Kathleen Dias

Policing the Remote and Rural

Kathleen Dias writes features and news analysis on topics of concern to law enforcement professionals serving in rural and remote locations. She uses her background in writing, teaching and marketing to advocate for professional levels of training and equipment for rural officers, open channels of communication for isolated departments, and dispel myths about rural policing.

In this column, Kathleen explores topics relevant to law enforcement professionals in small communities, and rural and remote locations. The challenges facing rural officers in the 21st-century increase with each news cycle. This column addresses these challenges one by one, opening up new channels for discussion.

Full list of Kathleen Dias results

A letter to the American public: 3 common misconceptions about pay and rural policing
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Wanting equitable wages for rural cops is not about greed or ingratitude, it’s just economics
Could police officer sabbaticals reduce rural retention woes?
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Chief Paul Wegner believes it is a viable solution that he’s willing to try in order to save his staff
How supported do rural officers feel? Interpreting the data from Police1’s State of the Industry survey
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What rural cops want isn’t complicated or exotic. Over and over survey respondents repeated the same refrains
A letter to President Biden: Consider what rural LEOs need in your executive order
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Following the leak of a draft executive order on police reform, White House advisors are promising more LE collaboration. Let’s hope they talk to rural cops
Evictions: ‘What’s the true cost’ to law enforcement?
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A Colorado LEO looks back on the murder of his brother, Corporal Nate Carrigan, who was killed enforcing an eviction order
6 times rural cops rescued animals from danger
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Cops spend a lot of time rescuing critters from places they shouldn’t be, and we’re going to look at a few rescues
Trooper Tracy: Making rural roads safer one social media post at a time
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The Illinois State Police has a secret weapon for making country roads safer for drivers
IACP Quick Take: Analysis-driven operations for small agencies
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Even the smallest departments can conduct basic crime analysis and evaluation of the impact of police operations
Address the vulnerabilities in your backyard: Terrorism preparedness for rural agencies
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Terrorists need three things to be able to act: intention, capability and opportunity. And those can all be interrupted by vigilant policing
Why challenging yourself may be the best thing you do today
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To understand the world, we have to look through many different lenses. Here’s a selection to get you thinking
When housing costs hinder hiring
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As rural officers are priced out of the housing market, department heads scramble to fill positions and retain experienced staff
Rig life: What rural cops carry
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In rural areas where a beat can cover hundreds of square miles and backup is far away, a cop’s patrol rig is a shelter, shed and toolbox
How the data disproves the myth of Mayberry
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Tracking the number of shootings of police officers demonstrates that the risk rural officers face is measurable and substantial
A letter to the American public: Here’s what real police reform looks like
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Real reform means accepting that change is hard and expensive – but it’s worth it, if you do it right
Under-resourced and understaffed: How small LE agencies address mental health outreach
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Research indicates that rural locations have higher rates of mental illness, opiate addiction and suicide than urban areas
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