Chats with law enforcement experts and leaders
Hi. This is sergeant Betsy Brandner Smith with the National Police Association, and this is the National Police Association podcast. I have a guest today that I have been on his show many times, and I thought to start out 2025, I'd turn the tables on him and, bring him on my show because this is a guy that if you're not already listening to him, you need to get dialed in to what he's doing, not just from a law enforcement standpoint, but really from an informational and a media standpoint because a lot of us don't trust the media. Right? This is a guy that you can come to, and you can get some real news, some entertainment, and you can get the real deal about law enforcement as well.
Betsy Smith:Chip DeBloc, welcome to the show.
Chip DeBlock:Thanks. I appreciate it, Betsy. I'm looking forward to this.
Betsy Smith:So, you're a retired detective, and, so I'm gonna ask you what I ask everybody. Chip, why'd you become a cop?
Chip DeBlock:Good question. You know, I wish I could say it was because I wanted to help people and, make the world better. But I was I was, you know, I was young. I was 21, fresh out of college, and I I wanted the action. I just wanted the action.
Chip DeBlock:And, I had my choice between the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Tampa Police Department, and I, I I went with, I went with Tampa. And a lot of friends really with both agencies, and and I I think it was the the right decision. I stayed I stayed 30 years.
Betsy Smith:And Tampa is a large agency. You know? A really, a well known law enforcement agency. You know? Very progressive.
Betsy Smith:I've I've trained there quite a bit, been there quite a bit. And, you had quite a year. In 30 years, you do a lot of stuff, don't you?
Chip DeBlock:Yeah. Yeah. It was a you know what? You grow quickly on the street. Now I was young.
Chip DeBlock:I was, you know, 21, but, boy, I tell you, do you grew up fast in police work, especially when you have with an agency. In Tampa, you know, they they're a 1,000 man agency, but it's a lot you know, it it's just it's a lot of calls. I mean, you're answering, you know, 30 plus calls a day, and so it's a lot of experience, in a short amount of time, especially for young officers. So you grow up very quickly, which which is all good. But you're right.
Chip DeBlock:I I had the opportunity to do a lot of really cool things that a lot of guys with other agencies would never have the opportunity to do. So that was that was pretty special.
Betsy Smith:And it's interesting. I was also 21, and I when I started on the job, and I've been a police dispatcher since I was 17. But I always think now at my age, should you be giving 21 year old kids badges and guns and and all that all that stuff. But we did it. Right?
Betsy Smith:We did it.
Chip DeBlock:We did it. I mean, look. I had well, I I've had some blanket parties, you know, where I was the victim. You know? I've, I thought it was fun at night to, go around with a cap gun and just, like, show up on people's calls and, like, fire the caps at nighttime, work in midnights, and the sparks are going off.
Chip DeBlock:And that didn't go over too well. I remember them grabbing me out of my car and about 5 officers holding me down while they stripped me of the gun and the caps and stuff that I had. And there were some, yeah, you do young and stupid stuff, but you that's where the guys you're working with set you straight and you, you know, you you know yeah. So I would normally say no, but, you know, the bad guys we deal with, they're, you know, 17, 18 years old, 21 years old. They're always that age.
Chip DeBlock:And so, you you know, you gotta have I think you need that young blood in there because even at at a 30 year career, I'm still 51 when I retire. Right? And that's starting in the game young. We don't need a lot of old officers out there. And let's face it.
Chip DeBlock:How many guy how many officers even in their forties are gonna be chasing down bad guys or even have the capability to do it? And I was a fitness instructor too, so I was in really great shape. But but, yeah, I I so I I still believe you need them, but you need to be very selective over who you get, and they need to have a, you know, you you need to have a a good system in place to keep these guys honest and and, doing their job the right way.
Betsy Smith:So after 30 years, you retired. How did you make that leap into media?
