Aspirant Consulting Group, LLC

08/20/2026

When we brought this course to Chester County, the response made one thing clear: departments are looking for better ways to evaluate use-of-force incidents in the body-worn camera era.

Now we are bringing it to Western Pennsylvania.

On November 5, Aspirant Consulting Group, in partnership with First State Force Review, will present Use of Force Review: Practical Application for Supervisors and Command Staff at the Allegheny County Police Academy.

The premise of the course is simple: The video does not tell the whole story.

Body-worn camera footage is incredibly valuable, but a camera does not experience stress, attention narrowing, perception-response time, memory, or the rapidly changing circumstances confronting an officer.

Supervisors reviewing force need to understand both.

This one-day intensive looks at digital video evidence, human performance under stress, video versus human perception, bias and hindsight in the review process, and administrative force analysis. The goal is to help supervisors separate acceptable performance from a training issue, policy concern, or potential misconduct while conducting a fair and defensible review.

The instructional team brings significant real-world experience to the discussion, including Lt. Matt Botterbusch and Sgt. Sean Ryan of First State Force Review, along with John String of Aspirant Consulting Group.

If you supervise officers, review body-worn camera footage, conduct administrative investigations, sit on a force review board, or make command-level decisions following use-of-force incidents, this course was built for you.

We saw the value of this training on the eastern side of Pennsylvania. Now we are bringing it to Pittsburgh.

📅 November 5, 2026
⏰ 0800 to 1600
📍 Allegheny County Police Academy, Allison Park, PA
💲295 per participant

Registration is open at: https://www.cognitoforms.com/AspirantConsultingGroup/UseOfForceAlleghenyCountyNovember2026

08/19/2026

Police video has transformed how critical incidents are reviewed. That is a good thing.

Body-worn cameras, surveillance footage, cellphone video, multiple angles, slow motion, transcripts, and months of investigation can give reviewers an extraordinarily clear picture of what happened.

But clarity after the fact can create its own problem.

The more information we gain after an event, the easier it becomes to forget how limited the information may have been while the event was unfolding.

Our latest ACG article looks at that tension through body-worn camera research, hindsight bias, visual attention, camera perspective, and the legal framework established in Graham v. Connor.

The point is not to trust video less.

It is to review it better.

Video may expose misconduct, undermine an officer’s account, confirm an allegation, or establish that an officer acted reasonably under difficult circumstances. Its value is that it can cut in any direction.

The challenge is separating what the evidence eventually establishes from what was reasonably knowable when the decision had to be made.

Because everyone reviewing the incident still has one enormous advantage:

They already know how it ends.

Full article: https://www.aspirantllc.com/insights/the-camera-saw-it-did-the-officer

08/18/2026

What kind of place is West Conshohocken?

A borough where the police department is a central institution. Where residents expect to know their officers, and their officers expect to know them. Where a wave from a patrol car actually matters.

The department is young, motivated, and looking for a leader who will invest in people. Throughout the search process, stakeholders consistently described a department where mentoring, developing future leaders, and maintaining strong relationships with the community matter more than simply chasing enforcement metrics.

West Conshohocken is not looking for someone to come in and change everything. They are looking for a Chief who can build on what is already working, develop the next generation of officers, and remain visible and connected to both the department and the community.

If your leadership style starts with people, this search is worth your attention.

Apply by September 11, 2026

Learn more:

Apply for Chief of Police with the Borough of West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Applications are due September 11, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

08/12/2026

We’re proud to share that the Prospect Park Police Department has taken the first steps toward becoming a PLEAC-accredited law enforcement agency.

Accreditation is not simply a designation. It is a commitment to meeting recognized professional standards in the way we operate, and serve our community.

The process requires a thorough review of our policies and practices to ensure they meet established standards and reflect sound, professional policing. It also helps strengthen accountability and transparency.

We have begun this process by working with Aspirant Consulting, who will assist us as we evaluate our current operations, make necessary improvements, and work toward compliance with PLEAC standards.

Pictured with me and Sergeant O’Neill is Maddy Lewis of Aspirant Consulting, who is helping guide us through this important undertaking.

For a smaller department, accreditation is a significant commitment of both time and resources, but we believe our community deserves a police department that strives to meet the highest professional standards. We could not have done this without the assistance of Borough leaders and Senator Tim Kearney’s Office

This is the beginning of a lengthy process, but it is an important investment in the future of the Prospect Park Police Department and the community we serve.
Aspirant Consulting Group, LLC

08/12/2026

This is not a new trend in Pennsylvania policing.

