gunshot detection system (GDS) can get very expensive very quickly.The use of a gunshot detection system was associated with higher levels of ballistic evidence collection in the GDS target area and surrounding location. The GDS did not influence any of the gun violence categories involving confirmed victims (i.e., fatal and non-fatal, shootings, aggravated assaults).We also get into the political aspects of research, and the role of an academic in policy debates.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

  6. Aug 4

    Improve Police Behavior via Artificial Intelligence

    Send us Fan Mail Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on an unproven tool is wasteful, and Artificial Intelligence equipment for policing can be just such an expensive outlay.  While there is a growing body of research showing the AI benefits and limits within policing, the jury is still out on its overall utility.  Professor Ian Adams joins the podcast to discuss his paper titled, “Improving police behavior through artificial intelligence: Pre-registered experimental results in two large US agencies,” published in Criminology (coauthored by Kyle McLean and Geoff Alpert). Main Topics Using AI to audit body camera transcripts, there was an 80% increase in professional behavior in an already professional department.Substandard behavior was significantly reduced in a department with existing problems.  The improved behavior may not be a change in the hearts of officers, but better is still better.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

  7. Jul 28

    Policing Crime Guns, Not Just Gun Crime

    Send us Fan Mail Almost 25% of guns are used multiple times at or very close to the same place or reused within a relatively short period of time.  Just like “hot spots” for crime, guns can share similar repeat characteristics. In fact, a single firearm should be considered “durable hardware” that may never go away. The emphasis on “gun crime” research has led to a relative lack of understanding about “crime guns” themselves.  In other words, the tools that are a part of gun crime, the guns, are rarely the subject of research.  Today we are joined by Dr. Jonathan Reid, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Reid discusses his recent publication titled, “The Gun’s Journey to Crime: Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Repeat Criminal Firearm Use” (co-authored by Yan Zhang, William King, Jennifer Clausen, and William Wells). Click play and learn more about crime guns, not just gun crime. 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

  8. Jul 15

    Immigration and Gun Homicides: The Evidence and Policing Implications

    Send us Fan Mail Police officers understand evidence.  From their time in the police academy to the first time they testify in court, even traffic court, an officer understands the importance of providing clear provable information.  The evidence has to contribute to an argument that something is more than likely than not to be true.  But when we to listen to news reports they are going to focus on the most serious issues.  Unfortunately, the most serious issues are not the most common.  In academics we call this "an N of 1."  This does not stop people, the news media, or politicians from exploiting that single incident.  But this is not evidence.  The entire policing field understands the N of 1, because the field of policing can be targeted based on the behavior of a single officer.  Whether the behavior is justified or corrupt, that single incident is thrown about as something common to policing.  Again, this is not evidence.  On today’s episode we’re going to be speaking with Calvin Proffit about the true nature of immigration and its relationship to crime.  This is often discussed in the media, but we’re going to look at what the research evidences tells us about this issue.  Calvin is a PhD candidate in the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati.  Calvin is the lead author of “Gun Violence in the Age of Mass Migration: An Empirical Assessment of Immigration Effects on U.S. County-Level Firearm Homicides, 2000–2015,” which was published just a month or so ago. Main Topics This research is a macro examination of crime patters across locations and demographics.Thirty years of research shows immigration insulates a neighborhood from crime. “Immigrant Revitalization” can decrease gang and gun violence.The macro level data finds a negative relationship between gun homicides and immigrant populations.When it comes to “gang-related” violence, this seems to be a unique problem.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

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About

This podcast offers conversations with policing experts to help the law enforcement community create better programs, understand challenging policies, and dispel myths of police officer behavior.  The program is intended to provide research in a jargon-free manner that cuts through the noise, misinformation, and misperceptions about the police.  

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Phillips
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Police In-Service Training
  • Show Website
    Police In-Service Training

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