Policing Matters

In San Francisco and other cities across America, advocates of accused offenders have called for "cash bail" to be ended, citing economic inequities among offenders. The argument is that the system unfairly keeps accused offenders from low income backgrounds incarcerated while defendants from more wealthy backgrounds walk free on bail. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the fact that the idea of bail reform may have some merit—as long as serious, chronic, and violent offenders remain in custody unless they guarantee that they will return to court or show enough investment that they will not commit further acts while out of custody.

In 2019, Blue HELP reported a total of 228 police officers died by suicide. Those are just the suicide deaths that had been documented—it is unclear how many other officers died by suicide that were reported as "a sudden medical emergency" or "single vehicle collision" or simply swept under the rug altogether. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss how police agencies and individual officers are smashing the stigma of seeking mental or emotional assistance, and how the culture of policing still must continue to evolve to ensure that officers approaching crisis have access to the assistance they need to prevail.

Two decades ago, a small group of dedicated entrepreneurs set out to create an online resource for law enforcement. In the intervening 20 years, a lot has changed in policing—from new technologies to improved training to more sophisticated patrol vehicles and duty gear. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the various events and milestones Police1 writers and contributors have noted over the years.

COVID-19—also known as coronavirus—may potentially pose a substantial threat to American law enforcement as the disease continues to spread across the country. The most vulnerable to serious illness—and even death—are currently elderly people with a pre-existing weakened immune system. However, the emergence into the national narrative of the worldwide pandemic provides an opportunity to remember that other threats pose a significant danger, and to recall that some simple steps can prevent succumbing to infectious disease. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the ways in which officers and agencies can protect themselves from a wide array of infectious diseases carried by individuals they contact when on patrol.

The coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic is causing worldwide concern. First responders, whether they be law enforcement, fire or EMS personnel should be aware of the latest developments. Listen in as Jim Dudley interviews Rob Lawrence, PoliceOne's resident health expert, for the latest information on COVID-19.

Members can get up to date information as it is released from the Center for Disease Control at: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security has made information available at:

https://www.dhs.gov/epidemicpandemic

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/dhs-comprehensive-first-responder-pandemic-guide-pandemic.pdf

Agencies may view the template for Continuity of Operations at:

https://www.fema.gov/pdf/about/org/ncp/pandemic_influenza.pdf

Despite their effectiveness in helping police agencies—especially in densely populated urban areas—reduce the threat of criminal gangs to public safety, some places are pulling back on utilizing gang injunctions. For example, in San Francisco, newly elected District Attorney Chesa Boudin has declared that he will end the practice of gang enhancements when pressing charges against known gang members accused of a host of different crimes related to the gang's criminal activities. Gang enhancements have drawn increased opposition in California, driven by a belief among police critics that they are disproportionately applied to people of color in poor neighborhoods.

With the ever-increasing popularity of mixed martial arts as a spectator sport, just about every jurisdiction in America has seen the opening of a training facility—a dojo or a gym—specializing in teaching individuals how to fight in this potentially deadly style of combat. Indeed, many police officers are regulars at these gyms, learning everything from the grappling and submission techniques, hand striking of traditional boxing, and kicks from a variety of martial arts from around the world. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the potential threat officers face when dealing with a subject who is trained in this fighting style, as well as the upside—and possible downside—of officers participating in this training.

In large-scale emergencies, police, fire, EMS, and a wide variety of other governmental organizations and private enterprises need to pull together and work as a single organism. At some major catastrophes, you might have city departments such as public works and social services racing to a scene alongside the electric company, the American Red Cross and others. This requires that police leaders and command staff must first establish relationships with those many organizations long in advance of an actual catastrophe. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss how some of those relationships are formed and maintained over time through communication and shared training exercises.

In late January, the Rio Vista City Council voted to dissolve its police department following the abrupt departure of the police chief, a commander, and a sergeant that left the agency all but gutted. The small city about of roughly 9,000 residents—located approximately 60 miles east of San Francisco—will now receive its police services from the Solano County Sheriff's Office. Rio Vista is not alone. Late last year, the town board in Deposit, New York, held a meeting to discuss with interested citizens the proposal to dissolve their police department. A few months before that, the Ridgetop Police Department in Tennessee suffered a similar fate. The town of Freedom, Wisconsin voted to disband its police department—consisting of two full-time and one part-time sworn officer—last year as well. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the shuttering of doors at police agencies, usually in smaller jurisdictions.

This Monday, thousands of the citizens of Iowa will gather in churches, schools, public buildings, and even individuals' homes to try to convince each other who should be the Democratic nominee to face off against incumbent President Donald Trump in November's general election. This election is sure to be a hotly contested one, with passions running high on both sides. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the role of law enforcement in the political season.