The legal landscape surrounding marijuana continues to evolve, creating significant challenges for law enforcement agencies across the United States
Whether your agency is in a state where marijuana remains prohibited or one where recreational cannabis is fully legal, police executives, command staff, policy writers, labor representatives, and risk managers must understand the implications of this rapidly changing area of law.
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When does a neighborhood problem become a police matter—and when is it simply an HOA enforcement issue?
In this episode of LEORadio, I sit down with Mike Polulak of Polulak Law to discuss some of the most common community association and HOA-related issues that frequently generate calls for police service.
Drawing from real-world examples, we explore the challenges faced by law enforcement officers, HOA boards, property managers, and residents when dealing with disputes involving parking, traffic concerns, common-area use, trespassing complaints, illegal dumping, pool rule violations, after-hours swimming, alcohol use in restricted areas, and residents who refuse to comply with community rules.
Throughout the conversation, we examine the important distinction between criminal matters, civil disputes, and HOA enforcement issues, helping listeners better understand when police intervention may be appropriate and when community leadership or property management should take the lead. We also discuss practical strategies for preventing minor neighborhood conflicts from escalating into larger problems that consume community resources and law enforcement time.
Topics covered include:
Whether you’re a law enforcement professional, HOA board member, property manager, security professional, or resident living in a private community, this episode provides valuable insight into navigating the intersection of community governance and public safety. Join us for an informative discussion designed to improve understanding, reduce unnecessary police calls, and help communities resolve disputes more effectively.
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Lieutenant Joey Sperlazza, Ed.S. is joined by J. Harris Academy of Police Training Instructor Lieutenant Collin Congleton, JD in LEO Radio Episode 32. Collin is a subject matter expert in Use of Force. Collin founded and now supervises the Force Investigation Unit for a major urban Police Department in New Jersey, is a United States Marine Corps combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a nearly 20 year veteran law enforcement professional. He earned a B.S. in National Security Studies (Summa Cum Laude) from New Jersey City University and a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers School of Law (Newark) where he was awarded the prestigious Judge J. Skelly Wright Prize for work in civil rights. He also completed the Certified Public Manager Program at Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration, where his research work on police training reform was nominated for the nationally recognized American Academy of CPM’s Askew Award. Some of his certifications include: FBI certified hostage and crisis negotiator; Force Science Institute certified force analyst; Gracie University certified Instructor of Gracie Survival Tactics (GST) Levels Iⅈ NJ PTC certified firearms instructor; NJ certified ICAT and ABLE instructor. Collin is also heavily involved in volunteer work supporting veterans and is an avid practitioner of Brazilian Jiujitsu. Full bios for Joey and Collin are available at JharrisTraining.com. Joey and Collin analyze three incidents in this episode of LEO Radio: • NYPD Officer Involved Shooting of Christopher Ferguson: The New York State Attorney General Office of Special Investigation is currently conducting an investigation into the death of Christopher Ferguson who died on December 5, 2024 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD 77th Precinct) in Brooklyn. OSI has released videos from body-worn cameras that officers were equipped with during the incident and video from a dashboard camera. The full footage is available on the NYC AG website (https://ag.ny.gov/osi/footage/christopher-ferguson) and on the NYPD YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/I1oAPLhD9GU?si=JsdFy0uw8TZNIw-h) • Cranford, NJ Police Officer Involved Shooting of Kevin Harlfinger: According to the preliminary investigation, officers from the Cranford Police Department were pursuing a stolen vehicle when it crashed in the area of a southbound exit on the Garden State Parkway. After the crash, the driver of the vehicle, Mr. Harlfinger, exchanged gunfire with Cranford Police Officers Christopher Folinusz and Ryan McSharry. Mr. Harlfinger was pronounced deceased at the scene at approximately 12:04 a.m., December 29, 2023. A firearm was recovered near Mr. Harlfinger. Officer Folinusz sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound, was treated at a hospital, and later released. The full footage is available on the NJ AG Website: https://njoag.app.box.com/s/q0so00a1u4lbh1x005yy7gch4nuewvf5• Cleveland Police Officer Involved Shooting of Tamir Rice On November 22, 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice, an African-American boy, was fatally