THE PODCAST

Elevating the conversation about all things tactical.

What a Wreck: Scene Size Up

What a Wreck: Scene Size Up

Car accidents are something that are likely to touch all of us in some way or another, whether we are involved in one or manage them professionally as first responders. Not only are they exceptionally common, sometimes they are also challenging to manage well. We talk about some of the competing priorities and offer some ideas to get the emergency response to a traffic collision off to a good start.

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Sniper in the Tower: 1966 Austin Clock Tower Shooting

Sniper in the Tower: 1966 Austin Clock Tower Shooting

This watershed event was part of the discussion that brought the idea of a SWAT team to the national stage and arguably brought momentum to what some now consider to be the militarization of the police. We talk about counter ambush tactics, cover or suppressive fire in law enforcement, tactical medicine, and more.

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Calling Bull$h!#: Responding to Swatting Hoaxes

Calling Bull$h!#: Responding to Swatting Hoaxes

EPISODE 167 Calling Bull$h!#: Responding to Swatting Hoaxes No one should die over a false report. Internet gamers, celebrities and public figures, and maybe even one of your neighbors have been the victim of this sort of prank. These hoax emergency calls that can...

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Run the Clock: Time, Talk, Tear Gas, Tactics

Run the Clock: Time, Talk, Tear Gas, Tactics

EPISODE 166 Run the Clock: Time, Talk, Tear Gas, TacticsThe 6th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Downs v. United States was a benchmark case for domestic law enforcement that establishes our requirement to attempt negotiations for a peaceful resolution. We define...

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Power Lines and Wildfires: 2023 Maui Disaster

Power Lines and Wildfires: 2023 Maui Disaster

Over 100 people were killed, more than 2,000 structures destroyed, and over $5 billion in damage were left behind after wind and fire tore through the historic Lahaina district and adjacent areas in Maui, Hawaii. We dive into some of the public safety and disaster planning takeaways from this event including evacuations, notifications, misinformation, planning, and risk.

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Strategy for Door Kickers

Strategy for Door Kickers

What’s the difference between strategy and tactics? Some definitions might help, but it’s also important to learn how to think critically about complex problems. Strategy is about the big picture. Learn more here.

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Ordering Troops to their Deaths

Ordering Troops to their Deaths

EPISODE 162 Ordering Troops to their DeathsIs the American military prepared for the sacrifices that we can expect in a World War? Mike and Jim discuss whether commanders can lead and whether the troops will follow when it comes time to storm the beaches knowing many...

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Tactical ADHD: Managing Attention

Tactical ADHD: Managing Attention

EPISODE 161 Tactical ADHD: Managing AttentionSituational awareness demands focus and selective attention.  Sometimes playing on your phone can help, and sometimes it can kill you. Most people can’t multitask as well as they think, but Mike and Jim will give you...

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What’s up with the beards? Setting and Enforcing Standards

What’s up with the beards? Setting and Enforcing Standards

Green Berets have to work with a different rule book than the troops guarding nuclear weapons—and for good reasons. We explore the balance between strict adherence to rules and the often necessary flexibility to go off-script in tactical operations and your organization’s culture.

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“Your Children Are Not Safe”: DC Beltway Snipers

“Your Children Are Not Safe”: DC Beltway Snipers

In October 2002, a 17 and 41 year old carried out a series of serial murders, killing 10 and wounding 3 others in what were described as random attacks against people doing every day tasks like pumping gas and mowing their lawn. We cover lessons from this large scale, multi-agency investigation with takeaways for individual cops and police leaders related to public relations, investigative rigor, and interagency cooperation.

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I AM THAT B*TCH! Erica Gaines of TacMobility

I AM THAT B*TCH! Erica Gaines of TacMobility

Through eye-opening surveys, TacMobility highlights the not-so-funny truths about depression and the dusty corners where wellness programs sit unused. Advocating for a mix of low-effort, big-impact wellness habits, TacMobility proves you can indeed teach old dogs new tricks and balance the badge with a bit of brain and body harmony.

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Fighting at Night

With some reasonable preparation, proportional to your personal risk of having to fight at night — you can use the darkness to gain and maintain gross overmatch. Start by sorting out your own personal risk, which should drive your investment in training and equipment. Consider both technical and non-technical ways you can improve your ability to see and screw with your adversary’s ability to see.

How to Handle a Traffic Stop

Traffic stops are dangerous and unpleasant. A lot of forces converge to make traffic stops dangerous: cops get killed on traffic stops, so they are anxious about them, some communities feel unfairly targeted and perceive a risk from the police, and everyone is at risk to distracted and drunk motorists passing by the stop. No one likes being pulled over, especially if they don’t trust the police. There has to be something we can do to make this whole thing safer and easier for everyone

These aren’t my pants…

The subtle, contextual cues that guide our instincts are often tough to put our finger on, but they are also the reason we might approach one person or situation differently than another. The last thing we want to do is leave those decisions up to someone else’s interpretation. It is difficult to teach what stress, deception, and threatening body language look like in training.