Reducing Crime: Recent Episodes
Jerry Ratcliffe
A monthly podcast featuring interviews with influential thinkers in the police service and leading crime and policing researchers working to advance public safety. Often amusing, often enlightening, always informative. Host: Professor Jerry Ratcliffe. Learn more at reducingcrime.com/podcast.
Professor Mike Scott is a former police chief and director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing at Arizona State University, and is a foundational name in the history of problem-oriented policing around the world. He chats with host, Jerry Ratcliffe, about that history, and the challenges of getting problem-oriented work established in police departments.
Shane Johnson is the Dawes Professor of Future Crime at University College London. In this episode, he argues that emerging technologies—AI, internet-connected devices, autonomous vehicles, and future computing systems—are creating new crime opportunities by reducing offenders’ effort, increasing potential rewards, and exposing people through data collection, spoofing, deepfakes, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.est work with police departments.
Jerry Ratcliffe speaks with University of Cincinnati policing scholar Jesse Huff about her research on police effectiveness, fairness, and evidence-based reform. Huff recounts her path from aspiring military police officer to academic researcher, shaped by graduate work at the University of Nevada, Reno and Arizona State University, where partnerships with police agencies informed her practice-oriented approach.Huff discusses a randomized controlled trial of body-worn cameras in the Phoenix Police Department conducted after Ferguson. The study found cameras altered some policing behaviors but did not reduce use of force, while arrest patterns shifted differently across Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. She argues that successful police–research partnerships depend on feasible study designs, clear communication, timely findings, and mutual understanding between practitioners and researchers.The conversation examines challenges in policing research, including organizational resistance, the complexity of implementing randomized trials, and the importance of process evaluations and logic models. Huff also describes her work evaluating crime gun intelligence centers and NIBIN technologies, including Phoenix’s crime gun liaison program, which improved ballistic evidence collection but showed less consistent effects on arrests, case clearance, and crime reduction.Ratcliffe and Huff further discuss Huff’s evaluation of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu–based response-to-resistance program developed with the St. Paul Police Department. The training aims to improve officer control tactics while reducing higher levels of force, with especially positive outcomes for women officers. The episode concludes with Huff’s ongoing research into police retention strategies in Ohio, emphasizing organizational culture, supervision, and job satisfaction. Throughout the discussion, both stress the importance of building trust between agencies and researchers and aligning policing innovations with outcomes communities value.
Host Jerry Ratcliffe and Bohdan Denysenko discussing Ukraine’s policing during wartime. Bogdan Denysenko is a former Ukrainian police officer and now civilian security sector reform and organised crime expert with over 20 years of experience in Ukrainian law enforcement and international advisory work, supporting the Government and Parliament of Ukraine through the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine, based in Kyiv. They chat about Soviet-era legacies, EU-led reforms, and challenges from the Russian invasion, including staffing shortages and rising threats. The focus is on intelligence-led policing, improved analytics, integrated IT systems, and preparing for post-war organized crime risks.
Mike Pooley is the first Native American to lead a municipal police department in Arizona and currently serves as the Apache Junction Police Department's chief. He chats with Jerry Ratcliffe about his upbringing on the Navajo Nation Reservation, his transition to the Phoenix area for better educational opportunities, and his journey into law enforcement, where he spent over 20 years with the Tempe Police Department before becoming the police chief at Apache Junction.Pooley shares insights into the challenges of municipal versus tribal policing, highlighting jurisdictional complexities and the socio-economic disparities between city and reservation areas. The episode also touches on personal stories, including the impact of policing on Pooley's family, including the tragic loss of his sister, a former police officer, to alcoholism, underscoring the toll that the profession can take on individuals and families.
This episode features a conversation between host Jerry Ratcliffe and Police Chief Rich Johnston of the Barrie Police Service in Canada. Chief Johnston, a proponent of evidence-based policing, discusses how this approach has influenced his career and the importance of future police chiefs adopting it. Johnston, who has been a police officer since 1997, has served in various roles within the Barrie Police Service and is recognized for his leadership and contributions to evidence-based policing. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and two master's degrees, including one from the University of Cambridge. The conversation touches on the differences between Canadian and US policing, with Johnston noting that Canadian policing tends to have a broader public safety focus compared to the more law enforcement-centric approach in the US. Johnston also shares insights on the challenges and benefits of implementing evidence-based practices within his department, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and critical thinking in policing. The episode concludes with a discussion on the significance of visibility in policing and the impact of evidence-based strategies on community trust and safety.