For decades, municipalities across the Commonwealth have made different decisions about how to provide police services. Some maintain their own departments, some regionalize or share services, and many rely partially or entirely on the Pennsylvania State Police.

That evolution has been happening for a long time.

What this article raises is a more important question: are the pressures facing local policing today accelerating that evolution, and are we being deliberate enough about where it is leading?

Recruitment has become more difficult. Retention remains a serious concern. Personnel costs continue to rise. Smaller agencies are competing with larger departments for the same limited pool of candidates, while communities continue to expect a high level of police service.

For municipal leaders, vacancies and rising overtime are not isolated staffing or budget issues; together, they can signal a larger question about the financial and operational sustainability of the current policing model.

Leaders also have to look beyond the immediate vacancy. Staffing, workload, compensation, succession planning, organizational structure, shared services, civilianization, regionalization, and PSP coverage all become part of a broader discussion about what level of service a community needs and can realistically sustain. Each model carries different costs, capabilities, and expectations. Maintaining a local department may provide greater local control, continuity, and community presence, while alternative models may offer efficiencies, broader resources, or greater long-term stability. The goal should not be to preserve one model at all costs or assume another is inherently better, but to understand what each option means for service delivery, cost, staffing, and the community over time.

There is no single answer.

An independent municipal police department may be the right model for one community. Regional policing or shared services may make sense for another. In some municipalities, Pennsylvania State Police coverage may be the most appropriate option.

The issue is not that Pennsylvania suddenly needs to redesign local policing.

The issue is whether communities are being intentional about what comes next.

Local decisions about staffing, budgets, retirements, and department structure are significant on their own, but collectively they are shaping the future of policing across Pennsylvania.

The strongest decisions are made before circumstances narrow the options—by weighing cost, staffing, service expectations, community priorities, and long-term sustainability together.

The future of local policing in Pennsylvania will continue to evolve. The question is whether that evolution happens by design or by default.

Funding public safety has remained a priority in Harrisburg as the Pennsylvania State Police expands its coverage to more municipalities.

08/11/2026

Internal affairs is rarely difficult because someone doesn’t know how to ask questions.

It gets difficult when an investigation starts touching discipline, employee rights, medical information, fitness for duty, documentation, employment law, and decisions that may later have to be defended.

That is the thinking behind two new standalone courses Aspirant Consulting Group is offering with Campbell Durrant, P.C. this October.

October 15
Navigating Internal Investigations: Avoiding Pitfalls and Ensuring Accountability

October 16
Internal Affairs: Medical, Fitness for Duty, and Employment Considerations

Both courses will be taught by John String , Co-Founder of Aspirant Consulting Group, and Pat Harvey, Partner at Campbell Durrant, P.C.

Good internal affairs work requires more than understanding an investigative process. It requires understanding how operational decisions, personnel management, and employment law intersect.

These are two independent courses. Attend the one fits your needs....or attend both.

One course: $295
Both courses: $500

October 15–16, 2026
8:00 AM–4:00 PM
Chester County Public Safety Training Campus
Coatesville, PA

Registration is open: https://www.cognitoforms.com/AspirantConsultingGroup/InternalAffairsSeriesChesterCountyTrainingCenter

08/10/2026

Somewhere right now, a police chief, firefighter, borough manager, township official, or municipal employee is being asked:

“Can you just post something?”

As though that has ever been one simple job.

Suddenly, you’re the photographer, copywriter, graphic designer, public information officer, and comment moderator—often without “social media” appearing anywhere in your actual job description.

Law enforcement is not the only group expected to figure this out. Municipal leaders, township and borough officials, fire departments, EMS, public information staff, and anyone else responsible for communicating with the community: This class is for you.

Using Social Media to Shape Public Perception is a practical course on using social media strategically to build credibility, strengthen public trust, and deliver consistent messages that support community understanding.

Because “Can you just post something?” deserves a better strategy than opening Facebook and hoping for the best.

📅 Thursday, August 13, 2026
⏰ 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
📍 Chester County Public Safety Training Campus
137 Modena Road, Coatesville, PA

Register here:

A practical course on using social media strategically to build credibility, strengthen public trust, and deliver consistent messages that support community understanding.

