If there is one word that sums up how 2022 played out for law enforcement, it would be “recruitment.” Much of our news coverage focused not only on the challenges agencies faced both recruiting new officers and retaining current personnel but also on the fallout of short staffing: overworked and fatigued officers, overtime exceeding budgets and even some agencies forced to discontinue patrols due to catastrophic staffing shortages.
Will we see any relief in 2023? Maybe. Some agencies are reporting recruit numbers are finally set to exceed retirements and are seeing noticeable increases in recruit numbers. While it will be some time before communities fully realize the benefits of those new officers, veteran officers continue to protect and serve the most vulnerable and for that, we are truly grateful.
The Police1 team is also grateful for the opportunity to work with our columnists, contributors and readers to deliver content that not only keeps officers safe on patrol but also motivates them to excel every day. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some key areas of success this year.
Digital editions
February saw the publication of the results from our second annual “What Cops Want” survey. More than 2,370 LEOs responded to questions about how supported officers and deputies feel by their first-line supervisors, chiefs and sheriffs. The digital edition we published detailed the survey findings including articles on how to create workplace cultures that attract new officers and retain veteran LEOs, implement strategies that prioritize officer health and safety, and identify the promoters who will serve as the best police recruiters. What do patrol cops want from their supervisors? The answer is probably no surprise: they want leaders to care about them as people and not just a badge number. We featured additional survey analysis here and you can view an on-demand webinar discussing the results of the survey here.
In June, we published our second digital edition of the year: Police1’s 2022 guide to body-worn cameras. While body cameras have been a fixture in many departments for close to a decade, the 2020s will likely be remembered as the era when body-worn cameras became essentially universal. Not only does a whopping 93% of the public favor their use by police officers according to a Pew Research Center survey, but in last year’s Police1 State of the Industry Survey, 82% of officers likewise want to wear them on the job. To help agencies stay up to date on the procurement process and the evolving applications of bodycam technology, the digital edition highlights what agencies need to know about body-worn cameras in 2022 and beyond. Download your copy here.
Our third digital edition of the year hit the streets in September. In “Officer Down! A Police1 Survival Guide,” contributors shared lessons learned from officer LODDs, discussed the critical need for radio discipline during an officer-down incident, and reviewed essential strategies for field training officers to improve situational awareness among rookie cops. Sadly, this guide is more necessary than ever. “Violence against law enforcement in this country is one of the biggest phenomena that I think doesn’t get enough attention,” FBI Director Christopher Wray recently told CBS News’ 60 Minutes. With law enforcement staffing at crisis levels and violent crime spiking nationwide, there may never have been a more dangerous time to be a police officer. Additional officer down content was featured here and a webinar reviewed how to identify and apply lessons learned from officer-down incidents.
Our final digital edition tackled the critical issue of how law enforcement can “Smash the Stigma” that still exists in law enforcement around officers seeking help for mental wellness issues. Content focused on building the trust needed to support a culture of wellness, removing the roadblocks that prevent LEOs from accessing care, and improving retention by prioritizing officer well-being. We also profiled two case studies from agencies using our Cordico wellness app. Download your copy here and access additional officer wellness coverage here.
Webinars
We continued our successful series of law enforcement webinars in 2022, with the Police1 editorial team overseeing seven live events. These webinars are free for attendees and after the live event, we post an in-demand version for ongoing streaming.
These webinars attract thousands of LEOs to the live events, followed by many more viewing the on-demand version. This year we featured the following:
- Improving police decision-making under stress presented by Melis Yilmaz Balban, Ph.D., and David Blake, Ph.D.
- What cops want in 2022 presented by Bob Harrison, Janay Gasparini, Ph.D., and Barry Reynolds
- The first 15 minutes of disaster: Creating order from chaos a virtual tabletop drill presented by Brian Hupp, Rob Lawrence, Anna M. McRay, W. Michael Phibbs and David Pulliam
- Beyond shoot-don’t shoot: The role of VR in police training and community policing presented by Sergeant (Ret.) Robert Bemis, Chief David L. Lash and Anna Queiroz, Ph.D.
- Identifying and applying lessons learned from officer-down incidents presented by Steve Cooley and Bob Schirn
- Officer safety during high-risk LE operations presented by Lawrence Lujan
- Legal pitfalls on patrol: Lessons from case law presented by Chief Ken Wallentine and Terry Dwyer
Policing Matters Podcast
We worked with podcast host Jim Dudley to publish more than 50 episodes of the Policing Matters podcast, with a year full of diverse topics and interesting guests.
My favorite episodes include Sheriff Don Barnes on school threat assessment, Dan Greene on the evolution of field training, ‘Homicide Hunter’ Lt. Joe Kenda on what it takes to be a great detective and Dr. Ross Wolfe on why agencies are better with reserve officers. Plus, don’t miss Jim’s end-of-year wrap-up with Dr. Janay Gasparini: Use of force, officer morale, navigating Gen Z & more: Counting down 10 of the biggest issues facing law enforcement in 2022.
