The brief episodes, each around 10 to 15 minutes in length, are released at the beginning of each month, featuring a glance at the men and women behind the badges, along with helpful details like crime prevention tips and information about upcoming community events.
The episodes can be found on the city’s website or on Spotify.
The idea of a podcast came to Totel after his boss, Chief Corey Follick, suggested the department work on improving community relations.
“My wife and I host our own podcast, so it kind of just hit me one day; I’d wondered if any police departments have a podcast, and I found a few, but none like I was envisioning,” Totel said.
Totel and his wife’s personal podcast, called “Hey Baby with Nicole and Eric,” focuses on relationships with humor, along with police-related topics, as both he and Nicole serve as police officers.
“I already had the experience with audio and video editing, so when the department was looking for ideas, I thought this might be a good fit,” Totel said.
For the EPD podcast, Totel proposed a short and sweet concept focusing on timely information, like weather-related safety tips, current events and brief, behind-the-scenes explainers of the department’s various roles.
The EPD podcast kicked off in July 2024 with an introduction to the series and a look at Follick’s first year as chief, which began in 2023.
The most recent episode, released last week, features Officer Kyle Gee, who shares his experience as one of two EPD officers who serve on the Montgomery County S.W.A.T. team.
The episode also includes some reminders about the upcoming school year shared by School Resource Officer Doug Hacker.
“We have received very positive feedback on the podcasts and feel that it’s another avenue for us to build our engagement with Englewood residents and businesses, as well as a broader audience,” Follick said recently. “Additionally, it allows us to better communicate and explain our operations, services and sometimes the ‘why’ behind what we do, and that can’t always be accomplished in traditional media or a social media post.”
Oftentimes, a resident’s contact with police stems from a negative situation, whether it’s during a traffic stop for speeding, or calling to report an emergency, which Totel said makes the podcast that much more impactful.
“Nobody ever calls the police just to say, ‘Hey, I’m having a great day;’ it’s almost always related to something negative,” he said.
“We love opportunities to show that we’re normal people and that we’re just out here trying to help when we can,” Totel continued. “The podcast is a chance for us to allow officers who wouldn’t necessarily be in the public eye to talk about the work they do that people don’t always see.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
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