Blue Canary: For Cops By a Cop – Details, episodes & analysis

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Blue Canary: For Cops By a Cop

Steve Kellams

Education

Society & Culture

News

Frequency: 1 episode/27d. Total Eps: 86

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.

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🇨🇦 Canada - courses
15/07/2026
#83
🇨🇦 Canada - courses
14/07/2026
#51
🇨🇦 Canada - courses
13/07/2026
#33
🇨🇦 Canada - courses
09/07/2026
#81
🇨🇦 Canada - courses
08/07/2026
#54
🇨🇦 Canada - courses
07/07/2026
#24

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Score global : 62%

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Fit For Duty

Season 7 · Episode 5

Wednesday, July 29, 2026 • Duration 23:18

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When we talk about police reform, we usually talk about body cameras, policies, accountability, or use of force. Those are important discussions, but I think we're missing something much more fundamental.

What if one of the biggest police reform issues isn't what officers do?

What if it's whether they're physically capable of doing the job in the first place?

Let's be honest about what police work actually is.

A police officer may spend most of his shift writing reports, answering calls, directing traffic, or talking to people. But that's not what defines the profession.

The profession is defined by what happens on the worst day.

It's defined by the foot pursuit.

It's defined by the fight.

It's defined by dragging someone out of a wrecked car.

It's defined by wrestling with a violent suspect who has no intention of going peacefully.

It's defined by sprinting across a parking lot, climbing a fence, jumping a ditch, and then making good decisions while your heart rate is 180 beats per minute.

And while you're doing all that, you're carrying somewhere around forty pounds of equipment.

Body armor.

Firearm.

Extra magazines.

Radio.

Handcuffs.

Taser.

Medical gear.

Flashlight.

Everything that comes on a modern duty belt.

Think about that for a second.

We ask officers to perform athletic feats while carrying the equivalent of a loaded backpack.

In almost any other profession we would recognize that reality immediately.

If I described someone whose job required running, fighting, climbing, carrying weight, making split-second decisions under stress, and performing in front of the public, most people would assume I was talking about a professional athlete.

But for some reason we don't treat police officers like professional athletes.

We expect athletic performance without athletic preparation.

And that wasn't always the case.

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A Different Perspective

Season 7 · Episode 4

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 • Duration 34:19

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It was poker night. Once a month the shift would get together and play poker. It rotated from house to house and this time it was my turn. My living room was crowded with about a dozen people. Eight of us were playing at the table and I was tucked back in against the wall. We were all drinking and having fun.

Cory stops bye. He liked to be the life of the party so when he came in it was high fives and greetings all around. Now Cory was a young officer, only been on the department for a little over a year or so, but I had known him for a couple of years already while he went to college and the IU police program. Back in those days he was cocky and that night was no different.

He started making fun of us being drunk, which was true and he said he could grab all the money from the table and take off and we wouldn’t be able to stop him. I called him out right there. I said “If you think you can grab that money and get out the front door before I stop you then go for it, and if you do, it’s all yours.”

Cory just laughed, knowing he was faster than me and I had a whole table between us. All he had to do was grab the money and get out the front door. I could see him measuring it up in his head.

But I had one little piece of information that Cory didn’t. I always…and I mean Always kept my front door locked.

Cory went for it. He grabbed a handful of cash and raced to the front, sure that he was going to make it.

I bounced him off a couple of walls.

[Insert Intro]

I went ahead and told that story because it is Cory’s favorite and he tells it all the time. A seasoned veteran with inside information and a cocky young cop who went on to be an FBI agent.

Cory Grass Graduated from IU in 1996 and worked for the Bloomington Police Department from 1996 – 2002. He then spent he next 20 years with the FBI. First in Miami with the Violent Crimes team and then in Terre Haute Indiana at the federal prison with counter terrorism, finishing up at the Bloomington Indiana office working on counterintelligence and source recruitment.

Mental Health with Zachary Saenz

Season 6 · Episode 8

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 • Duration 39:34

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Every day’s a Saturday.

That’s one of those great retirement sayings.

What it means is you get to do what you want, when you want.

After thirty years of being told where to be, when to be, and how to be, it’s very liberating.

My wife was at work and I had finished all of the little chores I wanted to get done around the house. I sat down and fired up the streaming services. I was looking for a little movie I could put on and probably take a nap. My search stopped on “The Fastest Woman on Earth”

That put a twist in my afternoon plans.

