POLICE Magazine - Podcasts

The new Camden County (N.J.) Police Department's Metro Division took over law enforcement duties in one of America's most dangerous cities on May 1. At the same time, the Camden PD was disbanded. Chief Scott Thomson spoke with POLICE about the county agency's approach to crime-fighting, the labor stalemate that led to the city agency's downfall, the make-up of the county force, and even the new uniforms.

Alexia Jones Helsley explores the history of crime and vice in a renowned South Carolina city in "Wicked Columbia: Vice and Villainy In the Capital." She tells POLICE Magazine about a deadly duel over a piece of trout, prostitution taxis from Fort Jackson, and the murder of the county coroner by a former officer.

Dan Schultz recounts the 1998 manhunt for the three men responsible for killing Cortez (Colo.) Police Officer Dale Claxton in "Dead Run." More than 500 officers from at least 75 local, state, and federal agencies searched for the suspects, who appeared to have vanished into the desert near the Four Corners region. The suspects were eventually found, most recently in 2007.

POLICE Magazine Editor David Griffith speaks with New Orleans radio personality Garland Robinette of WWL 870 AM about gun control. Listen in to the 10-minute discussion from Wednesday morning as the two discuss the hot topic.

"Boston's Finest," which airs Wednesdays on TNT, follows Boston Police officers with the gang unit, the fugitive task force, patrol, and SWAT. The eight episode series also provides a personal look at the officers' lives away from their law enforcement duties. POLICE Magazine spoke with Sgt. Robert Twitchell, a 26-year veteran and patrol supervisor, about his experiences.

Four ATF agents were killed during the botched search warrant raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, on Feb. 28, 1993. For the 20th anniversary, ATF agents on the ground spoke publicly about the raid, lessons learned, and changes in the agency. Three retired ATF agents joined a Feb. 7 panel discussion hosted by the National Law Enforcement Museum in its "Witness to History" lecture series. Audio is courtesy of NLEOMF. Read "Lessons Learned from the ATF Waco Raid."

Outdoor Channel's "Elite Tactical Unit: S.W.A.T. (ETU)" reality series premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday. Active tactical officers compete against each other for $10,000 and other prizes. Participant Steve Gordon, a veteran LAPD SWAT operator, spoke to POLICE about what it was like competing against other tactical officers.

The history of the Houston Police Department is chronicled in "Houston Blue" by Mitchel Roth and Tom Kennedy. Roth speaks with POLICE Magazine about the South's largest law enforcement agency—its origins, oil-boom crime spike, links to the Ku Klux Klan, story of the first female officer, and the impact of Hurricane Katrina refugees on the city's murder rate.

Two North Carolina detectives discuss sovereign citizens with POLICE and give patrol officers suggestions about how to recognize and deal with these police haters. Rob Finch and Kory Flowers are detectives in the Criminal Intelligence Unit of the Greensboro Police Department. For more, read their feature, "Sovereign Citizens: A Clear and Present Danger."

Three authors, including a retired detective, tell the history of the New York Police Department using more than 196 images including an illustration of mid-19th Century uniforms and photos of vintage vehicles, riot response, dramatic resues, and the first African-American and female officers. "New York City Police" also includes a forward by current Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Sgt. Mark Tarte retired from the Livermore (Calif.) Police Department to become a criminal-justice instructor. In the latest Patrol Podcast, Tarte shares with POLICE Magazine his funniest patrol story, gives his best and worst officer-safety advice, and describes his scariest moment while on patrol. Many of the stories involve physical confrontations.

John Wills, a retired Chicago Police officer, talks to POLICE Magazine about his "Women Warriors: Stories from the Thin Blue Line," an edited collection of stories about female officers told in their own words. The stories include a dispatcher trying to remain calm while her husband is involved in a gun battle, a search for a missing child in a storm, and an officer staring down the barrel of a gun inside a crowded department store.

David Ayer, the director and screenwriter of "End of Watch," spoke to PoliceMag.com about his new cop movie. The one-time "Training Day" writer explains to Web Editor Paul Clinton how he made a movie that is pro law enforcement. Read our companion blog, "'End of Watch' Based On LAPD Cop's Patrol Duty."

POLICE Magazine's Associate Editor Dean Scoville, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's sergeant, interviews his former commander, Capt. Linda Healy, about female leadership, diversity hiring and promotion, and rising up the ranks as a female deputy.

Los Angeles of the 1940s and '50s is the setting for "Gangster Squad," which tells the story of the Los Angeles Police Department's covert unit of eight officers that targeted gangsters such as  Mickey Cohen, Bugsy Siegel, Jack Dragna and others. The unit created a hostile climate for gangsters to prevent East Coast organized crime from taking root in the city. Warner Bros. plans to release a movie based on the book in January.