Chip DeBlock:Interesting question. So the tail end of my career didn't exactly go the way I wanted to. So, in in when I had 18 years on and I was, in the organized crime bureau for the police department, that was pretty much organized crime, public corruption, and adult entertainment, which in Tampa encompasses all, you know, all 3 are tied in together. And so I actually got to the point where I had to become a whistleblower. So my career and the, the state attorney's office was involved where they got they would let me testify in cases anymore.
Chip DeBlock:They went public on TV and tried to damage my reputation, and I came out with a lot of, a lot of, notes and stuff that I've been keeping a a daily journal of everything that I did. So I I was pretty well backed with and protected, but I had to become a whistleblower to do that. So the the tail end of my career, I was not putting bad guys in jail like I like I really wanted to. So the last 6 years of my career, well, I actually worked with the police union because they had to find a place for me to work where state attorney's office wasn't gonna prosecute my cases. There's really only so many places you can be.
Chip DeBlock:So after becoming a whistleblower, I started a law enforcement website called LEO Affairs, and it was a, it was the first of its type. It was I had over 500 agencies in 18 countries, and I had over 400 moderators. And I let cops talk, without the fear of repercussion about issues going on at work. And that's why I started it because of what I went through, and I didn't want other cops to have to go through what I went through. So so I had that going when I retired.
Chip DeBlock:And the funny thing is is that I retired on Thursday. And on Friday, the very next day, I got an email from a company Boca Raton, Florida that ended up buying, legal affairs, fire fairs, teacher fairs, all my stuff. And then I continued on for 5 years, and I kept running everything for them. So I pretty much made that transition in the in the staying involved in that. And then when legal affairs for my contract running things for the new company was coming to an end, I, I I saw that coming up.
Chip DeBlock:And so I started I got the the vision to start Leo Roundtable, which is what I'm doing now, the show that you've been on. And Leo Roundtable, we covered the news from a law enforcement perspective, but I really felt that the video was gonna get really hot. That was back in the time, you know, when I retired in 2013, but, you know, we had dash cams, but body cams were coming on around that time if you remember. And cops, we were so reluctant, weren't we? No one wanted to wear a body cam.
Chip DeBlock:Right? But has that not proven to be one of the best things for law enforcement? It has by far saved many more cops than it's than it's than it than it's ruined careers for. And, arguably, the ones that have gotten into Greece because of a body cam, they they they were well deserving of it. So, yeah, videos became very hot.
Chip DeBlock:So, so I came up with a vision for the show, which has worked out pretty well, and we're actually, we're just finishing up our nice season, starting our 10th season right now.
Betsy Smith:So I wanna take people back because you and I were cops at a time where there really was no Internet. And
Chip DeBlock:I
Betsy Smith:know anybody listening to this under the age of 40 is shocked to find out that there was no Internet. But here you are. You're a whistleblower. You're working with the union, and you decide to create this website. I remember that website.
Betsy Smith:And and how did you even get the training or the expertise to be able to start doing this? Because it wasn't just a static website. It was a it was a forum. Right?
Chip DeBlock:Right. It was a message board. The largest I mean, it was the the the largest law enforcement website or or or laws for largest law enforcement message board or forum in the world. There there was not not none of the even close to that, and it was one of the 3 largest law enforcement websites. So, we did news, but the main thing really was at message boards.
Chip DeBlock:In fact, when we started, it was only message boards, and we eventually added news on it. But, you know, when you're when you're when you go through a thing, a almost a a near career ending thing, you gotta understand that when my my whistleblower lawsuit was because they tried to put me in jail, and, they tried to ruin my career. So there was a criminal component. They tried to charge me well, they accused me of 21 allegations in internal affairs, and there were allegations criminal allegations as well. And I was on the porch for well over a year while this investigation is going on.
Chip DeBlock:And so I was so motivated even though I got cleared of everything, it you know, a year 7 months of a of an active IA investigation and then still afterwards not being able to put bad guys in jail because the state attorney's office won't prosecute any of your cases, and they go on TV and they say you have no credibility, that's the state that's the state attorney. You know, it's it's hard to come back from that. And I and I was just when you're when you're that motivated because you go through that, it's amazing what you can get done. So I I was self taught. I, I self taught myself, and I was always computer oriented anyhow.
