Policing Matters

Many officers have encountered child-to-parent violence. Few have received formal training on how to recognize it. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with retired Oak Park Sergeant Rasul Freelain about the years of escalating abuse that preceded the infamous Bali suitcase murder. Drawing on his experience investigating the case and the research behind his forthcoming book, “When Lambs Become Wolves: The Chilling Case of Sheila von Wiese-Mack,” Freelain explains why child-to-parent violence often goes unnoticed, how systems can miss critical warning signs and what law enforcement can do when a parent becomes the victim. Freelain served as a detective, patrol officer and supervisor connected to the Mack family case. He shares the warning signs he observed, the challenges officers faced when trying to intervene and how the case inspired his ongoing work training law enforcement agencies to recognize child-to-parent violence and abuse. About our sponsor American Military University supports law enforcement professionals with flexible online programs designed around the demands of the job. Whether you’re looking to grow your own career or support the development of your officers, the Everyday Heroes Grant provides eligible first responders and their families with a 20% tuition grant. Students may also be eligible to transfer up to 45 credits for academy training, prior education, and professional experience, helping them start ahead and finish sooner. Learn more at PublicSafetyAtAMU.com.

Every agency has them – the problems that keep the chief’s phone ringing and the community demanding action. The instinct may be to borrow a strategy from a neighboring department or pull a promising model off a research website. But turning theory into practice is rarely plug-and-play. On this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley speaks with Lt. Matt Barter of the Manchester (New Hampshire) Police Department about applying hotspot policing research to quality-of-life issues – and what agencies can learn when the results aren’t what they expected. Barter’s team targeted high-call areas for quality-of-life complaints using scheduled 15-minute hotspot patrols, density mapping and matched comparison areas. Officers increased directed patrol activity by roughly 80%, engaged businesses and focused on place-based prevention. Calls declined in the target areas – but they declined even more in untreated comparison areas. The takeaway: Without a true counterfactual, agencies risk declaring success too soon. Barter explains why transparent evaluation, cross-agency collaboration and iterative problem-solving matter more than claiming a quick win – and how patrol leaders can better align data, deployment and real-world conditions. About our sponsor This episode is sponsored by BLTN, Powered by Multitude Insights. Better bulletins solve crimes. BLTN is the nationwide intelligence-sharing platform built by law enforcement, for law enforcement. One centralized system to create, distribute, and analyze bulletins—connecting agencies in real time so critical intel reaches the right people when it matters most. No more inbox sprawl, no more missed leads—just faster coordination and better outcomes. Visit multitudeinsights.com to see how agencies are closing more cases, faster.

In 1990, New York City was a place many Americans were afraid to enter, let alone police. More than 2,600 homicides in a single year, open-air drug markets, violent subway platforms and neighborhoods ruled by fear defined daily life. What followed would become one of the most debated eras in modern policing — aggressive enforcement strategies, the expansion of stop, question and frisk, and a leadership-driven push to reclaim the streets. Decades later, those years are still argued in classrooms, courtrooms and police roll calls across the country. On this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley is joined by NYPD Detective Tom Smith, who lived that history from the inside. Smith joined the department in 1990 and was assigned to West Harlem’s 30th Precinct, one of the city’s busiest and most dangerous commands at the time. From anti-crime plainclothes work and gun arrests to major narcotics investigations, DEA task force operations and a post-9/11 deployment to Afghanistan, Smith’s career spans local street enforcement and international investigations. He shares what policing looked like before the crime drop, how leadership and coordinated prosecution mattered, and what today’s officers face in a very different New York City. Tom Smith is co-host of The Gold Shields Show podcast. Connect with Tom online: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram. About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting OfficerStore.com.

Most agencies have a communications plan — until the plan becomes the incident. In this episode of the Policing Matters podcast, host Jim Dudley digs into a reality many departments don’t fully plan for: what happens when cellular networks overload, land mobile radio coverage breaks down and agencies struggle to communicate at the very moment demand is highest. Jim is joined by LAPD Commander Randy Goddard, the acting commanding officer and chief information officer for the department’s Information Technology Bureau. Goddard also served as an incident commander during the Palisades fire and will lead LAPD’s Incident Management Team 1 for upcoming global events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He explains what unified command looked like when key systems failed, why “coverage” is not the same as “capacity,” and what redundancy and manual backups need to look like in modern policing. Commander Goddard is a featured contributor to Police1’s “26 on 2026: A police leadership playbook.” Download your copy here. About our sponsor This episode of the Policing Matters podcast is sponsored by OfficerStore. Learn more about getting the gear you need at prices you can afford by visiting OfficerStore.com.