Support Us
Our SuperFam members receive exclusive bonus content for $5/mo Support Us

Subscribe

The Devil’s in the Details

Crime scene investigations are rarely as dramatic – and definitive – as what you see on TV shows like CSI. That does not make them any less crucial to solving the case. Host Paul Holes takes us through a case he worked on in the late 1990s, where a claim of self-defense was ultimately turned on its head after a thorough and objective look at the nearly invisible trace evidence left behind after the body of a gay man was found dumped in a ditch.

One Dark Night Pt. 1

In Pt. 1, Detective Justin gets an early morning call to respond to a community garden where a man’s body is found slumped over at the base of a tree. The first assumption is this is a tragic, but all too common suicide. But the evidence starts to tell a different story, and soon Justin finds himself hot on the trail of a murderer. Pt. 2 drops tomorrow!

Split Second

In a split second, your entire life can change. Detective Aaron is a school resource officer. As he does his daily patrol, he stops a man who appears out of place near the local high school. Indeed, this routine stop turns dangerous as the man, who is found to have warrants and is carrying weapons, runs directly onto school property. A confrontation outside classrooms forces Aaron in a split-second decision.

The Most Dangerous Time

Police discover the body of a woman near the bottom of a flight of the stairs that lead to her bedroom. She’s been shot in the head and the main suspect is the man she just broke up with. Her young children are also in the house, hiding in a closet. Detectives Chad and Greg hunt the suspect down and find a pattern of dangerous domestic abuse that had never been reported to police.

Parkland, Part 2

On February 14, 2018, Officer George was working patrol with his local PD. He’d met some fellow officers for lunch. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then he heard the radio traffic: shots fired at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He immediately headed to the campus. This is Officer George’s story of responding to one of the most horrific school shootings in American history. One that would come to be known simply as “Parkland.”

Parkland, Part 1

On February 14, 2018, Officer George was working patrol with his local PD. He’d met some fellow officers for lunch. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then he heard the radio traffic: shots fired at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He immediately headed to the campus. This is Officer George’s story of responding to one of the most horrific school shootings in American history. One that would come to be known simply as “Parkland.”

The Briefing Room: The Christian Burial Speech

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.

The Briefing Room: Case Law, Part 2

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.

The Briefing Room: Case Law, Part 1

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.

The Briefing Room: Situational Awareness

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.

Out of Reach

A brutal murder. A primary suspect. But small mistakes made by fellow officers in the early hours of the investigation hinder Detective Lins’ pursuit of the man he believes is responsible for bludgeoning a woman to death in her driveway. But the investigation continues until Lins receives word that his prime suspect is dead. Or is he? Even in retirement, Detective Lins says he’s not ready to give up the ghost.

The Very Worst

The stories about Sam are almost unbelievable. He’s wealthy, successful, and a family man. But look closer and you’ll discover a deeply disturbed predator with a dangerous habit of victimizing kids. When Detective Robert and his team take over the case, they find themselves crossing state lines and international borders in the pursuit of evidence which ultimately confirms Sam is exactly what they thought he was: the very worst. WARNING: This episode deals with the sexual abuse of children.

The Gamble

This case takes us to Main Street, Small Town, Australia, where *Detective Graeme is called to investigate an early morning blaze in the local business district. Fortunately, firefighters put out the flames before anyone is hurt, but the shops suffer extensive smoke damage. As Graeme picks through the debris, he discovers evidence that the fire was no accident. A bit of luck and good old-fashioned detective work help Graeme and his team zero in on the culprit.

Small Town Swindlers

Detective Dan takes the mic to recount a couple of wild cases involving some very crafty crooks. Thieves can be clever, so it takes some real police work to break the case. In part one, you’ll get to know a couple of key fob bandits. It’ll remind you to keep close watch on your gym locker. In part two, you’ll meet the charming but dangerous members of Stu’s Crew.