shot by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann while playing with a toy gun at a recreation center; the incident sparked widespread controversy due to the rapid shooting despite the caller mentioning the gun was likely fake and the victim’s young age, highlighting issues of police brutality and racial profiling within the Black Lives Matter movement. Tamir Rice was playing with a replica airsoft pistol at a park when someone called 911 to report a person with a gun. The video was released by the Cleveland Police Department, and the incident is well covered with dispatch and 911 audio by News 5 Cleveland: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/tamir-rice-shooitng-video-warning-cleveland-police-release-surveillance-video LEO Radio is a podcast produced by the J. Harris Academy of Police Training. As always, the items described in this podcast are for information only. Determine how the situation impacts you in your agency and in your state. Follow your state laws, state guidelines, and department policy and address questions to your superiors and legal advisors. The J. Harris Academy provides Law Enforcement Training Services NATIONWIDE. For more information and course registration, visit www.JHarrisTraining.com. Registration for the Use of Force Trilogy can be found here: https://jharristraining.com/product/use-of-force-constitutional-response-to-a-subjects-resistance-one-day-seminar/ Stay safe and subscribe for more!
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Description:
Join instructor Joey Sperlazza as he breaks down NJ v Ruffin decided on 1/7/2025. This is an appellate Unpublished opinion that reaffirms a lot of what we already know about the important topic of Miranda.
Do we need to advise a subject of their Miranda Rights during booking questions?
What do we do if during a formal statement, a defendant says “Well, I want a Lawyer then”?
As always, the items described in these cases are for information only. Determine how the situation impacts you in your agency and in your state. Follow your state laws, state guidelines, and department policy and address questions to your superiors and legal advisors.
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PART 2 CONTINUES on with the leadership lessons we learn through personal development. In this episode, our instructor team continues with a review of “Extreme Ownership”. For more information about our Command Series of leadership courses, visit our website at www.jharristraining.com
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
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Leadership is a critical aspect of success in any organization. When we recently read “Extreme Ownership”, we recognized that we are reviewing many of these common leadership concepts in our classes. This book reinforced our thoughts and theory on the practical application of leadership in law enforcement. Based on this, we decided to start our ‘leadership series’. In Part 1, we review the first two chapters of this book and how it relates to the concepts we share with others in our classes. For more information about our Command Series of leadership courses, visit our website at www.jharristraining.com
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
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An officer is asking routine booking questions and discovers and injury on the suspect. The question about the injury leads to incriminating statements. Will the statement hold up in court? This is so critical, especially for this case of murder/homicide.
This case is for information only as it was an interesting case involving routine booking questions. It is not a binding case and is for guidance only.
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This podcast examines a recent “unpublished” case out of New Jersey regarding the questioning of a suspect and Miranda. Although this is out of New Jersey, we discuss the US Supreme Court Case regarding Edwards and the “Edwards Bright Line Rule” for questioning a suspect.
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An officer makes a motor vehicle stop and a drug sniffing dog arrives to assist. During the exterior sniff, the police dog indicates on the car and then puts its paws up on the vehicle. The defendant is claiming that the dog did an unlawful search of the vehicle by placing it’s paws on the car. The Idaho Supreme Court agreed. This may now be heading to the United States Supreme Court. This podcast explores the case and information.
Case Citation: State v. Dorff, 526 P.3d 988 (Idaho 2023)
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On July 4, 2023, a truck driver was being stopped by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The incident led to a pursuit. Upon stopping, Ohio troopers were giving commands to the driver when an canine officer from the Circleville Police Department deployed his canine. The video has attracted a lot of nationwide attention. Jim Harris, Collin Congleton, and Joey Sperlazza examine this incident in this podcast.
It is important to note that all parties are innocent until proven otherwise through any internal affairs investigation and/or civil/criminal investigation.
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