Chip DeBlock:But I, the stuff I didn't know, I I got with people that knew it, and I had great partners and, and people that helped me along the way. And I started off with just the Tampa Police Department, and, then I got approached by the St. Pete Police Department because they wanted to have they were dealing with a black militant group called the Yoo hoo's over there that were very violent, And they wanted to get, assault rifles in their cars, and, they wanted to get 3 day work weeks, and they couldn't get either one. The mayor thought that it was intimidating. They had the rifles in the cars, and they, didn't wanna give them a 3, you know, a a 3 or 4 day work week.
Chip DeBlock:And so because of my website, within 3 months, they got all that. They were able to get on there, talk about the issues, what they wanted. The media picked up on it, put it out there, and then the general public became aware of it. And they put pressure on city hall, the police chief, the mayor, in order to get things done. And 3 months later, they got the they were one of the you know, they got the AR fifteens, and, you know, they got the work weeks that they wanted, which which helped out with morale instead of having to work their 5 day work week.
Chip DeBlock:So
Betsy Smith:Yeah. And I want people to understand that because my agency did the the same thing. A 3 day work week, it doesn't mean 3 8 hour days. It's 3 12 hour days and then some.
Chip DeBlock:Right.
Betsy Smith:And, but it's it's a great way to do police work. It's a great way to do, shifts. Chip, what you went through is a real picture of resiliency. You know, a lot of cops, when we end up on the wrong side of internal affairs, whether it's just for, you know, being rude to somebody on a traffic stop or something on a much larger scale like what you went through, even though you know that you are innocent of wrongdoing, it's a really difficult time. And a and a a lot of cops who go through that, you know, end up, you know, drunk and fat on the couch or much worse.
Betsy Smith:What do you attribute your resiliency to?
Chip DeBlock:Again, easy answer. Faith in God, strong family, and being able to talk to my pastor. You know, that's funny. The your at at least here in Florida where I'm at, you can't talk about an active IA investigation. That's a misdemeanor, and they certainly would've jammed me up for it.
Chip DeBlock:But it did not prevent them from talking the the investigators and IA from spreading information about me, about the investigation. And it's all kinds of horrible rumors going on about there, and I can't take up for myself. I mean, there was one rumor out there that I had gotten in trouble for getting a lap dance at a strip club because that's strip club because that's some of the stuff that I have to do. And I tell you, the, the owner of the strip club, Joe Rudner, was calling internal affairs taking up for me, and now it didn't happen. I mean, look.
Chip DeBlock:I've got lap dances on duty before because I had to, but I didn't get in trouble
Betsy Smith:for them out of control. Explain, Chip. We have a lot of nonlaw enforcement people. Explain why you would get an on duty lap dance, please.
Chip DeBlock:Oh, well, let let's just say that you're you're, you're building a case. We had a a, a 6 foot roll roll in, in Tampa for a while where dancers could not, unclothed dancers could not get within 6 feet of a patron, or, or maybe the dancer is doing other things like we call the OTCP, which is often to commit prostitution. So, you have to do things like that. Or in Tampa, you cannot have nudity with a with liquor. Those things don't go together.
Chip DeBlock:You have to make a choice. You're either gonna have a nudity, even topless, or you have to have liquor, but you can't have both. So you have to go in. And if you walk into a strip club and you don't get it and you do an investigation and you don't get a a lap dance, people are gonna look at it like there's something wrong with you because, you know, what are you in there for? Just like going into a bar and do an investigation, and you're not gonna get an alcoholic beverage.
