WIU: Inside the System, An LEJA Podcast

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).

We start our second season of the podcast introducing you to Chief Gary Baum, an Assistant Professor for Fire Protection. Chief Baum has been involved in fire services since 2001 and had been involved in teaching for more than 35 years. Before coming to Western Chief Baum served as a lead Instructor at the Fox Valley Career Center and a Field Instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute.

In this episode we hear Chief Baum's advice for people wanting to get into fire services, the way foam is used in fire services, and his tips for handling the physical challenges associated with being a firefighter.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).In this week's episode we are introduced to our newest professor in LEJA, Franco Perez, who teaches in Emergency Management with interests in Homeland Security, Preparedness and Planning, Security, THIRA, Red Teaming, Evacuation Planning, and Strength Training. Professor Perez discusses his journey to Western Illinois University as a student, and eventually a faculty member, as well as what he thinks the importance of AI in emergency management's future is.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).In this installment Associate Professor David Young shows us how a real polygraph test works in law enforcement. In this episode, we take you inside an actual polygraph examination and break down the science behind lie detector tests.Watch as a subject undergoes a real polygraph, and learn how investigators analyze physiological responses like heart rate, breathing, and skin conductivity to detect deception.Polygraphs are widely used in criminal investigations, background checks, and federal hiring—but how accurate are they really? This epsidoe explores the truth behind one of the most debated tools in modern policing.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).In this installment Dr. Todd Lough is back to explain the significance of earning a four year degree in law enforcement and criminal justice. Hear his story on how his degree helped him be prepared for the academy, and why he thinks a degree will put students ahead of the game in the law enforcement and criminal justice field.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).In this week's episode we meet David Harlow, a Western Illinois University graduate who served in various positions with the U.S. Marshal Services, culminating in serving as the acting director until his retirement in 2018.Hear about some of his experiences as a U.S. Marshal, as well as some of the things he says are important for today's college students to know when pursuing a career in law enforcement.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).This week's episode, our final one for 2025, we are introduced to Marie Hunt, who is the implementation project manager at D4H. She discusses her career path from personal trainer to the technical side of emergencymanagement, and what she says is the best part about her job. Also hear about where she sees the future of incident management platforms going and AI's role in the future of emergency management software.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).In this week's episode retired FBI specialist and current WIU professor Dr. Jack Schafer returns to discuss his experiences in behavioral analysis. In law enforcement behavioral analysis is used to aid in criminal investigations by creating profiles of unknown offenders, developing investigative strategies, and preparing interview plans. Experts analyze crime scenes, victimology, and offender behavior to understand motivation, modus operandi, and likely characteristics of a suspect to narrow down possibilities in both active and cold cases. The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is a prime example of this practice, providing support for complex cases like terrorism, cybercrime, and violent crimes.Dr. Schafer discusses his experiences as as behavioral analyst assigned to FBI's National Security Behavioral Analysis Program. Hear what some of the physical signals he's looking for during an interrogation are, and how the word, "well" is a sign that a lie is to follow.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).This week we have a special Guest joining us all the way from Dublin, Ireland, Founder and CEO of D4H, Mr. Robin Blandford. D4H was founded in 2008 and based on Mr. Blandford's own experience in the Irish Coast Guard. He wanted to build meaningful, data driven software that helped emergency and crisis managers save lives during emergencies. D4H software is used by more than 100,000 emergency managers across nearly 40 countries worldwide, and has partnered with Western Illinois University and their Emergency Management program.Hear some of the stories that have made D4H the go to software for Emergency managers, and who are some of the people who have made Robin who he is today.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).This week's show is hot, literally, as we introduce you to WIU Fire Protection Services Program professor Joe Henning. Henning is a retired fire chief from Quincy, Illinois, who spent nearly 28 years with the department, 12 of them serving as fire chief. The one thing he tells students when they get started are that no two days are the same. One day you can be putting out a 2 alarm fire, the next you you're helping somebody who got stuck in their bath tub.Hear about some of his experiences during his nearly 30 years in fire services, and why he feels the Western Illinois University Fire Protection Services Program is so beneficial to students.

Welcome to WIU: Inside the System, presented by Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA).In this week's episode we are introduced to retired FBI specialist and current WIU professor Dr. Jack Schafer. Dr. Schafer specializes in behavioral analytics and served as behavioral analyst assigned to FBI's National Security Behavioral Analysis Program. Hear about how he got started, how he got involved in counter espionage, and advice for prospective students.Dr. Schafer has also authored several books, including:“Psychological Narrative Analysis: A Professional Method to Detect Deception in Written and Oral Communications.” He also co-authored a book titled “Advanced Interviewing Techniques: Proven strategies for Law Enforcement, Military, and security Personnel.” He has published numerous articles on a wide range of topics including the psychopathology of hate, ethics inlaw enforcement, detecting deception, and the universal principles of criminal behavior. Dr. Schafer’s latest book is “The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over.”