Peter Moskos is a Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, a former Baltimore City Police Officer, and current director of John Jay College’s NYPD Executive Master’s Leadership Program. He talks to host Jerry Ratcliffe about Compstat, Bratton and colleagues, the crime drop in 1990s New York City, his new book “Back From The Brink”, and the current state of policing research.
The episode features a conversation with Dr. Obed Magny, a former Sacramento police officer and co-founder of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing. He discusses emotional intelligence and its importance in policing, including how it can help officers de-escalate tense situations by reading the room and managing their own emotions. Magny shares how he would use emotional intelligence tactics like distracting arguing parties or engaging with them in unexpected ways to diffuse domestic disputes. The discussion highlights the lack of training on soft skills like emotional intelligence compared to technical policing skills, and how developing emotional intelligence can benefit police culture and community relations.
Chuck Tyree has served with New York State’s Division of Criminal Justice Service for over a decade and currently supervises programs in their Office of Public Safety. He oversees the Gun-Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, as well as manages grant-funded programs, coordinates statewide technical assistance, and facilitates research into evidence-based policing strategies. In this wide-ranging chat with Jerry Ratcliffe, they cover everything from mental health during man-made and natural disasters to the state’s gun and intimate partner violence initiatives.
Ben Bradford is Professor of Global City Policing at University College London, where he is Director of the Centre for Global City Policing. He chats to Jerry Ratcliffe about police legitimacy, his research on what people want from the police, and what law enforcement leaders need to know about improving trust in policing.
Jeremy Wilson is a Professor in the School of Criminal Justice and the Founding Director of the Police Staffing Observatory at Michigan State University. Before that, he was a Behavioral Scientist at the RAND Corporation. His chat with host Jerry Ratcliffe covers police recruitment, what is wrong with so many operational allocation models, and how the world of police staffing is changing.
Matt Bland is the Chief Operating Officer of the Society of Evidence-Based Policing, and an associate professor with the Police Executive Programme at the University of Cambridge. Prior to that, Dr. Bland spent a decade and a half with Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies, in a range of intelligence and crime analyst roles. We talk about his background as police analyst, the state of EBP, and how many divorces are required to be a serious organized crime detective.
Nola Joyce is a highly accomplished civilian policing professional who has served in leadership roles with the police departments of Chicago, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia where she held the rank of Deputy Commissioner. She is now a Partner and Principal Consultant for 21CP Solutions. In Chicago she helped implement the famous CAPS community policing program, and then in Philadelphia, she was instrumental in designing and evaluating key policing initiatives, such as the Philadelphia Foot Patrol Experiment and Philadelphia Policing Tactics Experiment. Her chat with host Jerry Ratcliffe discusses the role of civilian staff in policing, their mentorship and development, and the support they bring to police leaders. She emphasized the importance of balancing innovative ideas with relevance and acceptance from frontline officers.
Stacey Rothwell is the director of innovation action across seven police forces leading ERIN, the Eastern Region Innovation Network in the UK. After a career as a sworn officer, including as a detective in financial investigation, she returned in a civilian role, pioneering the innovative use of rapid video response in domestic violence cases. She chatted to Jerry Ratcliffe at the Somers Town Coffee House to discuss her career and the challenges of getting an experiment in rapid video response up and running.
David Décary-Hétu is a professor at the University of Montreal and chair of the Darknet and Anonymity Research Centre. Décary-Hétu's research focuses on studying data from offenders who use anonymity technologies like the dark web, cryptocurrencies, and encryption. He reveals that the dark web was originally developed by the military to enable anonymous communication, and that while the dark web and other anonymity technologies pose challenges for law enforcement, they are not the unbreakable havens for crime that are sometimes portrayed in media. The dark web enables new types of crime, but repeated disruptions of dark web markets can lead to some offenders becoming discouraged and quitting.
Loren Atherley is the Senior Director of Performance Analytics & Research and the Senior Research Scientist for the Seattle Police Department. He emphasizes the importance of taking an incremental, gradual approach to implementing evidence-based policing. He focuses on building data curiosity and buy-in within the department by providing useful analytical products and dashboards. He advocates for hiring "pracademics" - academics with applied experience - to help bridge the gap between research and practice in policing. This allows departments to leverage rigorous methodology while still understanding the practical realities. However, Dr. Atherley also acknowledges the need for caution when applying advanced analytics and machine learning to policing.
Gina Hawkins, experienced police leader, former chief, and President of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, discusses the importance of support networks and mentorship for women in policing, especially at the executive level. She emphasizes the ‘sorority-like’ connections among women leaders that provide crucial emotional and professional support. She talks about the personal sacrifices that come with taking on leadership, the need for better mental health and wellness support for police officers, as well as the historical stigma and lack of resources around this issue. Also discussed are the barriers and biases that women, particularly women of color, face in advancing to leadership positions in policing.
