INTERVIEW: During a 32-year career in policing, Chief Dale McFee of Edmonton Police Service has blended an entrepreneurial spirit with a commitment to innovation and reform, building a reputation as a successful “change leader”; as he prepares to retire later this year, he spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend and reflected on his achievements, leadership philosophy, and the challenges facing modern policing.

INTERVIEW: A life-saving biometric monitoring system introduced into custody cells in Regina Police Service is among a range of innovative strategies being implemented across the service, as Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend discovered when she spoke to Chief Farooq Sheikh and Staff Sergeant Pierre Beauchesne.

INTERVIEW: Chief Fady Dagher of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (Montreal City Police) is looking to transform the relationship between police and the communities they serve, with a range of groundbreaking initiatives – including an Immersion Programme where officers live with host families to gain a better understanding and insight into the everyday challenges they face – designed to create a new policing culture and more cohesive communities, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

INTERVIEW: The New Blue fellowship programme in the US is looking to empower “forward-thinking” front-line officers with the skills, awareness and support to develop innovative solutions around engagement and public trust that can address issues identified in the communities they serve, as programme Executive Director Kristin Daley explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

INTERVIEW: As the Chief of Winnipeg Police Service and President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Danny Smyth understands more than most about the challenges facing policing and police leadership in Canada and beyond; and as he explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend, building community relationships, ensuring the wellbeing of officers, and preparing the next generation of leaders will all be vital to meeting those challenges.

INTERVIEW: The University of Tennessee’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC) established a global reputation for forensics training, but more recently has become recognised for innovative approaches to issues including leadership, communications and culture; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to LEIC Training Specialist Jeff Hundley about the institution’s evolution, training challenges, and its student demographic.

INTERVIEW: With a policing career spanning more than three decades, Deborah Friedl is now bringing all her experience to bear as President of the International Association of Women Police (IAWP); she spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the work of the IAWP, the challenges facing women in policing today, and why she would willingly do it all again.

FEATURE: With support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, a women and policing network is encouraging and empowering female officers and staff in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to DCO Nancy Barnard and Supt Wendy Parchment about efforts to increase female representation, and the Island’s unique culture, heritage and policing challenges which create opportunities for women officers.

FEATURE: Grand Junction is a gateway city to the mountains and canyons of Colorado and Utah, but its rural isolation also contributes to a suicide rate more than double the national average; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Grand Junction PD Detective Kristine Gregory about the launch of the department's Co-Responder Unit, which teams up officers with clinicians to improve the response to those in mental health crisis, and deliver better long-term outcomes.

INTERVIEW: Having taken up a role in the private sector after a lengthy and successful career in the United States Secret Service, Kim Cheatle returned to the agency as its Director last summer, with a glowing endorsement from President Joe Biden; she recently spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about her passion for the job, her admiration for her colleagues, and the partnerships being built by the Secret Service to tackle new and emerging crimes and threats.

INTERVIEW: As the debate continues in many countries about police training and qualifications, a pioneering US programme in Massachusetts is offering recruits the opportunity to achieve both an undergraduate and master’s degree alongside their qualification to serve as a full-time officer; Programme Director Lisa Lane McCarty spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the degree debate, professionalizing police training, and the challenges of making “better human beings”.

INTERVIEW: A traumatic experience early in Vernon Herron’s policing career gave him a personal insight into the services officers need to maintain their mental health and wellbeing; now he uses that experience, and many others gained during more than 30 years in policing, to ensure Baltimore PD officers have the right safety and wellness support, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

INTERVIEW: The US Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has long been a pioneer of promoting community engagement and partnerships for law enforcement across America; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to COPS’ Nazmia Comrie about investing in long-term initiatives, how community policing can improve violence reduction, and why digging into the data is crucial.

INTERVIEW: After a 30-year career which saw her rise to the top of the Aurora Illinois Police Department, former chief Kristen Ziman retired in 2021 and found herself facing a difficult transition; 18 months on, with her first book published, and putting her specialist interests in counter-terrorism and gun violence to good use, she’s not ready to give up making a positive difference just yet, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

INTERVIEW: Policing in the US and elsewhere is facing new and complex challenges around issues such as community trust, leadership, and recruitment and retention; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to former police chief Kathleen O’Toole and policing consultant Bob Peirce about their new book, which draws in part on their experiences of working on Northern Ireland’s Patten Commission to suggest solutions for the crises facing policing in today’s divided communities.

INTERVIEW: As police forces around the world struggle to meet the growing demand of emergency calls related to people’s mental health problems, Austin Police Department in Texas has introduced a clinician-based ‘mental health crisis’ option for 911 callers which has improved the service to the public, cut use of force and arrest rates, and enabled officers to prioritise the response to crime, as Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend reports.

INTERVIEW: As Cambridge PD’s first female Commissioner, Christine Elow is determined to achieve her career-long ambition to “really make a difference”; and as a woman of colour and a parent to twin African-American 17-year-old sons, she’s also well aware that there are historical scars in the relationship between policing and some communities that are yet to heal, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

INTERVIEW: With the continuing global focus on improving public trust and confidence in policing, the issue of ethics in law enforcement has been central to many discussions; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Michael Josephson and Jim Dugan of the Josephson Institute of Ethics about their work with policing, the changing perceptions of ethical behaviour, and the challenges created by an exodus of senior leaders.

INTERVIEW: Often a target narcotic for law enforcement, MDMA is among a number of psychedelic drugs increasingly being used to treat US police officers and other first responders suffering from PTSD; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Lt Sarko Gergerian – a qualified psychotherapist and advocate of the approach – about his own experiences of receiving MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, which featured in a recent Netflix documentary.

INTERVIEW: A report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) has revealed significant growth in gun homicides and a proliferation of firearms, part-funded by Covid support fraud; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to MCCA Executive Director Laura Cooper about the findings of the report, the threats posed by ghost guns and irresponsible owners, and why police arresting their way out of the crisis is unsustainable.

INTERVIEW: Having policed the city for more than 30 years, San Antonio Police Department Assistant Chief Karen Falks has seen huge changes to the community and the policing role; she talked to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the importance of open data in gaining public trust, the challenges of the ever-changing criminal landscape, and the millennial view of policing careers.

INTERVIEW: It’s rare – if not unique – that a chief officer gets to build a sizeable new police department from scratch, setting out their vision, choosing their team, and implementing the latest processes and technologies; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Chief Norm Lipinski of Canada’s new Surrey Police Service about the combination of community focus and business acumen that he believes can build ‘a top-tier organization’.

INTERVIEW: The Capitol Building riots on 6 January 2021 were a dark day for US politics and an incredibly difficult one for policing, especially the officers of the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department; Department Chief Robert Contee spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the continuing impact of the insurrection, his pride and passion for his role, and the ongoing challenges of policing America’s capital city.

INTERVIEW: In the wake of the 2014 University of California shootings, a number of US states began utilising Extreme Risk Protection Orders, with Florida’s Fort Lauderdale PD among those leading the way; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Detective Christopher Carita about the success of the so-called ‘red flag’ laws, and how the Parkland high school shooting in 2018 made things much more personal for FLPD’s Threat Response Unit.