Episode 998: Law Enforcement in Crisis — From Portland Streets to National Struggles w/ Oregon State Representative Jeff Helfrich

Street Cop Podcast

Street Cop Training

Education

4.9 • 933 Ratings

🗓️ 14 July 2025

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Oregon State Representative Jeff Helfrich, a former police sergeant and U.S. Air Force veteran, brings a unique perspective to state leadership—drawing from decades of frontline experience in law enforcement and public service. In this episode, he reflects on the evolution of policing, the challenges of recruitment and retention, and what it will take to support the next generation of officers.

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00:00:00:00 - 00:01:14:12

Teaser

00:01:14:12 - 00:01:51:07

Intro

00:01:51:07 - 00:10:56:04

Jeff’s background

00:10:56:04 - 00:14:28:00

Taking care of yourself

00:14:28:00 - 00:17:32:21

The changing path to a career in law enforcement

00:17:32:21 - 00:20:14:02

Working in law enforcement in Portland, OR

00:20:14:02 - 00:28:19:13

The new school of policing

00:28:19:13 - 00:32:03:06

Feeling supported & recruitment issues

00:32:03:06 - 00:34:56:18

The impact of self-interest on law enforcement

00:34:56:18 - 00:41:32:08

The criminalization of drugs

00:41:32:08 - 00:47:14:01

The steady collapse of law and order

00:47:14:01 - 00:54:07:20

Higher salaries versus better working conditions

00:54:07:20 - 00:57:31:09

Recruitment versus retention

00:57:31:09 - 01:14:27:24

Setting officers up for success

01:14:27:24 - 01:15:24:18

Outro

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey guys, make sure you check out streetcop.com for all of our upcoming courses in person,
0:04.5	our online courses, and Streetcop University, do have training right at your fingertips,
0:08.8	and we've made it so affordable, so reasonable that everybody can get an opportunity to train
0:12.8	because we know you guys need to help. We design this for you. Make sure you check out
0:16.4	streetcop.com. I never thought that a kid growing up in Nebraska would end up becoming not just the state
0:22.4	rep, but the top Republican in the state of Oregon.
0:24.8	And the current state representative for House District 52, the former House Minority Leader,
0:28.3	but I referred to that as the House Republican leader here in Oregon.
0:30.7	My one sergeant told me, Jeff, in that first five years, you're going to figure out if you
0:33.9	want to be a police officer or not. And in that 10-year mark, you're going to figure out if you like the place you're working at. The badge that we wear, what I used to wear,
0:39.6	and what you used to wear, is the ticket to the greatest show on earth. You get a front row seat
0:43.8	to life, it's raw. You will see the best and worst in people throughout your career or in one
0:50.0	call. And there are going to be moments in time where you can make a difference in somebody's life.
0:54.7	And to me, that's just that service where people want to go do the right things for the right
0:58.7	reasons and be police officers and go make a difference. That's what this job's about. It's
1:01.7	supposed to be bad anyway. And that's why I believe.
1:04.3	One of a one. One time.
1:10.4	You're trying to be a street cop.
1:14.3	Hey guys, welcome this episode of the street cop training podcast,
1:16.4	and your host founder and CEO of street cop training.
1:18.0	My name is Dennis Benino, and like I've said it before,
1:20.4	and I'll say it again, I do this every single time.
	...

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