Jerry Ratcliffe talks to Professor Cliff Stott, a distinguished social psychologist specializing in crowd behavior, group identity, and public order policing. Stott discusses his background and early life experiences, and how this led him to study crowd psychology and develop the Elaborated Social Identity Model as an alternative to outdated mob psychology theories. Stott's work aims to debunk the myth that crowds inherently lose control and become irrational, arguing instead that crowd behavior is guided by shared social identities and norms. Instead, indiscriminate use of force by police can escalate crowd conflicts, by creating a shared identity of opposition to the police.
A line-of-duty death is the ultimate tragedy for a police department. Nobody likes to tempt fate, but planning ahead can make a significant difference should a catastrophe occur. After her police officer husband Greg was killed in the line of duty, Kassy Alia Ray founded the non-profit organization Serve & Connect and in this episode discusses how it fosters positive change through sustainable police-community partnerships. She also has practical proactive measures, borne of personal experience, that can help a police department navigate the unthinkable.
Adrian Raine is the Richard Perry University Professor of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Raine's pioneering work has used brain imaging and psychophysiological techniques to study the biological factors underlying antisocial and violent behavior, including in violent offenders and psychopaths. We have a fun and accessible chat about everything from psychopaths to the nature or nurture debate.
Jason Potts is the chief of the Las Vegas Department of Public Safety, and the president of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing. Potts discusses the challenges of implementing evidence-based policing practices as a police leader, including getting buy-in from frontline officers, middle managers, and elected officials. In this chat, he emphasizes the importance of developing a culture that embraces ambiguity, risk, and failure as part of the process of implementing evidence-based reforms.
Thaddeus Johnson is a former police officer from Memphis who is now an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University. He has extensively researched issues related to policing, crime, and racial disparities. Johnson discussed his experiences as a Black police officer and the challenges of navigating his racial identity in that role. He also highlighted the broader systemic racism and inequities in society that contribute to disparities in crime and policing outcomes. Johnson and his colleagues conducted a study examining the effects of police unionization and collective bargaining on police use of force. They found that increased police pay was associated with reduced police killings overall, but this benefit was only seen in non-unionized departments and not for Black citizens in unionized departments. In the episode Johnson discusses police accountability and oversight, transparency around officer disciplinary records, and how to do that without undermining the legitimate labor rights of officers.
Dr. Ian Adams talks about his career in policing, his transition to academia, and his recent policy research paper titled "Fuck: The Police." They discuss the use of profanity in policing and the need for a nuanced approach to regulating it. Adams conducted a survey experiment with police chiefs and sheriffs across the United States, finding a strong national consensus on the issue. He argues that policy should focus on the impact of profanity on public trust and professionalism rather than implementing blanket bans. Adams also highlights the creativity and problem-solving skills of police officers and the challenges they face in their daily work. Just be advised that the episode features strong, and often highly imaginative, language right from the start.
Grant Edwards APM, a retired commander from the Australian Federal Police, shares his experiences and struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in this episode. He discusses the cumulative effect of trauma in policing and the importance of mental health management, and emphasizes the need for a mentally safe workplace and a culture that supports vulnerability and open communication. He suggests that organizations should prioritize mental health literacy and provide resources for self-care, such as movement and exercise. Grant also highlights the significance of leadership at all levels in creating a supportive environment for officers.
A former police officer and detective, Dr. Cynthia Lum is Distinguished University Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University, and directs their Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. She is an appointed member of the National Academies of Sciences Committee on Law and Justice, an appointed trustee to the Council on Criminal Justice, and a board director for the National Policing Institute. We talk about evidence-based policing, implementing innovation, and how to overcome some of the barriers to progress.
In this episode, John Mina, the Sheriff of Orange County, Florida, discusses his background in law enforcement, including his time as Chief of Police in Orlando, and his decision to run for Sheriff. He talks about the benefits and challenges of being an elected law enforcement official and the unique role of the Sheriff in American policing. Mina also shares his views on recruitment and retention, the relationship between law enforcement and the media, and the issues facing sheriffs and police chiefs alike, such as recruitment, violent crime, homelessness, mental health, and officer wellness.
Dr. Peter Neyroud, former Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police and director of the Police Executive Programme at Cambridge University, discusses his career in British policing and his involvement in leadership challenges, police firearm use, and training. He highlights the importance of evidence-based policing and the need for clear guidance and policies in areas such as police shootings. He emphasizes the need for a strong evidence base to evaluate interventions and make informed decisions. Peter concludes by discussing the Police Executive Programme at Cambridge University and its role in training current and future police leaders.
