Police In-Service Training

This podcast is dedicated to providing research evidence to street-level police officers and command staff alike. The program is intended to provide research in a jargon-free manner that cuts through the noise, misinformation, and misperceptions about the police. The discussions with policing experts will help the law enforcement community create better programs, understand challenging policies, and dispel myths of police officer behavior.

Police In-Service Training is a society podcast hosted by Scott Phillips, with 40 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Scott Phillips hosts Police In-Service Training, a society show with 40 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #39

  Gunshot Detection Systems: The Price of Policing?

  Aug 18, 202634 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail Gunshot detections systems work. No, gunshot detection systems don’t work. Can we have it both ways? It’s kind of like the first line in A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Well? Which is it? This week we’ll be discussing Gunshot Detection Systems and the impact on evidence collection and crime. Dr. Eric Piza, the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice and Director of Crime Analysis Initiatives at Northeastern University, joins the podcast to discuss his 2024 study, “Gunshot detection technology effect on gun violence in Kansas City, Missouri: A microsynthetic control evaluation, coauthored by David N. Hatten, George O. Mohler, Jeremy G. Carter, and Jisoo Cho. Main Topics The price tag for a gunshot detection system (GDS) can get very expensive very quickly. The use of a gunshot detection system was associated with higher levels of ballistic evidence collection in the GDS target area and surrounding location. The GDS did not influence any of the gun violence categories involving confirmed victims (i.e., fatal and non-fatal, shootings, aggravated assaults). We also get into the political aspects of research, and the role of an academic in policy debates. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #38

  Improve Police Behavior via Artificial Intelligence

  Aug 4, 202644 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on an unproven tool is wasteful, and Artificial Intelligence equipment for policing can be just such an expensive outlay. While there is a growing body of research showing the AI benefits and limits within policing, the jury is still out on its overall utility. Professor Ian Adams joins the podcast to discuss his paper titled, “Improving police behavior through artificial intelligence: Pre-registered experimental results in two large US agencies,” published in Criminology (coauthored by Kyle McLean and Geoff Alpert). Main Topics Using AI to audit body camera transcripts, there was an 80% increase in professional behavior in an already professional department. Substandard behavior was significantly reduced in a department with existing problems. The improved behavior may not be a change in the hearts of officers, but better is still better. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #36

  Immigration and Gun Homicides: The Evidence and Policing Implications

  Jul 15, 202631 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail Police officers understand evidence. From their time in the police academy to the first time they testify in court, even traffic court, an officer understands the importance of providing clear provable information. The evidence has to contribute to an argument that something is more than likely than not to be true. But when we to listen to news reports they are going to focus on the most serious issues. Unfortunately, the most serious issues are not the most common. In academics we call this "an N of 1." This does not stop people, the news media, or politicians from exploiting that single incident. But this is not evidence. The entire policing field understands the N of 1, because the field of policing can be targeted based on the behavior of a single officer. Whether the behavior is justified or corrupt, that single incident is thrown about as something common to policing. Again, this is not evidence. On today’s episode we’re going to be speaking with Calvin Proffit about the true nature of immigration and its relationship to crime. This is often discussed in the media, but we’re going to look at what the research evidences tells us about this issue. Calvin is a PhD candidate in the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. Calvin is the lead author of “Gun Violence in the Age of Mass Migration: An Empirical Assessment of Immigration Effects on U.S. County-Level Firearm Homicides, 2000–2015,” which was published just a month or so ago. Main Topics This research is a macro examination of crime patters across locations and demographics. Thirty years of research shows immigration insulates a neighborhood from crime. “Immigrant Revitalization” can decrease gang and gun violence. The macro level data finds a negative relationship between gun homicides and immigrant populations. When it comes to “gang-related” violence, this seems to be a unique problem. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #35

  Science-Based Interviewing: The Impact of Police Training

  Jul 8, 202625 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail We’ve all seen the movies in which a suspect is being interviewed by a bad cop and a good cop. The detectives badger or con the suspect to a point of offering a false confession just to stop the process. In the real world it is believed that false confessions make up 13% of wrongful convictions. In the realm of evidence-based policing a relatively new approach to conducting suspect interviews is something called science-based interrogations. The research into science-based interrogation is limited but growing. An important component of using a science-based approach to interrogations is the training provided to those police officers and detectives who will use this tool. Joining the podcast today is Dr. Melissa Russano who will be discussing two studies examining the impact of training on the use of science-based interrogation (SBI) methods. Melissa is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Roger Williams University. She holds a Ph.D. in Legal Psychology, and she teaches courses in Research Methods, legal psychology, and investigative interviewing. You can contact Dr. Russano at mrussano@rwu.edu if you would like to further discuss her research, which includes: Russano, M. B., Meissner, C. A., Atkinson, D. J., Brandon, S. E., Wells, S., Kleinman, S. M., & Jones, M. S. (2024). Evaluating the effectiveness of a 5-day training on science-based methods of interrogation with US federal, state, and local law enforcement investigators. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 30(2), 105. Russano, M. B., Meissner, C. A., Jones, M. S., Rothweiler, J. N., Taylor, P. J., Cory, C., & Brandon, S. E. (2025). Evaluating the effectiveness of a practitioner‐designed science‐based interviewing and interrogation course: A collaborative training and research effort. Legal and Criminological Psychology. Main Topics These studies take lab-based research and apply them in the policing field. SBI has multiple components, and each can improve the effectiveness of gaining cooperation and information from suspect, witnesses, and victims. Applying the traditional the accusatorial model is actually counterproductive. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #34

  Policing as a Reassuring Factor: Good Policing can Reduce Fear

  Jul 1, 202632 minS1

  Send us Fan Mail A sign means something. When you see a stop sign there’s no mystery about its meaning. Some signs are not as clear, and we have to interpret their meaning. For example, when someone sees neighborhood disorder or social incivilities, such as obvious drug dealing, these serve as warning signals about the potential for crime victimization. This can then lead to a fear of crime. Sometimes other factors can come into play that impact a person’s fear. These “other factors” interfere with the original sign, signaling something that makes you feel safe. This is important for people who live in areas that suffer from a multitude of disorders or incivilities. What are some of the other factors that can influence a person’s perception of safety? If we know what those factors are, can we increase them, thus improve feelings of safety? Joining the podcast is Doctor Travis M. Carter, an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He discusses his recent study titled “Explaining the relationship between neighborhood disorder and crime fear. Main Topics Incivilities create the perception of crime, but social capital, perceptions of enhanced informal social control and social cohesion, serve as cognitive heuristics that signal to people that their chances of victimization are lower. The “reassurance factor” describes people’s confidence in their local police as directly tied to fear of crime in their neighborhood. The research findings suggest that perceptions of ongoing local social processes by neighbors and the police are fundamental to understanding why disorder is associated with fear of crime. Don't forget to like, FOLLOW, and share. Sharing this podcast or an episode is one of the best complements I can receive, which will help grow the show. And don't forget to provide a review. Giving five stars is never a bad idea. Feel free to email me your comments using the "send us a text" option (above), or at the following email address: policeinservicetrainingpodcast@gmail.com You can also contact me at: Bluesky: @policeinservice.bsky.social

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Police In-Service Training. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.