Recovering Out Loud12 Aug 2025

The Untold Truth About Policing, Mental Health, and Accountability

MEET Jeff Wenninger

Retired LAPD Lieutenant, Nationally Recognized Law Enforcement Expert, and Founder & CEO of Law Enforcement Consultants, LLC

With over 33 years in law enforcement—primarily with the LAPD—Jeff Wenninger has seen the best and worst of policing. Rising through the ranks to lieutenant, he led officers through some of the most complex and high-stakes moments in modern law enforcement. Now, as the Founder & CEO of Law Enforcement Consultants, LLC, Jeff specializes in police use of force investigations, crowd management, school safety, and developing leadership practices that align policing with public trust.

His work isn’t about surface-level “reforms” or political catchphrases like “defunding the police”—it’s about driving the honest conversations that ignite change.

He focuses on leadership accountability, science-based training, and open communication that earns public trust while meeting the challenges of 21st-century policing.

In this episode, Anthony sits down with Jeff Wenninger—retired LAPD sergeant, consultant, and author of On Thin Ice—to discuss the raw realities of law enforcement, mental health, and addiction. Jeff shares how his upbringing shaped his empathy on the job, why culture always outweighs training, and the urgent need to reimagine policing. From personal stories on the front lines during the Rodney King riots to insights on breaking the stigma around mental health in law enforcement, Jeff pulls no punches. Whether you’re interested in mental health, policing, or just want to hear real talk about change, this episode delivers.

Jeffs upcoming book

On Thin Ice

https://jeffwenninger.com/prologue-download/

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(140)

Trauma & Addiction: Gabor Maté & The Body Keeps the Score (An Honest Take)

Why the pain, not why the addiction? An honest, peer look at the trauma model of recovery.This week it's a solo one. I sit with two thinkers who reshaped how we talk about addiction — Gabor Maté (In t...

29 Aug 10min

Surrender in Recovery — Why Letting Go Isn't Giving Up

Surrender sounded like giving up — until it became the thing that finally let me stop losing.For years I thought surrender meant waving the white flag: defeat, quitting, rolling over. My ego hated it....

27 Aug 15min

The 12 Principles That Actually Keep You Sober

Working the steps gets you sober. Living the principles keeps you there. All 12 — and why they hold.My mentor asks me one question: "How are you living today, Anthony?" It's easy to be a star in the r...

25 Aug 26min

10 Things Alcoholics Do That Normal Drinkers Don't

Ten things I thought were normal until I got sober — supply math, pre-gaming, the morning panic. I'm not a doctor. I'm just a guy who did all ten of these, and didn't realize nobody else was living li...

22 Aug 19min

The Hidden Opportunities in Recovery (The Wins Nobody Claps For)

The wins nobody claps for are the ones that built your recovery. Here are the hidden ones.We throw parties for the first sober birthday and the first sober holiday. But nobody warns you about the firs...

20 Aug 24min

10 Weird Things My Alcoholic Brain Does in Recovery

Ten weird things my alcoholic brain still does in recovery — and why none of them run my life anymore.I've been in recovery since 2015. I relapsed around seven and a half years in, and I'm back — a ye...

18 Aug 20min

Everything I Knew About Getting Sober Was Wrong (10 Myths)

Ten recovery myths that keep people stuck — from someone sober again after a hard relapse. Almost everything I thought I knew about getting sober turned out to be wrong, and some of it nearly cost me ...

15 Aug 23min

Staying Sober While Travelling, the Strivers' Curse & "We Could Have Missed It All"

CHEF DEV IS BACK...A counsellor once asked Devan: what's wrong with the way you feel? This is that conversation. Chef Devan Rajkumar Today, he travels and cooks across different cities, constantly lea...

13 Aug 49min