08/09/2026

A couple of public-safety stories caught our attention recently.

In New Jersey, the statewide EMS Task Force is facing a funding crisis after supporting major events and emergencies requiring resources beyond what a single local agency could reasonably provide.

In rural Pennsylvania, Pleasant Mount Emergency Services announced it will close. The organization covers roughly 92 square miles, yet two volunteers—both in their 70s—reportedly answer about 90% of its calls.

Different circumstances. Same question:

What are we actually paying for when we fund public safety?

We measure police by calls, arrests and response times. EMS by transports. Fire by incidents. Dispatch by calls answered.

Those numbers matter. But they don't fully capture what a community is buying.

The product is readiness.

It's the ambulance that has to exist before the heart attack. The officer who has to be available before the domestic, serious crash or missing child. The firefighter who must be staffed before the fire. The dispatcher who has to answer when somebody else's worst day begins.

That capacity costs money whether it gets used today or not.

And that's where efficiency gets complicated.

Redundancy can look inefficient right until you need it. An extra person can look unnecessary until three things happen at once. Mutual aid can look endless until every neighboring agency is dealing with the same staffing problem.

Public safety requires some capacity beyond what is needed under perfect conditions.

Not waste. Capacity.

Municipal leaders should ask hard questions about staffing, overtime, deployment, equipment and spending. Public-safety agencies should be expected to justify their resources.

But efficiency cannot mean building a system that works perfectly on an average Tuesday and begins to fail the moment Tuesday isn't average.

That's not efficiency. It's fragility.

We also spend a lot of time talking about resilient first responders. That's important. But organizations need resilience too.

Can an agency absorb a resignation, injury or retirement? Can it send people to training and still staff operations? Can it handle a major incident without stripping every other function?

If every unexpected event just creates another overtime shift for the same shrinking group of people, individual resilience can only compensate for so long.

Eventually, the math wins.

Maybe the better question isn't simply, “How many calls did they handle?”

Maybe it's:

“What capability does this community expect to have available when something goes wrong?”

Because public safety cannot be built after the emergency begins.

We recruit before. Train before. Staff before. Maintain before. Fund before.

Most days, if everything works, much of that preparation remains invisible.

That isn't wasted capacity. That's the product. Readiness.

08/07/2026

Pressing “play” is not the same as understanding a critical incident.

First State Force Review and Aspirant Consulting Group brought law enforcement professionals together for Critical Incident Readiness training focused on what video alone cannot explain: human physiology, perception-response time, memory, frame rate, and the context surrounding an officer’s decisions.

Thank you to John String, Matt Botterbusch, and Sean Ryan for leading a thoughtful, experience-driven session.

Attendee feedback captured why this conversation matters:

“The ability to look at an investigation from the officer’s perspective and not just BWC.”

“Body cameras are a great tool, but training and understanding are necessary for command staff.”

This work is not about choosing between video evidence and an officer’s account. It is about examining all available evidence with the scientific understanding, investigative discipline, and context a critical incident demands.

Better preparation leads to stronger investigations, better-informed decisions, and greater confidence when the stakes are highest.

We are proud of this collaboration between First State Force Review and Aspirant Consulting Group, and this is only the beginning. More training opportunities are coming.

Is your agency prepared to understand more than what appears on the screen?

08/05/2026

Law enforcement is not the only group expected to work on its social media skills.

Fire departments with a camera roll containing 47 nearly identical photos of the engine. Township pages trying to make a road closure sound exciting. Borough officials who were handed the Facebook password because someone once saw them successfully use Canva. EMS teams sharing important information while someone in the comments asks why a helicopter flew over three towns away.

We see you, too. 👀

Using Social Media to Shape Public Perception is not just for law enforcement. Municipal leaders, township and borough officials, fire departments, EMS, public information staff, and anyone whose job includes “Can you just post something?” are all invited.

This practical course will explore how to use social media strategically to build credibility, strengthen public trust, and deliver consistent messages that support community understanding.

Because social media is often where your community meets you first—and opening Facebook and hoping for the best is not technically a communications strategy.

📅 Thursday, August 13, 2026
⏰ 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
📍 Chester County Public Safety Training Campus
137 Modena Road, Coatesville, PA

Register here:

A practical course on using social media strategically to build credibility, strengthen public trust, and deliver consistent messages that support community understanding.