Policing Matters

Ask any new cop what they want to be doing after they do their time in patrol. Some will say to go to narcotics, or K-9, or maybe to promote up the ranks. Chances are a lot will say they want to be a detective, but not just any kind of detective, they want to work homicide. However, is it really all it’s cracked up to be? This week's Policing Matters guest will answer that question and provide a good look into the life of a homicide detective.

Lt. Joe Kenda, a 23-year veteran of the Colorado Springs Police Department, spent 21 years chasing killers as a homicide detective and commander of the major crimes unit. Kenda and his team solved 356 of his 387 homicide cases, resulting in a 92% solve rate, one of the highest in the country. After retiring from law enforcement, he starred in Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, an American true-crime documentary series that ran for nine seasons on Investigation Discovery (ID).

Law enforcement officers are tasked with a difficult mission that, different from so many other professions, causes them to be exposed to the risk of trauma, injury, or even death. Often, the public is unaware of acts of selflessness, courage, resilience and heroism by those who dedicate their lives to protecting and serving their communities.

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley speaks with Donna Brown, a 26-year veteran of the Tallahassee Police Department in Florida who since her retirement, has dedicated herself to chronicling acts of officer heroism. Donna is the author of the Behind and Beyond the Badge series, which helps drive negative conversations around policing toward a positive outlook on law enforcement. Volume I was published in 2017 and won two gold medals in the Florida Authors and Publishers (FAPA) International book awards contest.

Donna Brown graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor of science in criminology in 1979. A few months later, she was hired by the Tallahassee Police Department, one of only five women on the force at the time. Her assignments were patrol officer, field training officer, training unit, patrol sergeant, FTO sergeant, detective bureau where she supervised the burglary/financial crimes unit, sex crimes unit, victim advocate unit and 10 years supervising the homicide unit. Sgt. Donna Brown retired after 26 years of service.

This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is sponsored by Polco. Polco’s National Law Enforcement Survey provides a comprehensive, accurate and representative picture of resident opinions related to police services. Compare your results with other agencies around the nation. Align your priorities with community sentiment, build trust, and improve safety services. Visit info.polco.us to learn more.

Statistically, school shootings are not a regular occurrence, but they are alarming tragedies that we all need to do our best to prevent. Is your agency collaborating with your school district to implement threat assessment programs?

Two decades ago, the Orange County Sheriff's Department in Southern California launched its School Mobile Assessment and Resource Team (SMART), a multi-discipline, threat assessment team that responds to incidents related to violence, threats of violence, possession and/or use of weapons, unstable behaviors, suicidal actions, or tendencies that pose a threat to others at K-12 schools. The team includes a mental health clinician to take part in the assessments and connect those students who need it with the appropriate resources.

In this episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley speaks with Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes about the team, which handled nearly 300 threat assessments and calls for service during the 2021-2022 school year. In addition to addressing threats, SMART also works to ensure school staff has the training to recognize the signs of a threat. To date, approximately 480 administrators and school site personnel have received this training.
This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is sponsored by L3Harris. Providing coverage that goes beyond the call of duty, L3 Harris provides ultra-reliable portables and mobiles that are designed by and for those on the front lines. Learn more at Communications for Police and Law Enforcement | L3HarrisTM Fast. Forward.

On the annual year-end episode of Policing Matters, host Jim Dudley is joined by fellow Police1 columnist, criminal justice professor and former law enforcement officer Janay Gasparini, Ph.D.

During this special episode, Jim and Janay discuss some of the biggest issues law enforcement faced in 2021, including:

• COVID-19 vaccination mandates
• Women in policing
• Recruitment and retention
• Officer support systems
• Active bystandership in law enforcement
• Evolving police defensive tactics training
• Opioid epidemic
• Procedural justice
• Use of force

Law enforcement officers may be first on scene to a mass casualty incident (MCI) and depending on the size, it may be overwhelming. Are we prepared to see the unthinkable? Do we know what our priorities should be? Do we know what our opposite numbers in fire, EMS and other responding agencies are doing?

Our guests today have an answer to each of those questions. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, sponsored by Staccato, host Jim Dudley speaks with Dr. Peter Antevy, EMS medical director for Davie (Florida) Fire-Rescue, and Daniel Moran, Assistant Fire Chief for Davie (Florida) Fire Rescue, where he manages the EMS, training and special projects divisions, about the MCI training they are delivering to law enforcement.

Resources mentioned in this episode

• NFPA 3000 Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response Online training
• Florida Active Assailant Response Policy / House Bill 543 information
• Stop the Bleed
• ALERRT

About our sponsor

This episode of the Policing Matters Podcast is brought to you by Staccato. Choose the handgun trusted by over 900 law enforcement agencies across the country. With Staccato, you can feel confident knowing you aren’t sacrificing incredible accuracy for reliability. Whether you’re protecting your family at home or on duty, Staccato has your back. Military and law enforcement receive discount pricing through the Staccato Heroes Program. Visit www.Staccato2011/heroes-program.com to learn more.