Chip DeBlock:You know, you're you're crazy if you think you can pull that off in an undercover capacity without acting like, you know, a bad guy or just doing what the normal people would do. So, so that's why. So I, the owner, that who whose clubs I'd shot shut many of his clubs down, he was calling Internal Affairs taken up from me because he thought that something happened to one of his clubs, which is which which was just unbelievable. Right? But, also, thing when things go on, like, they raided my office at work.
Chip DeBlock:They took confiscated all my files. They wrote a search warrant for my house. Judge refused to sign it, but they actually wrote a search warrant for my house because they thought that I was keeping, things at my house. And and, you know, I was keeping documents and everything I did. But it it's amazing when you go through things like that, it motivates you to make sure you take the steps necessary so other people don't don't have to.
Betsy Smith:So now you've moved into media. When you look at, legacy media or what we'd call mainstream media, what do you what do you think about their ethics, Chip?
Chip DeBlock:So well, that's that's that's an ease that's an easy answer. They're lacking and which makes shows like us, or or like like what we have, you know, more important and and more more receptive. You know, people more receptive to these shows. And, you know, my name and reputation's on the line. I can only use trusted sources for the news that we get.
Chip DeBlock:And look. Let's face it. Anybody can tell the news. Right? So my idea was is you want people to fall in love with the personality.
Chip DeBlock:So you you mentioned the word entertainment earlier, and you need to have an entertain not having an entertainment component, there's nothing wrong with that. And and news can be extremely dry. So, you know, we tell the news from a law enforcement perspective because we do view things a little differently. Law enforcement, we're we're normally conservative by nature because of the things that we've seen that, thank god, most people don't have to see and go through the things that we've been exposed to, but it's really not healthy, to be honest with you. So we're normally more conservative, and, we have ethical barriers maybe that a lot of other people don't understand.
Chip DeBlock:But because of what we've seen and what we've been exposed to, you know, most of us by far, you know, get it. So, yeah, the I think the the national news media sources, you know, that you're referencing, they're really struggling right now and and and and for good reason, and and and it gives an opportunity for shows like ours to to really get out there. And social media, oh my gosh, has not not opened up the door because, you know, streaming right now, we're reaching, potentially 1,500,000 people, and that's just on stream, not to mention 10% of the US population by radio being nationally syndicated. And and and there's other options as well. You've got, you know, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, and then you've got podcasting.
Chip DeBlock:We're on 18 podcast formats, but, or platforms, but, you know, it's just the opportunities are there if you if you have a a a trusted program where people can believe what you're saying.
Betsy Smith:Explain to people because here's the thing. You have a video component to the show. You have a, an audio component, including in, traditional radio as well as streaming. And it's not just you. Right?
Betsy Smith:Explain to folks what the show looks like, and, and then we could talk about how it feels because I can talk about how it feels. And, you know, because I think that's one of the things. It's an hour long show, and people who are onto the streaming component get a little behind the scenes. And and so talk about that a little bit.
Chip DeBlock:So the original idea was because I thought video was gonna be hot. I wanna come up with a video show. Little did I know that YouTube is not gonna be receptive to our channel because it was law enforcement and conservative. And so we started experiencing a lot of trouble just like Dan Bongino did where they were trying to cancel our show out and trying to delete our channel, giving us strikes. And if you get 3 strikes within 90 days, you're gone.
Chip DeBlock:You can't appeal it. You it's irrevocable. You can't undo it. So, but that was the you know, look, Things happen for a reason. You know, there's there's definitely a god.
Chip DeBlock:Right? So, anyhow, the door opened up for us to go radio, and that ended up being just just a a godsend for us. So radio ended up being good. And so even though the YouTube thing went south, other doors, you know, opened up for us as well. And, we we've we've just, you know, never turned back just like this additional, you know, streamership streamer, followers that we're that we're trying to get.
Chip DeBlock:You know, that's just that's just a huge opportunity.
Betsy Smith:And it's also a lot of fun. Where do you come up with your, your, I guess, your guests or your cohost? Because you you have a huge cadre of people who come on your show.
