So glad to have you with us on this day after Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday). Here’s something special from the Dream Team to our Small Town Family: Detectives Dan and …

Once again, Detectives Dave and Dan take a deep dive into case law that governs how law enforcement operates in this country. Today, they discuss Brewer v. Williams, which is better known as “The Christian Burial Speech”. It’s a fascinating and disturbing tale about the limits of interrogation after a suspect invokes his right to counsel: even when, or especially when, the stakes are incredibly high.

If you’ve ever watched a television crime drama, chances are you could recite the Miranda warning by heart. Today, Detectives Dan and Dave continue their law enforcement briefing with a review of the case that brought us the Miranda warning: Miranda v. Arizona. The detectives also delve into a precursor case, Escobedo v. Illinois, which helped define what rights a person has when they’re arrested.

In today’s briefing, we discuss the case law that defines what is considered reasonable when a police officer uses force. These cases are used by departments nationwide as a foundation for use of force policies. The two specific cases you’ll hear about today, if you want to read further, are Tennessee v. Garner and Graham v. Connor.

Over the next few weeks, we’re sharing a few episodes of The Briefing Room. The series began on our Patreon feed but is going to become a brand new show in January. Today, we discuss situational awareness: Detective Dave and Detective Dan talk about ways to increase your safety by paying closer attention to what’s going on around you.

Detectives Dan and Dave talk about what Hollywood gets right – and gets wrong – about police work, and which shows are their favorites. Then they take a quiz to see if they know which obscure laws are from which state. It’s a blast!

Detectives Dan and Dave take you into The Briefing Room for a candid conversation about online safety.

In this special episode, retired Detective Dawn goes undercover as a customer after hearing reports of a fish store owner with busy hands. In the course of her investigation, Dawn uncovers clear evidence that the owner has had a long history of victimizing women, including underage girls.

Two women are found gunned down inside their home, along with a couple of piles of empty bullet casings. Detectives discover that the victims were sisters and someone was not happy they had been living together. Lt. Joe Kenda is on the case.

A woman is found shot dead in her car. Her child is missing. As police investigate, the heart-wrenching tragedy unfolds. In this special episode, legendary homicide detective Lt. Joe Kenda walks us through one of his early, unforgettable cases.

Paul Holes takes the team through a series of cold cases that sat unsolved for years until modern DNA testing shed new light on the killers. This is an episode about persistence and keeping a close eye on even the smallest speck of evidence.

A well-established East Coast doctor travels to a small university town and distributes flyers asking students to participate in a sex experiment he’s conducting. Police are called to investigate when one suspicious student thinks the information on the flyer sounds an awful lot like soliciting prostitution.

Darrell, the donut maker, doesn’t show up for work one morning, which is highly unusual for him. When Investigator Tracey and her team are called in they find evidence of a violent, bloody confrontation at Darrell’s home, but still no sign of Darrell. This became a groundbreaking case for prosecutors in Tracey’s jurisdiction.

Paul, Dan, and Dave talk about what it’s like to lead a murder investigation, interacting with the families of victims, and how DNA is changing the way murder investigations are conducted.

When a child first reveals they are the victim of abuse it’s a process police call “disclosure.” That’s where Nichole comes in. She’s a trained forensic investigator and relies on a mix of research and empathy to give the victims a voice and bring criminals to justice.