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.

Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Mo McGough, Chief of Staff at The Policing Project at NYU Law, about the role, representation, and experiences of women in policing. They discuss the need for greater gender parity in law enforcement, the challenges faced by women officers, and the importance of changing the culture within police departments to support women. They also touch on the intersectionality of gender with other issues such as race and the need for men in leadership positions to advocate for gender equality. The episode highlights the progress that has been made in recent decades, but also acknowledges the work that still needs to be done to achieve greater representation of women in policing.

Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Dr. Robert Schug, a neuro criminologist and clinical psychologist, about the real science behind serial killer research. They discuss the misconceptions surrounding serial killers, the difference between serial, spree, and mass killers, and the need for more scientific research in this field. Dr. Schug also talks about his work interviewing serial killers and the importance of approaching them as humans rather than monsters. He emphasizes the potential for identifying and intervening with individuals who exhibit patterns of risk factors before they become violent.

Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Philip Atiba Goff, an expert in racial bias and discrimination. They discuss the concept of implicit bias and its impact on policing, as well as the limitations of current training programs. Goff emphasizes the importance of shifting the focus from individual character to situational factors when addressing racial disparities in policing. He also highlights the need for better measurement of the consequences of policing practices and the importance of including marginalized communities in decision-making processes. The conversation touches on the challenges of discussing race in America and the role of criminology in addressing racial inequities.

In this episode of the Reducing Crime podcast, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Chris Magnus, the police chief for Tucson, Arizona. Magnus discusses the innovative approaches his department is taking to address social problems affecting the city, such as homelessness and substance abuse. He emphasizes the need for a shift away from a reflexive arrest approach and towards more evidence-based and tailored solutions. Magnus also highlights the importance of building partnerships with other service providers and engaging with the community to create meaningful change. He acknowledges the challenges of navigating politics and the need for more time to implement effective strategies. Overall, Magnus advocates for a more nuanced and collaborative approach to policing.

In this episode of the Reducing Crime podcast, host Jerry Ratcliffe interviews Lorraine Mazerolle, a professor of criminology at the University of Queensland. They discuss Mazerolle's career in criminology and her work on police and crime prevention partnerships. Mazerolle explains the importance of partnerships in sustaining long-term crime control and highlights the benefits of dyad partnerships, which involve the police and one other agency. She also discusses the role of legislation in supporting partnerships and the need for a sunset clause to ensure partnerships are regularly evaluated and refreshed. Mazerolle shares examples of successful partnerships, including a program that focuses on police engagement with schools to address truancy issues. She also discusses her current research on child exploitation and countering violent extremism.