Chip DeBlock:Well and and I kinda I kinda got off track because you and I apologize because you had asked me, about the describing the video portion of the show and stuff. So I so let me let me just start by saying that initially wanted it to be video, And then when we had issues with YouTube and stuff, and then the door for radio opened up, now you're right. There's a there's a video component, and there's an audio component. So our show is during the lunch hour, Monday through Friday. So that's 12 to 1 o'clock, and that is on EST, which is, in Tampa, Florida, so we're on EST.
Chip DeBlock:And we also you know, we have a video component as well. So, obviously, the only one of the main podcasting platforms that YouTube's considered a podcasting platform now, but Spotify also has video as well. So we do have an audio portion of the show that's specifically geared towards podcast and for radio stations. But the video, it's really where it's really where it's at. So, you know, we we give the information on an audio whenever we cover something with a video component because not every story, but it is really hard to cover all the all the new stories today.
Chip DeBlock:Most of those have video components. So when we do cover one of those, we make it easy for the people that listen to our show, the old our Rumble channel, which is a free speech platform, that we're pushing so they can actually see that video the next the next day if they want to. You would ask where I get people on the show. The idea was is that I don't wanna just have a a show where cops are sitting around talking about cop stuff. I didn't wanna do a a typical podcast where you just have people on, and I just interview people with their stories and stuff because there were a lot of other people doing that.
Chip DeBlock:So I really wanted to have the top 1%, the who's who in law enforcement, talking about today's news and issues from a law enforcement perspective. And the goal was that if you're a police chief or you're a sheriff, you're a city councilman, the, county ordinance peep or the, city councilman or the county commissioner or whether you're, you know, a mayor or whoever, that even if it's a grunt level officer on my show that's talking about something, they'll take as gospel anything that comes out of their mouths. And so I look at I I had to turn down a lot of share with someone, a lot of police chiefs, to be honest with you, because, you know, they're they're they're really not there at that level that I want that I want them to be. And so so, yeah, we've got lieutenant colonel Dave Grossmans. We've got the Randy Suttons.
Chip DeBlock:We've got you and, you know, JD Buck Savage, and we've got the guys that bring that credibility and that and that top one percent of law enforcement with them. And you the idea was just that we didn't want you to be able to find all the names under one roof anywhere else like you have at at Leo Roundtable. And I think so far, we've been able to pull it off, and and I find them you know, look. I'll I'll see them. I'll see something on social media.
Chip DeBlock:I'll reach out to them. LinkedIn is by far the best social media platform for shows like ours because it hooks me in with so many people. It's a great, it's a great really a great platform. Not a lot of politics, not a lot of drama, and I've been able to reach a lot of people through LinkedIn, that I wouldn't have been able to anywhere else.
Betsy Smith:You know, crime has become such an issue, in politics, especially over the last 4 years and, and, of course, during the last year of the of the presidential race. Where do you think we're heading in 2025 when it comes to reporting on crime, talking about crime? Where do you see 2025 going?
Chip DeBlock:I I have good news. At least in my opinion, I have good news. I I see the pendulum swinging back. Now I'm not necessarily talking about your national media outlets, so I'm still talking about, you know, we have to get our news from sources that are credible and trusted, and the national media is not there yet. I don't believe.
Chip DeBlock:And I think that's fairly safe to say without people to without too many successful arguments against that. But I do see the pendulum swinging. So I see especially with, the new administration coming in, I think that we're gonna see that swing continue at least certainly for the next 2 years and hopefully for the neck at least for the next 4 years, that people are gonna start getting information about things, that they weren't able to get before, and they're gonna have credible sources coming out with that. But still, there there's I think that people recognize that the nontraditional media sources, their place in their in their newfound role in America. You know, we people are coming to us in in in droves.
Chip DeBlock:I mean, look look at look at what, Elon Musk has done with, x, you know, formally Twitter. And we have a a a presence on there as well. So, yeah, there's, I I see the pendulum swinging back, but not necessarily with traditional media, with with going forward with the alternates.
