RF FACTOR Podcast

In this episode, Ray and Pete are joined by LAPD Officer Deon Joseph, who has spent a quarter of a century working amongst the homeless along LA’s Skid Row. 

Listen as Deon shares his unique insight into this very polarizing issue of homelessness, gained from his first day on patrol - as he crossed Spring Street into the “Mad Max” world of Skid Row. 

Hear Deon’s stories about his days on patrol, his time spent working undercover in the belly of the ‘beast” along the “skids”, and his continuing leadership and advocacy work in trying to help bring about much-needed change now - before it’s too late. 

Officer “Joe” as he is called, provides us with a “how we got here from there” glimpse into the history and evolution of Skid Row and other similar enclaves in cities across America. 

He is candid about questioning just how motivated certain advocacy groups may be to end the homeless crisis when their funding only lasts as long as the problem lasts. 

Officer Joe, outlines the various causes of homelessness from mental illness, to addiction, to people who have just fallen on hard times and how any solution must be tailored to the cause. 

He warms about the influx of organized criminals running various criminal enterprises from the “row” including sex trafficking and the distribution of deadly fentanyl and other drugs. 

Officer Joe, is a man on a quest with deeply held religious convictions that drive him to advocate for a group of people that most folks would prefer not to engage with - or even look at. He speaks for those who can’t speak for themselves. 

Please - please - please listen to Officer Joe’s three common-sense solutions to dealing with today’s homeless crisis and the inherent problems that affect us all - real solutions rather than another costly band-aid proposal. 

As a hint as to his Deon Joseph’s Homelessness Solution Number 3, Officer Joe will tell you that nobody - not a rich man - not a poor man - should ever be above the law. 

Take a walk on the wild side with Ray, Pete, and Officer Joe - as they cross to the other side of Spring Street. 

In this 23rdepisode of the RF Factor, Pete and George welcome a distinguished guest, Joe Sullivan, former Deputy Commissioner of Patrol Operations and 30 year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department. Joe has experience across just about every element of the department’s special operations and has played a role in just about every critical event occurring in the City during his tenure there. 

Hear Joe’s thoughts on leadership and accountability, his answer to the question posed to him of whether it’s better for a police commander to be loved or feared within the department may – or may not – surprise you. 

Most importantly hear Joe’s views on the involvement of the community he served – a common theme throughout his interview. A theme that led him to discuss the importance of using evidence-based data to deploy resources and lead operations that meet the community's needs and concerns by targeting the “right criminals in the right places”.  

Hear Joe talk about the importance of balancing cross-jurisdictional teamwork, policy-driven tactics, and leveraging technologies, and how regional intelligence centers and focused ones like Crime Gun Intelligence Centers and how crucial they are to helping maintain that balance. 

Joe’s thoughts on the recruitment and training of new officers are refreshing and provide hope for the future of policing. 

Most importantly, however, Joe raises a warning on the future of policing in America – a warning heard from our other guests by the way – Joe points out that the preservation of the peace and protection of the public is simply not the sole responsibility of the police and it was never meant to be and it could never succeed that way. 

We actually rely upon an integrated system involving communities of people and branches of government at various levels. 

Our system of justice also has many elements and the police are simply one of those elements most visible because they are positioned where the rubber meets the road – on our streets. 

Joe’s warning, described in RF Factor terms, is that: The pursuit of happiness and the achievement of liberty and justice for all, requires that each element - in each system – simply do its job.

We have all heard the age-old question concerning leadership. Are leaders born or are they made?

Unfortunately, in today’s challenging times we do not have the luxury of waiting for the answer to that question. Instead, we need to find ways to train tomorrow’s leaders today, and at the same time provide today’s leader's opportunities to grow. 

Listen to George and Ray speak with Mitch Sklar, Executive Director of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (SACOP), and Chief John Zebrowski, President of  SACOP, as they discuss some of the challenges police leaders currently face. The guests identify some of the attributes and actions that go into making a great police executive today and provide insight into how aspiring leaders could be preparing today for tomorrow. Mitch and John offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what makes SACOP a unique and exciting organization aimed at cultivating the very best in police executive leadership. 

Make sure you listen to their vision for the future - a call to action - as to how we can ensure that character and leadership elements can be forever woven into our law enforcement organizations.