Jerry Ratcliffe chats with Keith Humphreys, an influential figure in drug policy and a professor at Stanford University. They discuss the dangers of synthetic opioids, the role of academics in advising government, and the differences between drug policies in San Francisco and Portugal. Humphreys emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach to drug policy, combining public health and public safety measures. He highlights the need for coercion in certain cases to encourage behavior change and protect communities. The conversation also touches on movies that depict addiction and the drug trade, such as "Trainspotting" and "Layer Cake."
Alex Piquero, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Miami, discusses his career in criminology, including his time as the director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. He talks about the importance of mentors, the role of universities in challenging and provoking ideas, and the need for academics to engage in public intellectualism. Piquero also discusses challenges he faced in government and the risks around evidence-based advocacy. He concludes with excellent advice for new scholars.
Did you see the movie BlacKkKlansman? If so you will love this episode. Host Jerry Ratcliffe chats with his mate Jim Rose, a former narcotics officer and senior advisor to the US State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Rose was also the real-life white cop in BlacKkKlansman. He discusses his experience infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a young undercover officer and his subsequent work in Central America. He also talks about the challenges and successes of implementing intelligence-led policing and community-oriented strategies in countries like El Salvador. Rose emphasizes the importance of proactive leadership and institutionalizing best practices to create safer and more secure communities.
In this episode of the Reducing Crime podcast, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Beatriz Magaloni, a professor of international relations and political science at Stanford University. Magaloni discusses her work on community policing with a specific ‘pacifying police unit’ in Brazil's most dangerous favelas, focusing on the different types of control exerted by criminal organizations in these areas. She explains the challenges faced by police in these environments and the importance of understanding the relationships between criminal groups, the community, and collusion with the state … and the police.
In this episode of Reducing Crime, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews criminologist David Weisburd. They discuss Weisburd's career, his work on hotspots policing and procedural justice, and his advice for young scholars. Weisburd emphasizes the importance of focusing on long-term research questions rather than being swayed by current trends or immediate concerns. He also discusses the misconceptions surrounding hotspots policing, including the assumption that it is solely about heavy-handed policing and the belief that displacement is inevitable. Weisburd highlights the need for more funding and support for policing research, particularly in areas such as training and strategies. He also suggests that community engagement and collaboration are crucial in addressing crime and reducing the burden on the police.
In this episode of the Reducing Crime podcast, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Martin Bouchard, a professor of criminology at Simon Fraser University, about social network analysis and its application to understanding gangs and organized crime groups. Bouchard explains the concepts of social network analysis, including dyads and brokers, and discusses how police can use this understanding to strategically target and disrupt criminal activity. He also highlights the similarities between gang networks and police corruption networks. Bouchard emphasizes the importance of combining social network analysis with contextual knowledge and intelligence to gain a comprehensive understanding of criminal networks. The episode concludes with a discussion on the role of social and human capital in criminal organizations and the potential for disruption and informant recruitment.
In this episode of the Reducing Crime Podcast, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Detective Superintendent Dave Cowan of Australia's Victoria Police. They discuss Cowan's journey into evidence-based policing (EBP) and the experiments he has conducted, including a focused deterrence trial and a trial using behavioral science to reduce failure to appear at court. They also discuss the importance of rigorous testing and evaluation in policing strategies, the need for better communication and application of research in policing, and the challenges and progress in implementing EBP within police organizations. Cowan emphasizes the importance of leadership, curiosity, and innovation in driving change and improving policing practices.
In this episode of Reducing Crime, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Seth Williams, the former Philadelphia District Attorney who was convicted and incarcerated on charges related to the receipt of undisclosed gifts. Williams discusses his time in prison and the role of the District Attorney. He talks about his background and experiences as a prosecutor, as well as his efforts to implement community-based prosecution and reduce gun violence in Philadelphia. Williams also shares his views on holding people accountable for illegal firearms possession and addressing the drug crisis through a combination of harm reduction and social services. He emphasizes the importance of treating trauma and providing interventions at an early age to prevent crime and reduce recidivism. Williams also discusses his current work in helping individuals with reentry and officiating weddings.
Ron Clarke is a criminological legend, the originator of the situational approach to preventing crime, and he co-developed the rational choice perspective with Derek Cornish. He led the UK Home Office Research and Planning Unit before going on to spend a long and storied academic career at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Ron is the founding editor of Crime Prevention Studies and authored or co-authored more than 300 books, monographs and papers. A critic of mainstream criminology, he nonetheless was awarded the prestigious Stockholm Prize in Criminology in 2015.
