Former Police Captain Steve Neal and author of Toxic Boss Blues joins Badge to the Bone for some great discussion on toxic bosses within public safety. Badge to the Bone asks the tough questions of how we got here and how do we make a change. Most in public safety have experienced a toxic supervisor at one time or another. Toxic Boss Blues is a good resource highlighting some toxic examples while giving tips on how to handle working for a toxic boss.

Denny and Al discuss their trip to Dover, DE for the Jeepers Back the Blue event at the Dover Motor Speedway. They play some onsite interviews with Jim from Warrior Weekend and Mike from Veterans United. These are great people representing some fantastic organizations doing amazing work. Denny also talks about attending the Impact of Trauma Conference in Norfolk, VA and the upcoming VALE wellness event.

Greg Podolak comes on Badge to the Bone and discusses his efforts to improve mental wellness within first responder agencies. He presents his idea with a program of integrating mental health professionals into the every day operations of law enforcement agencies. His idea is a progressive approach to normalizing mental wellness and mental health professional within police agencies. They also discuss the upcoming Virginia Law Enforcement Foundation (VALE) wellness event in Henrico, Virginia on September 23rd.

Renowned author, public speaker, and first responders trainer Lt. Col Dave Grossman speaks with Denny and Al about the current state of law enforcement and careers of service. Lt. Col. Grossman presents some excellent perspective regarding murder rates, assaults on LE, and the fight against evil. A must listen to for all first responders.

Attorney Ken Good from Texas joins Badge to the Bone to talk about the unsettling assault on cash bail occurring in Harris County, Texas. This trend has caused a tremendous strain on the court system resulting in an unprecedented high rate of failure to appears and case dismissals. Ken Good has argued cases before the Supreme Court of Texas, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court.

Denny and Al discuss their summer break activities and some upcoming events and appearances. They also discuss the recent officer involved shooting in North Dakota.

Another trailer for upcoming season 2.

Season 2 coming soon.

Denny and Al celebrate their tenth episode with a fun show reflecting on some of the different cop shows and movies that sparked their careers. They bring on a new guest Kevin, aka Thor to partake in some good laughs. This episode also serves as a closer for season one as they take a summer break to prepare for a hard hitting season two. Season two trailers will be published so be on the lookout for some hints of what's to come. Also in the meantime, check out the web page www.badgetothebone.com and the Facebook page. You can also email Denny and Al at [email protected].

It's been a minute since our last episode, but Badge to the Bone has a great guest for this episode. Kari was an emergency communications dispatcher for 16 years, and she provides a much needed perspective regarding exposure to trauma within emergency communications. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget that our dispatchers on the other side of the radio and on the receiving end of traumatic calls are impacted just as much as those responding and sometimes more. Kari explains how the emergency communications position is viewed and classified differently from first responders in the field limiting the mental health resources available. The stress and trauma combined with a disappointing lack of support from management impacted her mental wellness significantly. Public safety needs to do better with this so take a listen.