“The Fastest Woman on Earth” is a 2022 documentary about Jesse Combs, her quest to break the woman’s land speed record, and her ultimate death.

I was familiar with Jesse Combs, I had watched her in a number of television shows over the years, specifically “Overhaulin” and “Mythbusters”. I also enjoy documentaries so clicking play was a no brainer.

I started crying about 5 minutes into the film and couldn’t stop crying the rest of the afternoon.

As cops we get very good at compartmentalizing trauma. When we deal with all of those horrible thing’s day in and day out, we put them behind a door, lock it tight, and throw away the key.

Something in that movie opened one of those doors for me and let it all out.

It was a rough afternoon

But it would have been rougher if I didn’t understand what was going on with me.

[Insert Intro]

Mental Health for Law Enforcement is an issue that we still fight today. Even though we should know better, we still stigmatize getting help. We still want to portray ourselves and our profession as stoic, strong, and above those emotions.

They Pull Me Back In

Season 6 · Episode 7

Wednesday, September 3, 2025 • Duration 12:27

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When I retired from the Bloomington Police Department, I was done. I knew that, walking out the door. There was no way I was going to go back to the department and work for them again. I was moving on with my life.

But, to be fair, it was easy for me. I had prepared for retirement. I had followed the Dave Ramsey financial plan and was debt free save for my home mortgage. I had a substantial emergency fund and I had a job, teaching.

I started traveling the country and teaching right away, and I have to say being my own boss was a massive benefit.

But most officers when they retire aren’t in the same position. Many of them haven’t prepared for the possibility of retirement. They haven’t put away any money. They have no idea what they are going to do.

And that hurts.

When you combine the challenges of financial needs, the lack of social interaction, boredom and the loss of identity of being a cop, going back to the job is easy to understand.

Let’s take a moment and look at each of those reasons for going back to the job.

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Drones with Matt Rowland

Season 6 · Episode 6

Wednesday, August 20, 2025 • Duration 34:13

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Police Helicopters are quickly becoming a thing of the past. When the helicopters themselves cost anywhere from 500,000 to 3 Million dollars to purchase and have operating costs around 400 bucks per hour to fly nobody can afford them anymore. Not that anyone outside of a handful of major metropolitan police departments ever could.

But that doesn’t take away the fact that having eyes in the sky can and does offer incredible advantages when it comes to public safety.

In 2025 that means drones.

Over the last decade we have seen drone use increase among police department across the US. Starting with search and rescue functions the use of drones has continued to grow just as the technology has improved and today we have full time drone pilots in agencies all over the US.

I had the pleasure to speak with Matt Rowland. Since 2017 Matt has been a member of the Unmanned Air Support Unit with the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is currently a full-time drone pilot and an advocate of the technology.

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You've Gotta Have Hobbies

Season 6 · Episode 5

Wednesday, August 6, 2025 • Duration 14:23

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Author Willet Ryder said “Hobbies are both a mystery and a delight. They’re a mystery because many people with hobbies don’t always share them with others. They’re a delight because of the pure joy they provide to the hobbyist, making hours pass like minutes!”

But don’t take my word for it, listen to the experts.

First, hobbies help improve your mental health. Hobbies are a powerful tool to manage stress and improve your mood. Creative hobbies such as writing, painting, and yes roleplaying can substantially reduce depression, anxiety and stress. Studies have linked creative hobbies to lowering Cortisol levels (a stress hormone) and improving mood.

Second, physical hobbies will keep you alive. Moving everyday is important and taking on physical hobbies such as cycling, skiing, kayaking, running, hiking, or even walking can have significant effect on your retired self. You will be amazed at how fast your physical health can get away from you after retirement. You don’t have to fit into a uniform anymore and since people aren’t trying to kill you everyday you don’t “need” to stay in shape. But never forget that couch is a killer.

Third, mentally stimulating hobbies like learning a foreign language, taking up a musical instrument, or solving puzzles can significantly improve your cognitive function including memory and can reduce the risk of dementia later in life.

Fourth, hobbies can significantly improve our social life. If you’re a cop then most of your friends are cops and I have some bad news for you, the day you retire will be the last day you hear from those friends.

Do not underestimate the importance of social connections after retirement and hobbies are one of the best ways to meet people and interact with them.

And fifth, as a cop we always felt a sense of accomplishment. It’s one of the most rewarding jobs you can have. From locking up the bad guy, to changing a lady’s tire, everyday you were able to take something away from that job, something important, what you did mattered.

