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Policing tactics are directly related to those used to improve public health (e.g., the impact of abandoned housed on crime and interventions to reduce gun violence). Policing can also benefit by including success stories along the lines of those used by many industries: counting the number of accident-free days. Dr. Branas, the Chair of the department of epidemiology at Columbia University, discusses a recent study that supports using “shooting-free days” to measure crime prevention success. Dr. Branas suggests that this approach does not replace counting shootings; rather, it provides a counter approach to understanding harm.

Main Topics

• Measuring the number of shooting-free days, and a few other similar metrics, offer a different perspective on violent crime.
• This study examined gun violence data from 10 large cities as a proof-of-concept.
• The same simple calculations can be used in any city that experiences violent crime, particularly shootings.

Here is the citation for the research:

Branas, C. C., Plumber, I., Bennett, R., Landes, O., & Rajan, S. (2026, March). Shooting-Free Days as a New Metric of Success in Reducing Firearm Violence. In JAMA Health Forum (Vol. 7, No. 3, p. e260078). American Medical Association.

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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

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

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Policing includes more than just law enforcement. Crime reduction is a thinking game: how can the police succeed while also saving their own time and resources? Hunter M. Boehme, an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina, joins the podcast to discuss what I call “less formal” methods for reducing crime.

Main Topics

• Soft power is still power. Enforcing civil code violations can be used to reduce some violent crimes.
• Non-sworn policing personnel, or even city employees, can provide a light footprint to improve an area.
• While property crime was reduced at a statistically significant level, other violent crimes still declined.
• “Better” does not have to be statistically significant, it just has to be 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

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.

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If a police officer is facing a critical incident they may delay their decisions because of something called “decision inertia.” Officers don’t freeze up, but delay or fail to make decisions due to uncertainty. Paradoxically, that uncertainty can be the result of training or agency policies that are intended to guide behavior. Dr. Brandon May explains the issue, and discusses his research that found that when officers are offered a least worst option, they will make a decision to resolve an complex choice.

Main Topics

• Redundant deliberations and the “deliberation loop” can delay decisions.
• A good decision can simply be the least worst option.
• Police agencies need to accept that officers need to be flexible in an effort to make good-faith decisions.

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

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author and guests, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services or the State of New York.