Blood Shadow

Detective BK is called to a grisly murder scene at a local motel. The fact that the victim, himself, has a criminal past has no bearing on how hard detectives work the case, their job is to see that justice is served. As BK drills down on a possible suspect, the search becomes a manhunt across multiple states, and the detectives are reminded that you can never have enough evidence.

Gold Fever

In a case that feels like it’s out of the 1800s, a detective in Australia’s famed “Gold Squad” gets an anonymous tip that something fishy is going on at a gold mine in remote Western Australia. An investigation turns up a crime ring that’s pocketing tens of thousands of dollars of the precious metal. The hunt turns tragic as a ringleader considers the blow to his reputation for stealing from the only business in town.

In Pursuit, Part 2

From big cities to small towns, there is perhaps nothing we associate more with modern police work than the high-speed chase. In this two-parter, Detectives Dan and Dave remember their first times behind the wheel when they had to suddenly go Code 3 “in pursuit.” You’ll hear how they learned to keep cool under pressure while also keeping the public safe as they pursued the suspect.

In Pursuit, Part 1

From big cities to small towns, there is perhaps nothing we associate more with modern police work than the high-speed chase. In this two-parter, Detectives Dan and Dave remember their first times behind the wheel when they had to suddenly go Code 3 “in pursuit.” You’ll hear how they learned to keep cool under pressure while also keeping the public safe as they pursued the suspect.

Yeardley’s True Crime Thanksgiving Sides

We are coming to you a day early because of the Thanksgiving Day holiday – we wanted to be sure you had something binge-able as you prep your turkeys, or drive to grandma’s house, or wait for you plane, or take a nice walk. Whatever you’re doing, Small Town Fam, we wish you a warm and happy holiday!

In today’s special bonus episode, Yeardley discusses what her three favorite episodes have been over the course of the show. She offers some commentary and then shares her favorite for your enjoyment.

Never Forget

Famed cold-case investigator and forensic analyst Paul Holes brings us two murder cases from Northern California that remain unsolved. These murders are eerily similar to three others that were committed by serial killer Phil Hughes. But with scant physical evidence, and Hughes remaining tight-lipped, Paul is forced to dig deep and come up with new ways to identify the killer and get justice for the victims.

Rancid

A woman named Mary goes missing after spending the evening at a popular nightclub. Local police have few leads. Then police learn a sex offender from Ireland is in town and was seen harassing women customers before leaving the club with Mary. Detective Shaun, who is supposed to be taking his vacation, suspects something terrible has happened and pulls out all the stops to find the Irishman. When they finally catch up to him he denies any wrongdoing, until a surprising scientific detail puts him at the scene of a grisly crime.

Blowback

It was an evening like any other. Police at the local headquarters were going about their business – eating dinner, talking about the latest TV shows, when… boom. The first of a series of deadly explosions tore through Detective Sam’s station in Northern Ireland. Sam talks about the extraordinary dangers his force faced on a daily basis, and the lingering trauma so many suffer who choose to protect and serve.

Confidence Man

Steve is a popular guy. He edits the local paper. He owns the local stationary store. His new restaurant is the most popular spot for miles around. And he’s just opened up a new pub. The only problem is every one of his businesses seems to be failing. Detective BK gets a tip that there’s something shady is going on with Steve’s accounts and his investors have started to notice. BK uncovers a small town scandal that tests the fabric of neighborly trust.

Three’s A Crowd

Police get called to a marijuana grow operation, where they find a man shot dead near the front door. The shooter is the dead man’s partner in the operation and claims the whole thing was a terrible accident. Det. Justin reviews the evidence and is ready to file the case away until he listens to the 911 tape and hears something that throws the “accident” theory out the window.

Keep Digging

A man goes missing in a small Scottish town. His mother, Mrs. T., is dissatisfied with the way the police have handled his disappearance and hounds her local PD until she is finally put in touch with Det. Roddy who promises to take a fresh look at the case. It turns out, Mrs. T’s maternal instincts were right and her son didn’t just pack up and leave without a trace, without saying goodbye. Another Small Town episode from overseas.