Lieutenant Joey Sperlazza, Ed.S. is joined by J. Harris Academy of Police Training Instructor Lieutenant Collin Congleton, JD in LEO Radio Episode 32. Collin is a subject matter expert in Use of Force. Collin founded and now supervises the Force Investigation Unit for a major urban Police Department in New Jersey, is a United States Marine Corps combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a nearly 20 year veteran law enforcement professional. He earned a B.S. in National Security Studies (Summa Cum Laude) from New Jersey City University and a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers School of Law (Newark) where he was awarded the prestigious Judge J. Skelly Wright Prize for work in civil rights. He also completed the Certified Public Manager Program at Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration, where his research work on police training reform was nominated for the nationally recognized American Academy of CPM’s Askew Award. Some of his certifications include: FBI certified hostage and crisis negotiator; Force Science Institute certified force analyst; Gracie University certified Instructor of Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) Levels Iⅈ NJ PTC certified firearms instructor; NJ certified ICAT and ABLE instructor. Collin is also heavily involved in volunteer work supporting veterans and is an avid practitioner of Brazilian Jiujitsu. Full bios for Joey and Collin are available at JharrisTraining.com. Joey and Collin analyze three incidents in this episode of LEO Radio: • NYPD Officer Involved Shooting of Christopher Ferguson: The New York State Attorney General Office of Special Investigation is currently conducting an investigation into the death of Christopher Ferguson who died on December 5, 2024 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD 77th Precinct) in Brooklyn. OSI has released videos from body-worn cameras that officers were equipped with during the incident and video from a dashboard camera. The full footage is available on the NYC AG website (https://ag.ny.gov/osi/footage/christopher-ferguson) and on the NYPD YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/I1oAPLhD9GU?si=JsdFy0uw8TZNIw-h) • Cranford, NJ Police Officer Involved Shooting of Kevin Harlfinger: According to the preliminary investigation, officers from the Cranford Police Department were pursuing a stolen vehicle when it crashed in the area of a southbound exit on the Garden State Parkway. After the crash, the driver of the vehicle, Mr. Harlfinger, exchanged gunfire with Cranford Police Officers Christopher Folinusz and Ryan McSharry. Mr. Harlfinger was pronounced deceased at the scene at approximately 12:04 a.m., December 29, 2023. A firearm was recovered near Mr. Harlfinger. Officer Folinusz sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound, was treated at a hospital, and later released. The full footage is available on the NJ AG Website: https://njoag.app.box.com/s/q0so00a1u4lbh1x005yy7gch4nuewvf5• Cleveland Police Officer Involved Shooting of Tamir Rice On November 22, 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice, an African-American boy, was fatally shot by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann while playing with a toy gun at a recreation center; the incident sparked widespread controversy due to the rapid shooting despite the caller mentioning the gun was likely fake and the victim’s young age, highlighting issues of police brutality and racial profiling within the Black Lives Matter movement. Tamir Rice was playing with a replica airsoft pistol at a park when someone called 911 to report a person with a gun. The video was released by the Cleveland Police Department, and the incident is well covered with dispatch and 911 audio by News 5 Cleveland: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/tamir-rice-shooitng-video-warning-cleveland-police-release-surveillance-video LEO Radio is a podcast produced by the J. Harris Academy of Police Training. As always, the items described in this podcast are for information only. Determine how the situation impacts you in your agency and in your state. Follow your state laws, state guidelines, and department policy and address questions to your superiors and legal advisors. The J. Harris Academy provides Law Enforcement Training Services NATIONWIDE. For more information and course registration, visit www.JHarrisTraining.com. Registration for the Use of Force Trilogy can be found here: https://jharristraining.com/product/use-of-force-constitutional-response-to-a-subjects-resistance-one-day-seminar/ Stay safe and subscribe for more!