Terry Cherry is a recruiting officer with the Charleston, South Carolina police department, NIJ LEADS scholar, and has been recognized as an IACP 40 under 40 up-and-coming leader in policing. In her 11 years with the Charleston department she has also worked patrol, investigations, and started a problem-solving unit. Working with academic colleagues she has taken a more evidence-based approach to her recruitment work and we discuss solutions to the current crisis facing police recruitment and retention.
Andrew Lemieux manages the Problem-Oriented Wildlife Protection program for LEAD Ranger – an organization that supports wildlife park rangers around the world. Dr. Lemieux is also the editor-in-chief of the Wilderness Problems Resource Portal, an open-source collection of guides and manuals specifically written for field teams and hosted by the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing. We talk about poaching, wildlife crime, habitat management and problem-solving in these unique and diverse wilderness places.
Mark Evans, OBE is the Executive Lead for Future Policing with the New Zealand Police (NZP), and Vice President of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence Based Policing. He is the chair of the independent advisory board at the Royal New Zealand Police College and has an operational portfolio focused on fair and equitable policing outcomes, evidence-based policing, and the future use of new technologies. In a previous career, he reinvigorated crime and intelligence analysis in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. We discuss what he has learned about change and innovation in policing in large agencies.
Dr. Steve James is now an assistant professor in the Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology at Washington State University, having previously served for over 20 years in the British military. He has since become one of the US’s foremost experts on the effects of fatigue and sleep deprivation on law enforcement. He outlines a range of practical ways police officers can manage their sleep, coffee and stimulant intake, overtime, and seasonal changes.
Ken Pease, OBE is a British crime prevention legend, and the pioneer who directed the Kirkholt repeat burglary prevention project. He is currently a visiting professor at University College London, the University of Manchester, and Huddersfield University. We discuss the Kirkholt project, as well as his time teaching in Canada, having his class bombed by the provisional IRA, repeat victimization, and misleading government graphics.
Vera Bumpers is the police chief for the Houston Metro Transit Authority Police Department. She has served as the president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and is this year’s winner of the Woman Law Enforcement Executive of the Year Award. We talk about mentorship, community outreach, and her role encouraging other women in policing.
Scott Payne served in law enforcement for 28 years, primarily with the FBI in a long-term undercover capacity. We discuss his role infiltrating outlaw motorcycle gangs, sacrificing goats to gain access to white supremacist, neo-Nazi groups, and playing Lynyrd Skynyrd songs at Ku Klux Klan rallies. He also talks honestly about the mental and physical toll it took on him and his personal relationships.
Jeff Asher is a nationally recognized crime data analyst and co-founder of the data analytics firm AH Datalytics. Jeff spent years as a crime analyst with both the City of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and prior to that he worked on spook street, as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Defense. Jeff’s analyses have appeared nationally on data journalism website FiveThirtyEight, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and more. Jeff holds a MA from George Washington University and a BA from the University of Texas. We discuss the spectacular failure that has been the launch of the National Incident-Based Reporting System and how we might be able to fix it.
Art Acevedo is the interim police chief in Aurora, Colorado, and has been a chief with the California Highway Patrol, in Austin, Texas, Houston, Texas, and for a short tumultuous tenure, Miami, Florida. We talk about his career, his viral public address after the murder of George Floyd, and what needs to change in police leadership.
Stijn Ruiter is a Dutch sociologist who specializes in environmental criminology and why crime happens where it does. Since 2009, he has worked at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement. We chat about translating policing research across national boundaries, and in particular his role as research program leader for a new initiative – what works in policing – towards evidence-based policing in the Netherlands.
A cop for over 45 years, Bill Brooks is the chief of the Norwood, Massachusetts police department. He is also an award-winning expert on eyewitness identification and has worked closely with the Innocence Project. We discuss the police pullback, generational change in policing, and the latest approaches to eyewitness identification.
Gloria Laycock headed the Home Office Police Research Group and was founding Director of University College London’s Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science – the first such institute in the world. In this masterclass on the 50-year history of crime prevention, you will learn about how the UK got its first government Police Research Group, the foundation of the Jill Dando Institute for Crime Science, the successes and failures of working in a crime prevention policy world, the importance of tackling repeat victimization as a way to reduce crime, how Laycock and the Home Office shamed car manufacturers into improving vehicle security, the crime lessons from a wobbly bridge in London, and what crime prevention success story was objected to by a government minister because it was too many syllables.
