In 1990, New York City was a place many Americans were afraid to enter, let alone police. More than 2,600 homicides in a single year, open-air drug markets, violent subway platforms and neighborhoods ruled by fear defined daily life. What followed would become one of the most debated eras in modern policing — aggressive enforcement strategies, the expansion of stop, question and frisk, and a leadership-driven push to reclaim the streets. Decades later, those years are still argued in classrooms, courtrooms and police roll calls across the country.

On this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley is joined by NYPD Detective Tom Smith, who lived that history from the inside. Smith joined the department in 1990 and was assigned to West Harlem’s 30th Precinct, one of the city’s busiest and most dangerous commands at the time. From anti-crime plainclothes work and gun arrests to major narcotics investigations, DEA task force operations and a post-9/11 deployment to Afghanistan, Smith’s career spans local street enforcement and international investigations. He shares what policing looked like before the crime drop, how leadership and coordinated prosecution mattered, and what today’s officers face in a very different New York City.

Tom Smith is co-host of The Gold Shields Show podcast. Connect with Tom online: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.

This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting OfficerStore.com.

Running a jail can feel like a fixed equation: hire staff, manage the facility, keep order, repeat. But Pinal County (Arizona) Sheriff Ross Teeple decided the “that’s just how incarceration is” mindset was fueling the same cycle of violence, lockdowns and repeat offenders. His response was as simple as it was controversial: open an entire pod 24/7, pull the detention deputy out of direct supervision, and see whether a responsibility-based model could change behavior, culture and outcomes. The experiment became the focus of Netflix’s “Unlocked: A Jail Experiment” and sparked a larger conversation about what risk leadership looks like inside corrections.

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley talks with Teeple about how the plan moved from idea to execution, including stakeholder meetings, staff skepticism, and safeguards designed to keep deputies and inmates safe while still testing a real operational shift.

This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting OfficerStore.com.

Most agencies have a communications plan — until the plan becomes the incident. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley digs into a reality many departments don’t fully plan for: what happens when cellular networks overload, land mobile radio coverage breaks down and agencies struggle to communicate at the very moment demand is highest.

Jim is joined by LAPD Commander Randy Goddard, the acting commanding officer and chief information officer for the department’s Information Technology Bureau. Goddard also served as an incident commander during the Palisades fire and will lead LAPD’s Incident Management Team 1 for upcoming global events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He explains what unified command looked like when key systems failed, why “coverage” is not the same as “capacity,” and what redundancy and manual backups need to look like in modern policing.

Commander Goddard is a featured contributor to Police1’s “26 on 2026: A police leadership playbook.” Download your copy here.

This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting OfficerStore.com.

Every officer remembers that first call where nothing went according to plan. Voices raised, emotions running hot and no checklist that fully fits the moment. Policing demands more than memorized scripts and policy citations. It requires presence, awareness and the ability to read a room in real time. On this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, we explore why those human skills matter more than ever and how officers can develop them without sacrificing professionalism or safety.

Jim Dudley is joined by Sergeant Alex Mann of the Norfolk County (Mass.) Sheriff’s Office in Massachusetts, author of “The Law of Improv for First Responders.” With nearly three decades in corrections and more than a decade performing improv and stand-up comedy, Mann has developed a training approach that blends improv principles with real-world law enforcement communication. His work focuses on presence, adaptability and intentional action, helping officers navigate high-stress encounters, mental health crises and everyday conflicts with greater confidence and control.

This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting OfficerStore.com.

When a hiker goes missing, the public often pictures helicopters and grid searches. Former National Park Service protection ranger and author Andrea Lankford says the reality is more complicated and more human: one-person patrols hours from backup, perishable rope and medical skills, families living in limbo, and a growing ecosystem of online sleuths and volunteer searchers who sometimes find what agencies miss.

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley speaks with Lankford about what “the thin green line” looks like in practice and what her investigation into three Pacific Crest Trail disappearances taught her about technology, teamwork and trust.

This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is brought to you by LVT, the mobile surveillance solution trusted by public-sector leaders nationwide. LVT’s solar-powered mobile surveillance units put eyes and AI analytics where fixed cameras can’t — parking lots, remote borders, disaster zones, and large events. Agencies using LVT have seen up to an 83% drop in parking-lot incidents and a 54% reduction in burglaries. Each unit is rapid to deploy, cloud-connected via cellular or satellite, and secured end-to-end so your team can monitor and respond in real time with fewer resources. See how LVT’s self-powered units protect communities, secure critical infrastructure and support law-enforcement operations and schedule a free trial today at LVT.com.

Real time information centers are quickly becoming the connective tissue between technology and patrol, pulling together tools like drones as first responders, automated license plate readers, fixed-camera networks, CAD and intelligence platforms to turn incoming data into decisions officers can use in the moment. The result is a shift from reactive updates to proactive situational awareness, with centers helping agencies track suspects without high-risk pursuits, tighten response decisions and support broader public safety missions.

In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley talks with Nikki Bell, RTIC manager with the Vacaville Police Department, and Andrea Cortez, RTIC manager with the Elk Grove Police Department. Bell brings 25 years in public safety, including early experience as a single-seat dispatcher in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, that shaped her focus on resourcefulness, operational empathy and “many hats” staffing. Cortez draws from an intelligence analysis background, applying the collect, vet, analyze, disseminate and feedback cycle to refine what the center pushes out. Both also help lead broader collaboration through the California RTIC Work Group and the National Real Time Crime Center Association (NRTCCA), sharing lessons learned on staffing, training, technology and community trust.

