Blue Canary: For Cops By a Cop
Who approaches the scene first risking their lives for the safety of others? We do. The blue canaries, law enforcement. We allow others to tell our stories. It's time for us to tell our own stories. Blue Canary is a show for cops by a cop, retired Captain Steven Kellams. In each episode, Steve goes behind the scenes of a police department. Giving you real-world insight into why decisions are made, what obstacles are ahead, and how the answers to your questions aren’t always found in the news. It’s unfiltered, it’s relevant and it’s for anyone brave enough to wear a badge.
Episodes
68 episodes
Friends
I am blessed with friends.I am blessed to have neighbors that rushed to my home to make sure that we were safe. I am blessed that I have people who will be there for me and my family in the darkest moments. I am blessed that I have frien...
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Season 5
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8:00
Informal Leadership with Jared Altic
Jared Altic is a police chaplain in Kansas City, focusing his work in the patrol divisions of the Kansas City Kansas Police Department (KCKPD). He attends roll calls, goes on ride alongs, teaches at the police academy, and responds to homicides...
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Season 5
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Episode 12
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39:45
Possessed
Welcome to our annual Halloween Episode. These stories have been told to me by officers around the country and they swear they are true stories. Thanks to Parker for this one.Happy Halloween.
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Season 5
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Episode 11
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6:21
Leading in the Jails
In the United States there are 3,116 local jails, 1,566 State Prisons, and 98 Federal Prisons. But let’s not forget the 1,323 Juvenile Corrections Facilities, 142 Immigration detention facilities, and 80 Tribal jails. These facilities house a l...
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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46:20
Chief of Police
Chief of Police is a title typically given to the head of a police department, but that simple definition gets very confusing very quickly. Sheriffs are the name we give to elected officials who preside over county law enforcement in the US, wh...
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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36:24
9/11
Note: This was an extremely difficult episode for me to record. I want to apologize for the audio. It was the best I could do.72 officers had to die.I refuse to let that sacrifice go unremembered.This one is for you...
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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14:01
Ethics in Leadership
Ethics in LeadershipIt’s an interesting topic and at times can be very controversial. Peter Drucker was an Austrian American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical found...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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14:41
Objectively Reasonable
Commander Bob Meader retired from the Columbus Ohio Police Department in February of 2022. During his tenure at Columbus PD, he served in patrol, street attack unit, property crimes, legal and training. He retired as the commander of the Columb...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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46:18
Leading Up
Leading UpGeneral William T. Sherman once said "We have good corporals and good sergeants and some good lieutenants and captains, and those are far more important than good generals."Sherman recognized the importance of l...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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18:36
Sheriff
Sheriff, a word, and position that derive from the old English term Shire-Reeve. This person was responsible for managing a shire or county in England. The practice began sometime before 700 A.D. and when America was colonized by European settl...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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42:32
Fear is the Mind Killer
Fear is the Mind Killer, That statement is as relevant today as it was in 1965 when Frank Hubert published his novel Dune.Paul Atraides, the main character in Dune, quotes from the Litany of Fear in the first chapter of the b...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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18:42
Challenging Leadership with Dr. Jack Enter
I had been a sergeant for about 6 years before my agency sent me to my very first leadership class. I didn’t know what to expect and honestly, I thought it was going to be a waste of time. I mean I had been an informal leader on night shift for...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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53:14
School of Hard Knocks
Leadership Journeys.You are going to hear me talk a lot about leadership journeys this season.What do I mean about leadership journeys? It’s how I describe the process of growing as a leader, of taking on formal and informal respo...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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17:49
Season 5 Trailer
Leadership, The Oxford English Dictionary defines leadership as;The action of leading a group of people or an organization. The state or position of being a leader.Got it. That’s a simple one. Next important lesson please...
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Season 5
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5:11
That's a Wrap
That's a Wrap.In 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic I decided to start this podcast. I had just retired and started full time teaching and consulting when the world came to a grinding halt. The podcast was a way to fill that void....
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Season 4
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2:05
Can it get worse?
In 2022 Rafael Mangual a senior fellow and head of research for policing and public safety at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research published his book Criminal (In)Justice. If your profession revolves around the criminal justice system th...
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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24:29
We Saw It Coming with Rick Snyder
Rick Snyder started in law enforcement over 27 years ago and continues to serve on a major metropolitan police department. Rick is the president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 86 and also serves as the National FOP Chaplain.Rick has ...
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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28:04
Halloween Special: Creepy Conversation
This is our fourth annual Halloween Special and it's a doozy. Ever had one of those creepy encounters that just set the hair on the back of your neck straight up. Usually we just move on and forget about them, but sometimes they can really spoo...
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Season 4
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6:02
More Dispatch with Jeff Schemmer
Jeff Schemmer is a longtime friend and colleague of mine. He is also an expert on the 911 system. Jeff began working in the 911 community thirty-five years ago as a dispatcher with the Bloomington Indiana Police Department. After the 1998 conso...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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36:12
Mourning Bands
There isn’t an easy answer to the origin of the black mourning band. The use of black clothing to show that the wearer is in mourning for the loss of a loved one, can be traced all the way back to ancient Rome, where the traditional white toga ...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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14:58
Rural Policing with Kathleen Dias
Kathleen Dias isn’t a cop, but her husband was and the experiences he faced everyday as a rural police officer made her want to write about the issues faced by rural officers in America. She began studying, writing, and researching topics impor...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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45:00
Stop Hiring and Start Retaining
During my 3 years as the Administrative Captain, I hired 43 police officers. 43 in three years. That number becomes amazing when you realize that my department was only allowed 100 cops at maximum staffing. 43% turnover in 3 years.Sadly,...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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20:59
Everyday Stories with Glenn Topping
I will never forget some advice given to me by one of my FTOs. “Write it down. Write something down everyday and at then end of your career you’ll have a best-selling novel. You’ll never have to work again.” Unfortunately, my rookie...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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31:55