Hobbies with Dave Rhodes

Season 6 · Episode 4

Wednesday, July 23, 2025 • Duration 27:49

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William Osler was a Canadian physician and one of the “Big 4” founders of John Hopkins Hospital. He created the first “residency” program for training physicians and he has been called the father of modern medicine.

I think it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two.

Osler once said “No man is really happy or safe without a hobby.”

That is especially true for law enforcement.

The stress of law enforcement can cause tremendous mental and physical problems if not addressed and hobbies go a long way to help alleviate that stress.

Not only does it help on the job, but once retirement rolls around and you hang up those 12-hour days on the emotional rollercoaster, you better have something to occupy your time.

Otherwise, that couch will be calling your name.

And that couch is a killer.

I wanted to talk to a retired officer that mastered the art of hobbies and one name rose right to the top.

David Rhodes.

Dave started with the Indiana University Police Department in 1980 and spent the next 40 years patrolling, investigating, and training new officers. He retired as the Lieutenant in charge of training at IUPD, and while his law enforcement career is impressive his off-duty life is just as interesting. In my opinion Dave mastered the art of hobbies. From martial arts, to music, to becoming a published author, Dave is never bored.

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Road School

Season 6 · Episode 3

Wednesday, July 9, 2025 • Duration 14:37

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Road School.

That’s what my wife calls it.

In 2017 we tuned into Netflix’s new series Mindhunters, based on the book by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. In the premier episode, directed by David Fincher, the FBI agents in the series are traveling across the country and teaching police departments how to identify serious violent offenders. They called it Road School and it stuck with my wife.

By then I had been doing that very same thing, albeit the topic was a little different, for 17 years. She even had “Bye Bye BPD, Hello Road School” put on top of my retirement cake.

My second career since my retirement didn’t happen overnight. I didn’t retire on Monday and then start teaching on Tuesday…well, actually I sort of did just that, but in reality, the ground work had started 20 years earlier.

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Financial Cop

Season 6 · Episode 2

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 • Duration 30:38

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It’s amazing what getting a job will do to you.

I was still taking classes at IU, but the Bloomington Police Department had already given me a call and confirmed that I was going to be hired in a few months.

My first full time job.

At the time I was working as a part time officer for IUPD while going to school and I was making about 7 bucks an hour. That was great, because at the time minimum wage was 4.25 an hour. Even then paying rent, putting gas in a car, and eating was about all I could afford.

That call changed everything. In just a couple of months I was going to be making 41,000 dollars a year as a first-year officer. That might not sound like much, but in today’s money that would be over 86K a year and I don’t think anyone would sneeze at that salary for a rookie.

That’s when my buddy hit me up.

Want to go to Florida for Spring Break?

Silly question, but in the past, I didn’t have any money, and while I still didn’t have any money, I had a big-time job coming and I had this little plastic thing in my pocket I had just picked up, a credit card.

I wouldn’t recommend putting a week’s spring break vacation on a credit card.

That was just the beginning of my troubles.

Right after swearing in, I bought my first brand new car. No more barely running rust buckets, but a nice shiny brand-new Geo Storm sports car…don’t judge me.

It was a budget sports car coming in at 12,000 dollars, see I was being frugal. And, just to put it in perspective that would be just under 30,000 bucks in today’s money.

My spending habits didn’t get any better.

As a matter of fact, I look back on about my first decade of policing and wonder.

“Where did all my money go?”

The Gold Watch

Season 6 · Episode 1

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 • Duration 14:04

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The Gold Watch

The Brass Ring

Retirement

You know … Winning

It’s a simple topic, one that everyone should be interested in and one that everyone should applaud. Ask a retiree if they regret getting out, odds are 100 to 1 that they will just laugh in your face.

Easy days of putzing around the house, playing golf, and waking up whenever you feel like it. No calls, no emergencies, no trauma, no adrenaline, just boring day in and day out.

I guess it’s a little more complicated than that.

With a decentralized law enforcement system in the United States, it is easy to guess that the retirement requirements and compensation differ across the country. Every state is different, and depending on the type of agency you are serving in, the retirement package for one officer in the county could be different from another officer in the county. Add in State Police and Federal Law Enforcement and retirement benefits quickly become difficult to navigate.

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Blue Canary: For Cops By a Cop – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Blue Canary: For Cops By a Cop – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other41

Buzzsprout1

Wikipedia8

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other41

Buzzsprout1

Wikipedia8