This uncharacteristically short blog announces the forthcoming Patrol podcasts I will be conducting for PoliceMag.com. Yeah. That's right. Podcasts. A word that sounds like what a fisherman might do with one of those things from that old Don Siegel film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." (What? How dare I make an arcane allusion to such a film? Hey, it ain't that much of a stretch. Siegel directed "Dirty Harry," too, and both films took place in the Bay area. And those pod things have taken over the government) (What? How dare I make up dialogue with a second person? Again, not much of a stretch. If Clint himself could do it...
Anyhow, lest I get on some kind of tangent...
Now as any of you non-Luddite-types know, podcasts are radio shows from people who don't get paid to do radio shows. They're free, downloadable, and sometimes even listenable. A majority of these POLICE podcasts should betray my shortcomings when it comes to extemporaneous speech and run from 10 to 30 minutes in length (Should the interviewee get sick of me, or I of him, they may well be considerably shorter).
Among those featured will be people whose lives have in some manner intersected with our profession with law enforcement personnel of all ranks candidly discussing their careers and how they got to where they are. What they'd like to do over. Who'd they like to run over. Heck, I may even get an ex-con or perhaps a congressman (but then—to again swipe from Twain—I'd be splitting hairs). But rest assured, there will be plenty a war story along the way.
You can listen to these podcasts in the Podcasts section of Policemag.com, or subscribe to our iTunes feed. The first one, "Female Leadership and Rising Up The Ranks," is available now. Assuming that they get some traction, they should be around for awhile.
So give us a listen. Allow my guests and I to whisper sweet nothings in your ear (as opposed to your cat). Let me know what you want to hear about, and who within the law enforcement arena you might want to hear from. You can e-mail me at editor@policemag.com.
Finally, tell us what we're doing right and wrong. I, for one, will take your advice to heart until the day hubris kicks in and I figure I know it all (but that hasn't happened yet).