Flock Safety works with more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide, delivering real-time intelligence through a holistic ecosystem of technology designed to keep officers safe, reduce crime, and build stronger communities. And if you’re looking for real stories from the front lines — how your peers are using these tools to shape the future of safety in their cities — tune in to Flock’s “Real Time Policing” podcast, with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays. Watch episodes on YouTube or tune in wherever you get your podcasts. Click here to view.

Ohio’s public safety challenges look like much of the country’s: violent crime concentrated among a small group of repeat offenders, the ongoing overdose crisis, and agencies asked to do more with fewer people. In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley talks with Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson about how the state is pushing proactivity over reaction, using analysts and technology to build stronger cases, and flexing statewide assets like aviation and specialized units to help local agencies disrupt shootings, recover illegal guns, and reduce harm before the next call comes in.

Wilson brings a prosecutor’s mindset to a statewide job. Before being appointed in December 2022 by Gov. Mike DeWine to lead the Ohio Department of Public Safety, he served as an attorney and elected prosecutor, building cases shoulder-to-shoulder with detectives and staying close to the realities of street-level policing. Today he oversees 10 divisions, nearly 4,000 employees, and a $2.5 billion budget focused on “safety, service and protection,” with an emphasis on policies that help officers in the trenches rather than making the job harder from a distance.

This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is brought to you by LVT, the mobile surveillance solution trusted by public-sector leaders nationwide. LVT’s solar-powered mobile surveillance units put eyes and AI analytics where fixed cameras can’t — parking lots, remote borders, disaster zones, and large events. Agencies using LVT have seen up to an 83% drop in parking-lot incidents and a 54% reduction in burglaries. Each unit is rapid to deploy, cloud-connected via cellular or satellite, and secured end-to-end so your team can monitor and respond in real time with fewer resources. See how LVT’s self-powered units protect communities, secure critical infrastructure and support law-enforcement operations and schedule a free trial today at LVT.com.

In public safety training, stress is not a side effect; it is part of the curriculum. The hard question is how to introduce it at the right time, at the right intensity, in a way that improves decision-making without turning scenarios into predictable check-the-box drills.

A recent study from Texas State University’s ALERRT takes aim at a core debate by asking whether virtual reality can trigger the kind of acute-stress response officers feel in high-fidelity, in-person scenarios, and what that could mean for training quality, consistency and scale.

M. Hunter Martaindale is the director of research and an associate research professor at the ALERRT Center at Texas State University where he leads applied research on police performance, decision-making, and stress in high-risk environments. In this episode of Policing Matters, he breaks down his team’s study comparing biomarkers and self-reported stress in a high-fidelity active attacker scenario versus a VR version built to match the live scenario as closely as possible, and he explains what VR can and cannot replace in modern training.

This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is brought to you by LVT, the mobile surveillance solution trusted by public-sector leaders nationwide. LVT’s solar-powered mobile surveillance units put eyes and AI analytics where fixed cameras can’t — parking lots, remote borders, disaster zones, and large events. Agencies using LVT have seen up to an 83% drop in parking-lot incidents and a 54% reduction in burglaries. Each unit is rapid to deploy, cloud-connected via cellular or satellite, and secured end-to-end so your team can monitor and respond in real time with fewer resources. See how LVT’s self-powered units protect communities, secure critical infrastructure and support law-enforcement operations and schedule a free trial today at LVT.com.

For years, every police conference, report and panel has hammered on about recruitment and retention best practices, especially when it comes to Gen Z. Yet at too many career fairs, the reality still looks the same: two tired cops standing behind a table of keychains and water bottles, hoping the next generation will somehow be inspired. In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley explores how one big-city agency is finally breaking out of that pattern — blending modern marketing, faster testing pipelines and smarter academy support to turn interested prospects into successful officers.

Today’s guest, San Francisco Police Department Captain Sean Frost, is a 20-year veteran whose roots are in street-level policing — patrol, fugitive recovery and investigations — and now leads SFPD’s recruitment efforts. Backed by the mayor’s office, the city’s innovation team and private-sector partners, Frost is piloting new strategies to find qualified candidates, support them through the academy and field training, and compete for both entry-level and lateral officers in a high-cost, highly scrutinized urban environment.

Equipping Protectors with Passion. That’s how we operate, and it’s how we live. We understand that having the right gear can mean the difference between life and death. Our goal is to get you the gear you need, when you need it, at prices you can afford. This holiday season, listeners receive 10% off now through 12/31 with promo code PR10. Visit OfficerStore.com.

On this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley tackles one of the most painful — and often avoided — topics in law enforcement: the sexual harassment and discrimination women still face on the job. Drawing on a national Police1 survey of more than 500 female police officers, the conversation explores what the data shows about repeat offenders, fear of retaliation and the toll on trust, morale and public confidence when agencies fail to act.

To unpack the findings, Jim is joined by Professor Terry Dwyer — the attorney, former New York State Trooper and Police1 columnist who authored the survey and accompanying analysis. Dwyer brings decades of research on workforce behavior and accountability to help clarify what the numbers reveal about culture, leadership and reporting.

Later, Sheriff’s Detective Carryn Barker from San Mateo County, California, shares her own experience reporting harassment and sexual assault by a supervisor — a case that led to one of the largest known settlements of its kind in the state. She describes the support she received from colleagues, the gaps she encountered inside her agency, and the changes she believes can help law enforcement build workplaces grounded in respect, safety and accountability.

Read Terry Dwyer’s analysis of the Police1 survey here:

Police1 survey reveals harassment and discrimination of female officers

What female officers say about harassment and culture in policing

Equipping Protectors with Passion. That’s how we operate, and it’s how we live. We understand that having the right gear can mean the difference between life and death. Our goal is to get you the gear you need, when you need it, at prices you can afford. This holiday season, listeners receive 10% off now through 12/31 with promo code PR10. Visit OfficerStore.com.