Police chief (retd.) Kristen Ziman joined policing as a 17-year old cadet. She spent her 30-year career with the Aurora Illinois police department during which time she was the first woman lieutenant, first woman commander, and eventually the first woman chief. During her tenure as chief, a former employee walked into one of the city’s manufacturing companies, murdered five people and subsequently injured five police officers. We talk about that event, and the lessons she learned.
Shon Barnes is the police chief in Madison, Wisconsin. A new documentary (the 54th mile policing project) follows Chief Barnes and two other black police officers as they undertake a historic civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama. Jerry Ratcliffe chats with Dr. Barnes about his embracing of education and evidence-based policing, the challenges of working with communities in the post-George Floyd world, and the lessons he took away from his three-day trek across Alabama.
Jackie Sebire retired this month as Assistant Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police in the UK. We discuss Dr Sebire's work as a director on the UK College of Policing's Senior Command course, her time as staff officer to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, and important new findings she just published around independent domestic violence advisors.
Wes Skogan is emeritus professor at Northwestern University and a leading authority on community policing. He sits down with host Jerry Ratcliffe to discuss the origins and development of community policing in Chicago, the importance of case workers alongside violence interrupters, and the core components that can reinvigorate community policing.
Scott Charles is the Trauma Outreach Manager for Temple University Hospital, director of the Cradle to Grave program, and coordinator of the hospital’s Trauma Victims Support Advocates program. We discuss how he came to be running these hospital-based violence interruption programs (HVIPs), how they work to change the lives of gunshot victims and young people at risk of gun crime, and what he has learned from thousands of conversations with gunshot survivors.
Dr. Jason Roach is a chartered psychologist, Professor of Psychology and Policing, and Director of the University of Huddersfield's Secure Societies Research Institute. In the podcast, we talk about some of his projects that have explored offender self-selection and trigger crimes, criminal decision-making, nudging and influencing crime prevention, and learning from offenders.
Walter Katz is the Vice President of Criminal Justice for Arnold Ventures. Walter received his law degree from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific and his undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. His conversation with Jerry Ratcliffe covers his background as a public defender, his work as Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, police oversight, public safety budgets and the role of civilian policy makers, police use of force, and minimizing police involved shootings.
Dr. Justin Nix is a distinguished associate professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha, and this year's Outstanding Young Experimental Criminologist. We chat about his research on procedural justice, police legitimacy, and the use of deadly force.
Charles Ramsey is one of the most revered leaders in American policing. He joined the Chicago Police Department as a cadet in 1968 and rose to lead both the Washington DC Metro police department and the Philadelphia Police Department. He co-chaired President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
The discussion covers 1960s racism in policing, recruitment, leadership, dealing with bad news, working with academics, compassion fatigue, identifying and promoting talent in the department, and mental health of police leadership when facing deaths in the ranks.
Don Weatherburn is now a Professor at Australia's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, but for most of his career ran the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research in Sydney. There he played a pivotal role informing crime and policing policy at the highest levels of government. We talk about his experience and insights working with practitioners in such a high profile public capacity. He is on twitter @DonWeatherburn
Natalie Hiltz is an inspector with Peel Regional Police Service in Ontario Canada and an advocate for evidence-based policing across the country. Inspector Hiltz was instrumental in organizing the first Evidence-Based Policing Conference in Canada in partnership with the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and The Cambridge Centre for Evidence Based Policing. We talk about the emergence of evidence-based policing in Canada and her research into the overlap of violent crime offenders and victims in her community.
Dr Ian Stanier was the head of the human intelligence unit at the UK’s National Counter-Terrorism Policing Headquarters. He is now an academic involved in research and training on the recruitment, management and elicitation of information from covert human intelligence sources. We chat about the challenges of informant recruitment and management during the pandemic, and the different motivations that drive source recruitment.
Bill Bratton has been chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, chief of the New York City Transit Police, commissioner of the Boston Police Department, and New York City Police Department commissioner twice. For the last twenty-five years, he has been one of the most high profile police leaders in America. We talk about his career and his new book (written with Peter Knobler) "The Profession: A Memoir of Community, Race, and the Arc of Policing in America"
Katy Barrow-Grint is a Superintendent with the UK's Thames Valley Police. She is currently the Head of Specialist Operations for Thames Valley, running covert policing for the force. We talk about her research on domestic abuse, her work developing an internal evidence-based policing journal, becoming the inaugural Editor in Chief of the College of Policing Publication ‘Going Equipped’, and being a lead on #WeCops, a popular UK policing weekly twitter debate forum.
