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There are many new training programs being offered to police officers, and policy reforms are almost as prevalent. This is no surprise, as both training and reforms are intended to improve modern policing. What is less understood is the multi-dimensional aspects of training and reforms, and the diversity of police culture, which can impact the acceptance of both training topics and policy reforms. Trey Bussey joins the podcast to discuss the complex relationship between all three concepts, and that police leaders need to consider this relationship if improvements are going to be successful.

Main Topics

• All training is not created equal.
• Police culture is a diverse as any other culture.
• Most officers, regardless of their guardian or warrior orientation, look favorably on most training topics, but they see police reforms differently.

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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.

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The answer to problems in policing is better policing, not its abolition. If the move to eliminate policing were successful, “people will hate you.” That was the response of Dr. Paige Vaughn, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina. In this episode, Dr. Vaughn explains that studying the public’s perception of the police is nuanced, but the bottom-line finding is that the public expects the police to be part of most emergency responses, crime or otherwise. Our conversation also moved into aspects of organizational justice and job enrichment. In the long run, efforts to improve policing can benefit the community as well as the officers themselves.

Main Topics

• Understanding the public’s opinion of the police is much more complex than simply slogans about defunding the police.
• Improving policing is preferred over defunding or abolition.
• The mere perception that policing is being diluted or eliminated can threaten their legitimacy, which can lead to an increased perception of crime, increased fear, and even lower police legitimacy.

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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.

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Policing tactics are directly related to those used to improve public health (e.g., the impact of abandoned housed on crime and interventions to reduce gun violence). Policing can also benefit by including success stories along the lines of those used by many industries: counting the number of accident-free days. Dr. Branas, the Chair of the department of epidemiology at Columbia University, discusses a recent study that supports using “shooting-free days” to measure crime prevention success. Dr. Branas suggests that this approach does not replace counting shootings; rather, it provides a counter approach to understanding harm.

Main Topics

• Measuring the number of shooting-free days, and a few other similar metrics, offer a different perspective on violent crime.
• This study examined gun violence data from 10 large cities as a proof-of-concept.
• The same simple calculations can be used in any city that experiences violent crime, particularly shootings.

Here is the citation for the research:

Branas, C. C., Plumber, I., Bennett, R., Landes, O., & Rajan, S. (2026, March). Shooting-Free Days as a New Metric of Success in Reducing Firearm Violence. In JAMA Health Forum (Vol. 7, No. 3, p. e260078). American Medical Association.

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.

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Policing includes more than just law enforcement. Crime reduction is a thinking game: how can the police succeed while also saving their own time and resources? Hunter M. Boehme, an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina, joins the podcast to discuss what I call “less formal” methods for reducing crime.

Main Topics

• Soft power is still power. Enforcing civil code violations can be used to reduce some violent crimes.
• Non-sworn policing personnel, or even city employees, can provide a light footprint to improve an area.
• While property crime was reduced at a statistically significant level, other violent crimes still declined.
• “Better” does not have to be statistically significant, it just has to be 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

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.

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If a police officer is facing a critical incident they may delay their decisions because of something called “decision inertia.” Officers don’t freeze up, but delay or fail to make decisions due to uncertainty. Paradoxically, that uncertainty can be the result of training or agency policies that are intended to guide behavior. Dr. Brandon May explains the issue, and discusses his research that found that when officers are offered a least worst option, they will make a decision to resolve an complex choice.

Main Topics

• Redundant deliberations and the “deliberation loop” can delay decisions.
• A good decision can simply be the least worst option.
• Police agencies need to accept that officers need to be flexible in an effort to make good-faith decisions.

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.

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Understanding a police agencies history, both successes and failures, provides important insights for creating transparency and accountability. Dr. Craig Uchida, from Justice Security Solutions, discusses his historical research at the LAPD, and explains some of the recommendations for improving policing, which can be made permanent in an agency.

Main Topics

• Examining organizational history, as well as environmental context, matters when understanding police agencies and future plans.
• Using a consent decree as an accountability tool.
• Leadership, whether organizational or political, must recognized its OWN responsibilities, not just the actions of patrol officers.

Policing the Streets of Los Angeles: Controversies, Change, and Continuity

https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/policing-the-streets-of-los-angeles-9781666976458/

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.

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The Use-of-Force Continuum is intended to provide guidance for police officers on the appropriate, proportional level of force to use when trying to gain compliance. There seems to be a logical progression in the modern continuum, constructed in with the goal of minimizing an officer’s use of force. This research found that physical force (soft and hard) as a ‘lower’ force option than less-lethal tools is associated with increased officer injury.

Main Topics

•There is a “muddy middle” in the continuum, complicating the logical progression of some type of force.
•What’s the difference between “injury” and “pain?”
•How can 120 different variations in the continuum all be right?

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.

Send us Fan Mail

A police officer’s mental health can be impacted by more than just the personal and physical trauma they experience on the street. Moral injuries are less tangible but similarly harmful events that can contribute to psychological and depressive disorders. Dr. Lorraine Smith-MacDonald explains moral injuries and how they can impact police officers.

Main Topics

• Moral injuries are the psychological, emotional, or spiritual pain resulting from exposure to one or more events involving the transgression or violation of deeply held morals, ethics, or values.
• The research uncovered several “themes” to understand how officers experience moral injuries.
• While most themes related to street-level experiences, officers can experience moral injury from within the organization itself.

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.