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts” says Sherlock Holmes. ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - A Scandal in Bohemia.

The RF Factor presents Episode 21: Just the facts Ma’am – Just the facts

Somewhat of a “Sherlock Holmes / Sgt. Joe Friday” himself, Bob Scales is former Federal and State prosecutor, City Councilman, Government Affairs Director, Asst Public Safety Director, Senior Policy Analyst, now CEO of Police Strategies, LLC.

Listen, to how this experienced Chief Executive Officer, with a demonstrated history of working in the law enforcement industry and local government, shares his work and insights on matters of Police Reform. 

Bob’s main message on Police Reform, parallels that of Sherlock Holmes, in that it is a capital mistake to opine or develop a theory as to the need for it - before one has the data upon which to base it. 

To Bob, it’s all about the data – the data and the facts. 

Every law enforcement and Government leader may want to listen as Bob candidly shares his observations and experiences with Police “Consent Decrees.” You be the judge. 

Bob’s team works every day to provide data analytics and dashboard systems for law enforcement agencies. They help police departments make data driven decisions and develop evidence-based policies and training. 

Another key takeaway from this Episode of the RF Factor, and one that every Police Chief may want to think about, is a proactive approach to look deep inside his or her agency to ask the right questions and collect the right data about the manner in which they provide services. The strategy he outlines here is it is best to get out in front of a potential problem and fix it. 

Also, to be prepared before a crisis in order to inform and educate the public should questionable accusations arise, with hard data and facts in hand. People want the truth, it is key to building and sustaining trust and confidence in policing services. 

Abraham Lincoln is credited with pointing this out saying: I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.

(Source: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/abraham_lincoln_118732)

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Bob Scales is a founding partner of Police Strategies LLC where he currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer. Police Strategies uses data science and technology to drive policing reform and build community trust. Bob created the Police Force Analysis System℠ in 2015 to help law enforcement agencies better understand how their officers are using force and to develop evidence-based best practices. 

Bob is an attorney with 20 years of government experience serving as a deputy prosecuting attorney, a special assistant United States attorney, a policy advisor to four Seattle Mayors, Director of Government Affairs, and Compliance Coordinator for the Seattle Police Department. Bob negotiated the settlement agreement between the City of Seattle and the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve allegations of misuse of force.  Bob was elected to two terms on the City Council of Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Join Ray and George on this latest episode of the RF Factor, as they tease out leadership, crime fighting, and community centered principles from the experiences of John Mueller, Police Commissioner for the City of Yonkers, New York. 

Listen as John reminds us of one of Sir. Robert Peel’s core ideals of policing: the police can only earn public support by respecting community principles, and winning their approval will always require hard work to build a sound reputation.   

John’s strident message of precision policing and accountability ensure that justice for the victims, resolution to their families, and peace to affected communities is squarely in the minds eye of the officers he commands.

Listen and learn as John describes what he means when he says, What about tonight??? In other words, when a city is in crisis, a successful day’s end can only be achieved when the police and the community collaborate together to address problems as one.

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Join Ray and special Guest Host George Belsky on this latest episode of the RF Factor, as they tease out leadership concepts from the experiences of Neil Schuehle, former reconnaissance Marine, and Company Commander. 

Listen as George, a former Infantry Commander himself and Law Enforcement Senior Executive, and Neil take a short walk down memory lane, then with Ray, begin ferreting out some key leadership points from Neil’s – and George’s - exemplary Military service to our nation. 

Listen, watch, and learn why Balance Counts. The ability to balance the many aspects of one’s personal life, right down to the uniform you wear and the equipment and tools that you use. 

Stay tuned in, as they discuss the importance of managing both mental and physical stamina, and hear how and why they arrive at the conclusion that leaders must recognize when to move forward, influencing those things they can and when to take a step back.     

“You can bury your dead but don't leave a trace

Hate your next door neighbor but don't forget to say grace

And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend

You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction”

Songwriters: Barri Steve / Sloan P F

The beat goes on – here are some typical headlines we see today:

-      23-month-old boy killed by stray bullet on highway while sleeping in car seat  . . .