Carmen Best served with the Seattle police department for 28 years, rising through the ranks to take over as chief in August 2018. She led the department through the turbulence of the George Floyd protests culminating in the more-than-three-week occupation of the Capitol Hill neighborhood in what became the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. Best resigning in protest when Seattle City Council voted to downsize the department by about 100 officers. We talk about all of that - and more - in this episode.
A US Army veteran and graduate of Western Illinois University and Northeastern University, Best was the first African American woman to lead the Seattle police department. Having filled many policing roles, as chief she focused on diversity hiring and community engagement. Her professional education includes courses with the FBI National Executive Institute (NEI), the FBI National Academy, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association Police Executive Leadership Institute.
Ed Maguire is a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University, where he also serves as director of the Public Safety Innovation Lab. We chat about the challenges involved in policing protests and demonstrations, and balancing an appropriate response in highly dynamic situations. Maguire shares his knowledge and experiences working with police in the US, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, and we discuss demonstrations including the Occupy movement, Black Lives Matter, and the January 6th Capitol riot.
Tanya Meisenholder is the Deputy Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion for the New York City Police Department (NYPD). We talk about hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, engaging underrepresented groups within the police service, and what she learned about being "black and blue" in a post-George Floyd world.
Jennifer Wood is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Temple University, and a criminologist with expertise in policing, regulation and public health. Our discussion covers the role law enforcement plays in the policing of mental health, addition and vulnerability, and the need to provide police with better structures, tools and options to help address these challenges. The detrimental impacts on officer health are also raised.
Commander Alex Murray is the London Metropolitan Police lead for trafficking, online child abuse, the flying squad, cyber crime, and major crime. He is a firearms, counter-terrorism and public order commander, and has previously work in local policing, CID and counter-terrorism. Prior to joining the Met in 2020, he was temporary assistant chief constable for crime with West Midlands police. In 2017 he was awarded an OBE in part for his contributions to evidence-based policing and founding the Society of Evidence-Based Policing. We discuss offender management opportunities during COVID-19, what to look for in an academic that can support policing advancement, and the important evidence-based policing lessons for police leadership.
Rod Brunson is the Thomas P. O’Neill Professor of Public Life at Northeastern University. We discuss his op-ed in the Washington Post that, at the height of the protests around the killing of George Floyd and calls to defund policing, pointing out that under-policing could be just as deadly for high crime neighborhoods as over-policing.
Bill Walsh is a lieutenant with the Voorhees police department in New Jersey. We chat about his work as their Health and Wellness Coordinator integrating a board-certified policy psychologist and police families into a comprehensive program geared towards officer wellness and resiliency.
Debra Piehl has been an innovator and leader in the development of crime analysis for over 20 years. We chat about the value of crime analysis to police leaders, the importance of data quality, crime analysis in Compstat and DDACTS, and the emerging role of analysts in evidence-based policing.
Rachel Tuffin in the Director of Knowledge and Innovation at the College of Policing for England and Wales. We discuss the unique national role that the college has across law enforcement policy and training.
Hans Menos leads Philadelphia's Police Advisory Commission, the civilian oversight agency for the Philadelphia Police Department. They provide recommendations on how to improve policing in the city, by analyzing the policies, practices, and customs of the Philadelphia Police Department. In a wide-ranging discussion, we talk about the challenges of police oversight, black lives matter, use of force, and different ways to move police accountability forward. Note that since this episode was recorded, the Philadelphia Police Department’s use of force policy has been amended and now includes documenting the unholstering or pointing of a service weapon.
Danny Murphy is the Deputy Commissioner over the Compliance Bureau at the Baltimore Police Department in Maryland, where he leads the implementation of Baltimore’s extensive consent decree which mandates comprehensive reforms to improve operations and build public trust in the wake of civic unrest and fractured police-community relations. We talk about what consent decrees are, how police departments get into them, get out of them, and the pros and cons of being in a consent decree.
Kevin Bethel is a retired Philadelphia Deputy Police Commissioner and now Chief of School Safety for the Philadelphia School District. We chat about the school-to-prison pipeline and his work rethinking the role of police in schools. His diversion program has reduced school arrests by 71 percent.
Mo McGough is chief of staff for the policing project at NYU Law. We chat about the role, representation and experiences of women in policing.
Robert Schug is a neurocriminologist, clinical psychologist, and professor at California State University Long Beach. We talk about mind hunters, the media, and the real science behind serial killer research.
Phillip Atiba Goff is the inaugural Franklin A. Thomas Professor in Policing Equity at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He talks about moving away from a reflexive arrest approach to all policing problems, the challenges of dealing with service providers in non-crime areas, and working with city politics.