We also worked with Jim Dudley to launch “Policing Matters Roll Call,” with the first series just released based on interviews with Cordico’s Dr. David Black and Mandy Nice. Watch that series here and be sure to add Policing Matters to your playlist.
Leadership development
Police1 remains committed to focusing on leadership training for police leaders.
We continued to work closely with Police1 columnist Bob Harrison, who is a RAND researcher and course manager for the CA POST Command College, to republish several of the essays that Command College students must write as part of their successful graduation from the program. This executive development graduate program is intended for mid-career managers who are among those in the next generation of law enforcement leadership. The program is grounded in two disciplines: foresight and innovation. The articles are designed to study emerging issues of relevance to law enforcement through a “futures” lens. Content posted on Police1 addressed leaderless law enforcement, smart city technology and the future of policing and what law enforcement leaders can learn from corporate wellness programs. Look for more articles from the next generation of law enforcement leaders in 2023.
I would like to give a shout-out to columnist Barry Reynolds for creating this 30-day leadership challenge, which outlines personal habits and methods that can be used to build your leadership capabilities. And we just published our 23 on 2023: A police leadership playbook, which provides strategies for success in 23 areas of policing, including disaster response, diversity, equity & inclusion, early intervention systems and evidence-based policing.
IACP Show Coverage
After a two-year hiatus, the Police1 editorial team was on the ground in Dallas to report from the IACP exhibit hall floor and summarize key educational sessions. It was great to see columnists in person again, as well as visit vendors. A big thanks to Lexipol Editorial Director Greg Friese for his summaries of several sessions including a police physician’s cautionary ketamine tale, if officers are really ‘leaving in droves’, and how law enforcement can work effectively with the media. I sat in on an interesting session about new station design and also learned about how the Bloomington (Indiana) Police Department has successfully embedded a social worker into their PD.
New to Police1 in 2022
We had nearly 90 new authors write for Police1 in 2022 on a variety of topics.
Jim Smith wrote on 8 issues that keep rural police chiefs awake at night, Dr. Cherylynn Lee wrote about how a mental health co-response term maintains community safety and Christopher Bax wrote on how officers can move people from crisis to compliance.
As an editor, it gives me the most joy to work with new voices and mentor emerging writers. We encourage anyone interested in writing to first read our author guidelines and then submit ideas.
News analysis
Some of the highest-viewed articles on Police1 deal with the analysis of current events. The Police1 editorial team works closely with columnists to identify incidents where a review of what happened and a discussion of the implications for law enforcement would be beneficial to Police1 readers. Some of the top articles this year included:
- Rapid response: How would you have handled the tactical decisions facing the ambushed Phoenix officers? by Lt. Dan Marcou
- What a Washington Post article got wrong about small-town policing by Kathleen Dias
- Analysis: Vehicle-stowed firearms security by Warren Wilson
- Killing our own by Kyle Sumpter
- Would you be voted out? 5 lessons for police leaders from Elon Musk’s Twitter escapades by Joel Shults
- Opinion: Why naloxone belongs in the classroom by Dr. John Wiliams
State Your Case
The authors of Police1’s award-winning “State Your Case” column, Joel Shults and Jim Dudley went head-to-head debating seven hot topics this year. This column continues to engage readers who continue the discussion in the comments section.
If you have a few minutes, I recommend you check out:
- State your case: Should prospective cops be required to have college degrees?
- State your case: Do armed teachers improve school safety?
- State your case: Should police departments implement 48-hour shifts?
Plus, keep your eye out for a video version of “State Your Case” in 2023.
Editor’s picks
We published nearly 700 pieces of content on Police1 this year, in addition to the thousands of news articles. I am incredibly grateful for the efforts of everyone who wrote articles. While it is nearly impossible to select “favorites,” here are some of my top picks:
- Lawful but awful: Bringing new techniques into defensive tactics training by Tim Dees
- A letter to the American public: Breaking down policing myths by Dr. John Williams
- Take Police1’s 30 days to better firearm skills challenge by Todd Fletcher
- Using a systems-based perspective to analyze the Uvalde school shooting response by David Blake
- Addressing the issue of ‘wandering cops’ by Barry Reynolds
- America’s favorite sheriff talks about cops, criminals and his 50-year career by Kathleen Dias
Editorial team member achievements
I would like to close by recognizing the many achievements of the Police1 editorial team. Without their efforts, breaking news would not get posted on the websites each day. In addition, Senior Associate Editor Sarah Calams contributes original content throughout the year. My favorites include:
- 45 years and counting: Meet the beat cop who’s been patrolling the same Indianapolis streets for more than four decades
- A family tradition: These LEOs have served and protected the same community for nearly 80 years
- 5 things to know about BORTAC
On behalf of the entire Police1 team, we wish everyone a Happy New Year!