-      6-year-old boy fatally shot during suspected road rage incident on California highway

-      Over 300 shots fired at Midtown Center gathering

-      Capital murder suspect was out on bond for another crime

-      Over 1,000 victims, 126 dead, just 2 convictions: 6 years of mass shootings in Chicago

-      Shoplifting incident with 80 suspects is worst they've seen, retired police say

-      ‘Please help me’: Kids with guns fueled a record number of school shootings in 2021

If we aren’t actually “on the eve of destruction” it seems that we could well be headed that way. Things have certainly seemed as bad and worse back in the day but we found a way out. 

Tom Hogan, is a lawyer, a former Federal and State Prosecutor, a writer, commentator, and the host of “Gunfire and Tears”, a sub-stack of Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses of Prosecutorial Policies, launched 2 months ago, who knows the problem well. 

He also knows what works and what doesn’t and what we can do to stave off the “eve” of criminal impunity.

Listen as he joins Ray and Pete on the RF Factor to give us his views of the issues from a broad 30,000-foot view right down to a “where the rubber meets the road” view – on the street today. He doesn’t hold back and tells it like it is. 

Indeed, Tom doesn’t give us a convoluted head-pounding bunch of academic gobbledygook, rather he provides his four pillars of action – a set of common-sensible and clearly defined set of actions designed to preserve the peace and protect the public.

For law enforcers, prosecutors, forensic experts, everyone in the Criminal Justice System AND every citizen who thinks rising crime and criminal impunity may be moving us toward the “eve of destruction” as a society -  this episode of the RF Factor is a must listen/watch situation.     

Tune in to listen and ponder Hogan’s Four Pillars. 

Here’s a sneak peak, #3 is “precision policing” targeting the right criminals for the right reasons wearing the proverbial blindfolds of the allegorical personification of the moral force in our judicial system that is  “The Statue of Lady Justice”. 

“On September 11th I got a call – he asked if was I watching what was going on – he said we want to create a new organization in California to deal with this type of threat information – I said I was in - we didn’t even have a name for it – there was no road map but off we went building relationships along the way.” 

Mike Sena the Executive Director of the Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NC HIDTA) and the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) walks his talk when it comes to intelligence sharing so come watch and listen as he engages with Ray and Pete about his lessons learned along the long and winding road he is still traversing toward a utopian level of intelligence sharing - where the knowledge of one is truly - the knowledge of all.   

Mike has a diverse twenty-seven (27) year law enforcement career as a veteran investigator with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the California Department of Justice, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. He serves as the president of the National Fusion Center Association (NFCA), is the chairman of the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC), and is the chairman of the HIDTA Directors' Intelligence Committee. He also serves on law enforcement and homeland security advisory committees for members of the President’s Cabinet, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Attorney General of the United States. 

In this RF Factor Podcast, Dr. Rachel Bolton-King, Associate Professor, at Staffordshire University, joins Ray and Pete in a discussion of the challenges facing the entire criminal justice system when it comes to processing comprehensive, accurate, and timely forensic intelligence in general, and in the generation of actionable “crime gun intelligence” in particular. She has an advanced degree in the use of forensic technology, and as a Churchill Fellow, she has traveled extensively outside of the United Kingdom to study ballistic information networks such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) in the United States. Through this work, she has developed a keen understanding of the issues and concerns surrounding the development and use of crime gun intelligence across a wide group of global practitioners. As the Editor-in-Chief of The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences' Science & Justice journal, she writes extensively on her life’s passion to help improve communication and understanding of the forensic sciences across the world’s criminal justice systems.

To follow Rachel’s research and Churchill Fellowship investigating latest advances in gun crime technologies, please visit her blog:

https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/research4justice/justice-toolkit/gun-crime-investigations/

She took a path less traveled in leaps and bounds from professional ballet dancer to top cop. Listen, and be inspired, just as Ray and Pete were, as Sasha Larkin, Deputy Chief, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, puts the CP in the word COP. Her passion is contagious as she describes how she adopted a mantra of “command presence” to sustain her success “on the job” and her deeply held - almost spiritual - belief in the need for more engaged community policing. Make sure you catch her somewhat unnerving description of why not once - but three times - the mechanics in the police garage had to replace the hood of her patrol car!