Mass Shootings and Gun Violence

07/28/22 • 25 min

Mass shootings have increased across America in the past few years to the point where we seemingly can’t go a couple of days without one occurring. Although they represent a small portion of overall gun violence, they have an enormous impact on the public’s sense of safety. The tragic shooting in Highland Park at the Independence Day Parade in which 6 people were killed and 30 injured sent shock waves around the country on the heels of the Uvalde School Shooting that took the lives of 19 students, and two teachers and injured 17 others. Against a backdrop of increasing violent crime in many cities, people are searching for both an understanding of the violence and solutions.

Solutions often become highly political and hotly debated. This episode will focus on empirical research on gun violence and mass shooting with a noted expert in the field.

Joining us today is Dr. Emma Fridel, a criminologist from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. Thank you for being with us today.

Emma received her Ph.D. in Criminology and Justice Policy from Northeastern University. She primarily studies violence and aggression with a focus on homicide, including school violence. Homicide-suicide, serial and mass murder, and fatal officer-citizen encounters. Her work has been published in Criminology, Social Forces, and Justice Quarterly. She is a co-author of Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder.

Solutions often become highly political and hotly debated. This episode will focus on empirical research on gun violence and mass shooting with a noted expert in the field.

Joining us today is Dr. Emma Fridel, a criminologist from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. Thank you for being with us today.

Previous Episode

Charles Ramsey: Co-Chair President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing

Police Reform has been the topic of passionate debate across America since the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer. Over the years other incidents such as the horrific killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer have fueled the debate on the steps police should take to ensure equity in the treatment of all members of the community.
In this episode we talk with Charles Ramsey about his career in policing, accomplishments of the President’s Task Force, his thoughts on police reform and recent gun legislation and his work with the MCCA Police Executive Leadership Institute.
He began his career with the Chicago Police Department in 1968 as an 18-year-old cadet. He quickly rose through the ranks as he served in a variety of position. He was a key champion of community policing a led the efforts to implement it in the CPD. He left the CPD in 1998 to take the Chief’s job in Washington Metropolitan PD where he would serve with distinction for nine years. He then took the Commissioner’s job in Philadelphia where he served for eight years. He served as the President of both the MCCA and PERF at the same time. In December 2014 President Obama asked him to co-chair the Task Force on 21st Century Policing. He has been one of the most well-respected national leaders in policing over the past 25 years.

Next Episode

Making the Transition from Policing to Private Security

We will be discussing law enforcement leaders making a career transition to corporate security. Typically, a career in law enforcement is 20 to 30 years depending on the retirement program. A young man or woman that begins their career in their early 20s reach retirement eligibility in their early 50s if not before. In addition, many police leaders find themselves looking to make a career change before the traditional end of a first career.

Many turn to the private sector to seek positions in corporate security, safety, and resiliency, a seemingly natural transition.
We have two great resources with us today to talk about the transition from policing to private security.
The first is Cathy Lanier, Senior Vice President of Security for the National Football League. She has served in that capacity since September 2016 when she retired from the Washington DC

Metropolitan Police Department in where she served as Chief for nine years – one of the highest profile and most challenging police chief positions in the country. She started her career in 1990 with DC Metro and quickly through the ranks. She served in all areas of the MPD including the Commander of the Office of Homeland Security and Counterterrorism which was established after the 9/11 attacks. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in management from Johns Hopkins University. Also, a Master of Arts in national security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
Second is our co-host, Brian Stephens. In addition to his work at Florida State University he is the Senior Managing Director of Security Risk Advisory at Teneo, a Global CEO advisory firm. He served as Bank of America’s Chief Security Officer where he led a team of over 450 security professionals and 5000 private contractors. He began his career with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and moved to the Bank of America in July 2001 to establish a strategic planning function for security. After 9/11 he led the development of the Bank’s Enhanced Security Program in which advance security standards, technology and procedures were implemented. His work in the ensuing years resulted in his appointment as the Chief Security Officer.