Chris Magnus is the police chief for Tucson, Arizona. He talks about moving away from a reflexive arrest approach to all policing problems, the challenges of dealing with service providers in non-crime areas, and working with city politics.
Lorraine Mazerolle is a Professor of Criminology in the School of Social Science at Australia's University of Queensland and one of the world's leading experimental criminologists. We discuss her career in criminology, police and crime prevention partnerships, and her current RCT working with police and schools.
Thomas Abt is a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. We chat about his background in state and federal criminal justice policy-making, and the motivation and aims behind his recent book "Bleeding Out -The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets".
Professor Lawrence Sherman is Director of the Cambridge Centre for Evidence-Based Policing at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Jerry Lee Centre of Experimental Criminology. We discuss the police constable apprentice program, the role of socializing in the pub as an executive learning tool, the crime harm index and victimization, and the role of algorithms in improving the criminal justice system.
Professor Marcus Felson (Texas State University San Marcos) explains why the correct terminology is important in regard to routine activities theory, has some choice words for social disorganization and collective efficacy, explains the origins of the routine activities approach.
Dr Ella Cockbain (University College London) and I talked over a nice cuppa at the Jill Dando Institute for Crime Science in London. She tells me about trafficking, exploitative business policies, legislation that makes things worse not better, and laundry detergent bubbles. In return, I learn how to use the right language around this area, question Norwegian sexual prowess, and upset Liam Neeson.
Sir Denis O'Connor has been in British policing for over 50 years and a leader for nearly two decades. Across a variety of roles, he has been at the center of a number of significant high-profile reviews. We discuss police careerists, the growth of oversight regimes, and the need for a plan to win. There's also some reflection on the former prevalence of violence at weddings in the east end of London.
Dr. Renee Mitchell is a sergeant in the Sacramento police department, California, and a co-founder and current president of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing. In a wide-ranging chat, we explore the myriad ways research can help 21st century policing. We also cover her Sacramento Hot Spots Experiment, how policing research is like following the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and its lack of evidence base, "Make it stop" policing, and the lack of science around police-involved shootings.
Dr. Ian Hesketh was a British police officer for 30 years and is now the Wellbeing Lead at the UK's College of Policing and the key leadership figure for the National Police Wellbeing Service. We talk about officer wellness and resiliency in the face of mounting challenges.
Rob Briner is Professor of Organizational Psychology in the School of Business and Management at Queen Mary University of London. He tells me about the vital role of accountability in pushing evidence-based practice, the appeal of apparent simplicity and good intentions that can trap people in harmful responses, the three words managers can't seem to say, and the idea of watchful waiting.
Geoff Barnes is the Director of Criminology for the Western Australia Police Force. Our chat covers how not to do literature reviews, promoting evidence-based policing, and the role of senior leadership in making that vision sustainable, sometimes with only 90 seconds-a-year effort.
The recent evaluation of the impact of California's Prop 47 by Charis Kubrin (Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine) has attracted significant attention, both academically and politically. Hear why it has been so controversial.
John Eck is a professor at the University of Cincinnati and the originator of the SARA model of problem-oriented policing. We discuss his work around investigation management, the nonsense and unreliability of clearance rates, the true value of detective work, the failings of community policing, and what he learned about place management from a cemetery.
I catch up with Geoff Alpert, professor of criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, and a stalwart of the policing research field for over 30 years. We discuss how to get research into the hands of police officers, and what are the essential skills for a new policing researcher coming out of a graduate program.
A chat with Major Wendy Stiver(Dayton, OH PD) about overcoming resistance to evidence-based policing, and her new role as the first practitioner-in-residence for the National Institute of Justice's LEADS scholar program.
Dr. Tamara Herold explains the award-winning PIVOT project and how Cincinnati has used it to reduce crime and shootings.
Kim Rossmo discusses his latest work trying to better understand investigative failures and why solvable cases go cold.
I discuss with Jakob Lindergaard-Bentzen (program manager with the Danish National Police) the challenges of promoting and supporting ILP, the complexity of the modern detective role, and how to staff and sustain an analysis unit. We even use the one word that you weren't allowed to use in the Danish police until a couple of years ago.
In this second episode of Reducing Crime, I talk with Detective Inspector Mike Newman of the Queensland Police Service in Australia. We chat about the development of evidence-based policing in their force, and how they have forged relationships with local academics. QPS have emerged as one of the most progressive police agencies developing new approaches to identifying best practice.
In this, the pilot episode of Reducing Crime, I talk with police chief Tom Nestel about the need for ongoing education, innovation in leadership, building trust, the value of working in different departments, and evidence-based policing. We cover quite a bit in half an hour.