Betsy Smith:Where do you see the law enforcement profession headed? You know, most, especially most large police departments are still very short staffed. Do you think that's gonna swing the other way as well?
Chip DeBlock:I certainly hope so. You know, I I I think there's gonna be a there's gonna be a there's gonna be a delay for that to happen, unless we can blink our eyes and get rid of a lot of these progressive, Soros funded prosecutors, you know, overnight, which is obviously not gonna happen. You know, there has been a move in our country, to hold cops accountable for doing their jobs. And when I say accountable, I mean wrongly accountable and and charging them, and we covered some stuff on the day show about that. So cops are arguably reluctant to do their jobs.
Chip DeBlock:Because even if they do things as they're trained to do and they don't deviate from training, they're still susceptible in certain jurisdictions to getting jammed up, which is unfortunate. My agency look. I'm I I admit I'm in Florida, and and I work, you know, under Ron you know, we work under Ron DeSantis. Even then, you've got some, agencies. Even Tampa, we have a a a dem pretty much a a democratic, you know, city run by democratic mayor who also used to be the police chief is a huge advantage.
Chip DeBlock:But, but we don't have those kinds of issues here like other people in the country are experiencing. You know, San Francisco and Portland and, you know, Chicago and, and and I could go on and on. So, I I think it's gonna take some time. But if we're able to do things right and get the people in place, that are really representing the best interest of the voters and if the voters do their part and vote at the polls, I do see in 2 to 4 years, we'll start to see that swing, you know, coming back and getting the getting the the cops to work at the work at the places they've been reluctant to do so far.
Betsy Smith:Chip, you got a big year coming on the LAO roundtable. Tell everybody. Take a couple of minutes and tell everybody all the places they can find you. They can listen to show. They can see the show.
Betsy Smith:Tell people how to access it.
Chip DeBlock:Alright. Well, thank thanks for the opportunity, Betsy. I appreciate it. You know, I tried to keep it simple, and our website is Leo Roundtable dotcom. And on the website, we really have everywhere you can watch the show, live and delayed.
Chip DeBlock:Now it is a live, radio broadcast that is Monday through Friday during the lunch hour, so that's 12 to 1 o'clock, you know, for 1 hour, you know, on EST. And, you know, we also do live streaming to a ton of outlets, you know, as well. In addition to that, I have a producer that takes a copy of the live show, and he'll actually embed every video that we talk about and he'll put pictures of the good guys to the bad guys. And that goes up on our Rumble channel the very next day at 9 o'clock in the morning. That happens Tuesday through Saturday, and you get to watch the show with all the videos and everything, all the bells and whistles going on at the same time.
Chip DeBlock:So that makes for a a pretty good way to watch it. We're also on, you know, like I mentioned earlier, about 18 podcast platforms. We've been on Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV, and I'm working on some new exposure as well that I'm hoping I'll be able to announce, you know, shortly, after, you know, during 2025. So, a lot of good things going, but, yeah, they shouldn't we're not hard to find. It's an hour show 5 days a week.
Betsy Smith:Well, Chip, you're a great advocate for this profession. You are also a fantastic source of information, for, not just Americans, but anyone who is interested in news from a law enforcement perspective. And we we absolutely appreciate everything you do, and I thank you for being with me today.
Chip DeBlock:Well, I I'm I'm getting I'm getting praise like that from NPA. I mean, from you, you guys are are are are, you know, changing the world with what you're doing. And so and, and a lot of people don't really realize what the National Police Association is involved with and how they actually they just save our profession, and they help cops out of the world of hurt. So thank you. I I'm I'm look.
Chip DeBlock:I'm I'm so happy that I'm involved with you guys. I'm involved with you personally, Betsy, and that you know? And just having you guys, having this relationship with you, and being able to support MPA is just a privilege for me. So, I I really appreciate all the help.
Betsy Smith:Well, we appreciate you. And if you would like more information about the National Police Association, visit us at nationalpolice.org.
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