THE PODCAST
Elevating the conversation about all things tactical.
Protecting your Parents: Fraud and Scams
Mike and Jim connect personal stories of financial loss and embarrassment to the broader professional lessons of threat assessment and emotional control. Whether you’re protecting your organization or your family, the same principles apply: slow down, verify, and think critically. Awareness is good—but deliberate, practiced skepticism is better.
To Chase or Not to Chase: Are the Risks of a Pursuit Worth It?
Police pursuits remain one of the most dangerous and controversial aspects of law enforcement work. This episode examines the data, decision-making, and policy implications surrounding vehicle chases — from the moment the lights come on to the moment a supervisor calls it off. Mike and Jim discuss pursuit criteria, liability, follow-up tactics, and leadership under pressure, connecting lessons learned in the field to the broader goals of risk management and public safety.
“Don’t drop the airplane to fly the radio”: Managing Bandwidth
In a crisis, you can’t save everyone—you have to triage. The same is true in life. In this episode, Jim and Mike unpack the idea of bandwidth: how much you can actually handle before performance starts to break down.
When the US invaded Panama: Operation JUST CAUSE and the War on Drugs
On this episode, we revisit the operation’s planning and execution: Army Rangers seizing airfields under fire, Navy SEALs targeting escape craft, the rescue of Kurt Muse by Little Birds, and the debut of the F-117 stealth fighter.
So You Wanna Be an Air Force Pilot (…or Not?)
Choosing to serve is one of the biggest decisions you can make, and the Air Force offers unique opportunities—and challenges. In this episode, we go beyond the recruiting pitch to discuss commissioning sources, career tracks, and the differences between officer, enlisted, active duty, Guard, and Reserve service
Careers in Law Enforcement – Worth It?
Ever wonder what it’s really like to wear the badge? From navigating the hiring process to facing life-and-death situations, the realities of police work aren’t always what TV shows make them out to be. This episode pulls back the curtain on law enforcement careers, sharing unfiltered insights into the training, lifestyle, and decision-making that shape the men and women who take the oath.
Stay in Your Lane? Maybe Not.
Mike and Jim tackle the age-old advice to “stay in your lane” by exploring what that really means in high-stakes environments. From a cop showing up to a burning house to Marines turning wrenches one moment and picking up rifles the next, we break down how flexibility, judgment, and initiative can make the difference between failure and mission success.
Feeding the Machine: Range Nutrition for Tactical Athletes
From no-fridge no-microwave hacks to high-protein gas station snacks, we’ll walk you through how to keep your edge when the sun’s beating down and there’s no fridge in sight.
Teaching the Enemy: Lessons from The Dragons and the Snakes
From guerrilla warfare and liminal conflict to use-of-force doctrine and law enforcement tactics, this episode connects military theory to street-level realities. Are we in a new kind of war without even knowing it? And what are we teaching our opponents every time we act?
It’s Chess AND Checkers–Tactics and Strategy Unite!
Why do we focus so much on tactics and so little on strategy? In this episode, Mike and Jim tackle the divide between street-level action and big-picture thinking. Drawing on lessons from policing, the military, and community crime prevention, they explore how individual cops, community members, and leaders can influence criminal decision-making—not just react to it.
Topics include resource constraints, the Broken Windows theory, and strategies for shifting offender perceptions to prevent crime before it occurs.
Careers in Law Enforcement – Worth It?
Ever wonder what it’s really like to wear the badge? From navigating the hiring process to facing life-and-death situations, the realities of police work aren’t always what TV shows make them out to be. This episode pulls back the curtain on law enforcement careers, sharing unfiltered insights into the training, lifestyle, and decision-making that shape the men and women who take the oath.
Stay in Your Lane? Maybe Not.
Mike and Jim tackle the age-old advice to “stay in your lane” by exploring what that really means in high-stakes environments. From a cop showing up to a burning house to Marines turning wrenches one moment and picking up rifles the next, we break down how flexibility, judgment, and initiative can make the difference between failure and mission success.
Feeding the Machine: Range Nutrition for Tactical Athletes
From no-fridge no-microwave hacks to high-protein gas station snacks, we’ll walk you through how to keep your edge when the sun’s beating down and there’s no fridge in sight.
Teaching the Enemy: Lessons from The Dragons and the Snakes
From guerrilla warfare and liminal conflict to use-of-force doctrine and law enforcement tactics, this episode connects military theory to street-level realities. Are we in a new kind of war without even knowing it? And what are we teaching our opponents every time we act?
It’s Chess AND Checkers–Tactics and Strategy Unite!
Why do we focus so much on tactics and so little on strategy? In this episode, Mike and Jim tackle the divide between street-level action and big-picture thinking. Drawing on lessons from policing, the military, and community crime prevention, they explore how individual cops, community members, and leaders can influence criminal decision-making—not just react to it.
Topics include resource constraints, the Broken Windows theory, and strategies for shifting offender perceptions to prevent crime before it occurs.
Tactical Case for Restraint
One of the key flaws in civilian tactical training is how much time and effort we put into shooting and fighting skills and how little time and effort we put into conflict resolution. If all we teach is shooting, and the one tool in your “toolbox” is carbine skills, then the whole world might tend to look like a shooting range to you. That is a dangerous habit pattern…
Philando Castile
In July 2016 a police officer in Minnesota stopped a car and the driver informed the officer that he was armed. The driver was apparently reaching for his wallet, but the officer perceived that he was reaching for the gun. The officer gave him instructions to not reach for it, the driver said that he wasn’t, and somewhere in the mix the officer shot and killed him. The driver’s name was Philando Castile. The officer was charged with manslaughter but was acquitted by a jury. He was fired by his agency.
Riting for Cops
Poor writing kills cops. It kills cops because it doesn’t play well in the media or in court. That stilted pseudo-professional way of writing in passive voice makes cops sound intentionally opaque, robotic, and incompetent. Bad writing invites scrutiny, ridicule, and enhanced oversight by people who are far-removed from tactical reality…
Gun Handling
CAREFUL WITH THAT THING!There’s a video going around that shows a group of officers clearing a...
The X, Defined
FIGHT OFF THE X: Tactics for actions upon contact with a lethal threat in an ambush have remained relatively unchanged since I began my professional life in a world where something like that was a reality…
Balance: Training and Life
BALANCE: THE TOTAL PACKAGE We have a saying in dog training that you don’t fix one problem without...
Threat Assessment
THREAT ASSESSMENT; Threats of harm should always be taken seriously, but in many cases the person making the threat is only trying to exploit their victim or elicit a reaction for a perceived wrongdoing.
Two Types of Learners
TWO TYPES OF LEARNERS Psychologist Carol Dweck is known for her work on implicit theories of...