Brownie In Blue

Jimmie Wright, a 28 year Law Enforcement veteran, joins me on this episode. Jimmie has unique skill sets that come from being on a unique and elite unit, SWAT Team Lead for NASA, for over 16 years. Jimmie delves into many topics: his own life; his SWAT career, and issues with younger Law Enforcement Officers in modern day policing. Jimmie is also an entrepreneur and weapons designer. He holds three patents on accessories for rifles, and also is the creator and founder of Cicada Tactical (https://cicadatactical.com/ ). Go check Jimmie out on Instagram under Cicada Tactical or @jimmiewright.

Brian Gaydos, a recently retired Lieutenant from a Metropolitan DC area police department joins me on this episode. I’m honored to have him back on the podcast and honored to call him a brother and friend. True leadership in my opinion is shown through innate actions and rarely have I seen leadership taught. In working with Brian in my own career I admired his leadership capabilities therefore why I chose to speak about Col. Glover John’s Principles of Soldiering , which equates to leadership. We tackle all 15 principles and the application or lack of application of the leadership points by anecdotes from our own lives and careers. Lieutenant Brian Gaydos has served in many roles in his career and truly is a leader that’s made up of the principles talked about in this podcast. Reference: Book by Glover Johns “The Clay Pigeons of St Lo”. As a leader of any rank in any department or agency , or private sector , or your own household, I challenge you to take an honest look at yourself as you listen to the leadership points brought up in this episode.

Ken Frownfelter, a 15 year Police Officer who’s held positions as a Patrol Officer, Traffic Officer, SWAT operator, Crime prevention Officer (public education), Field Training Officer, DT instructor, Use of Force instructor, Citizen Police Academy Intsructor, and has recently accepted the position of School Resource Officer; joins me on this episode. Ken gets vulnerable on his life and his career; and the motivation to start his own podcast called “The What’s Hero Podcast”. It can be heard on all major streaming platforms. What is your definition of a hero and why?

Bill Woolf (Can be found on LinkedIn) a proven expert in all facets of criminal justice with specific focus on gangs and human trafficking. Bill talks about his earlier motivations on becoming a police officer and delves into his career. Bill has seen the horrors of gangs, specifically MS13 , and how they recruit and traffic young girls. We also talk about human trafficking and what the myths and reality are about it. Bill’s resume is impressive and shows his passion for helping human trafficking victims and combating those criminal elements who traffic humans. Bill has been in the Law Enforcement profession for over 15 years, as a patrolman, to a gang detective , Federal Task Force Officer, and an adjunct professor. Most importantly, Bill has worked in high levels of the federal government in relation to combating human trafficking and also has his own non profit organization, Anti-Trafficking International (ATI) (preventht.org). He is also the CEO and founder of The Woolf Group (thewoolfgroup.com). Bill is truly an expert and I was honored to have this conversation with him. If you or someone you know may be the victim of human trafficking please contact me, or get in touch with Bill Woolf for help. Most importantly please call 911 before anything !

“Bitch! Get up!” Is what one brave and resilient officer told herself during her own officer involved shooting. Lindsay McCall Long, a 17 year veteran of Law Enforcement, Retired Police Officer, a mother , a wife , and a daughter talks about her critical incident. She bravely talks about the incident itself, and how it affected her mentally, physically and her family life. Lindsay was medically retired , but continues to provide peer support to those LEOs in need. She’s also a public speaker and shares her story of resilience and courage at Law Enforcement National conferences. A must listen and an example of great fortitude. Thank you Lindsay!

Logan Campbell, of @littlehollowlife and @thedoubleedgedlife on Instagram joins me on this episode. Logan is no stranger to law enforcement. He grew up in a law enforcement family and he himself sacrificed his life to serve the community as well. With over 30 years of family and personal experience in law enforcement, Logan talks about his reasons for leaving the Law Enforcement profession and going into the private sector. He also shedded light on the meaning of the quote, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”- by Maya Angelou. Logan is authentic and steadfast in leaving a profession that at times holds vulnerability as weakness. Logan is a strong advocate for mental health and explains how therapy helped him immediately after a critical incident. I was honored (as I am with all my guests ) to have Logan on.

Father and daughter, Michael and Katherine Boyle join me on this episode . Katherine is the daughter of a retired Law Enforcement Lieutenant. Katherine started a support group and online community to help LEOs find a positive outlet and support network. The influences of how successful her father was in work/life balance was an inspiration for the development of her online community, The Courageous One’s. Michael Boyle is a 30-
year veteran of the Philadelphia Police
Department, having spent 25 years in the Detective Bureau and 20 years with the Special Victims Unit (SVU). He retired from the Philadelphia Police Department as a lieutenant in charge of the child abuse section of the SVU. He has personally overseen and supervised thousands of sexual assault investigations and was instrumental in developing a collaborative relationship between police and advocacy groups, including Women Organized Against Rape, the Women's Law Project and the Philadelphia Children's Alliance. He graduated from Hahnemann Medical
College, School of Allied Health Professions with a Bachelor of Science degree in mental health technology
in 1974. Katherine and “The Courageous Ones” can be found and followed on Instagram @thecourageousones. The dynamic of having father and daughter on the show was awesome and I’m so thankful for the opportunity.

Brendan Gardiner, a Marine Corps and Law Enforcement Veteran joins me on this episode. He’s served in many roles throughout his career ; from being a big city police officer with the San Francisco PD to now being a Federal Law Enforcement Instructor training the future officers/agents of law enforcement. Brendan presents his view of the problem with leadership in local agencies and also delves into the leadership qualities he admires most. Brendan is a leader himself by training new recruits but trains in the most humble way. With his decorated career he presents his own personal life openly which lends great to engaging with those he trains. Thank you for sharing your story and voice Brendan Gardiner.

Rod Sanchez, a Retired Active Duty Army First Sergeant joins me on this episode. He served during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom II, Operation Enduring Freedom ) and has been an instructor at Federal Law Enforcement Training Center for the past 9 years. He talks about his great military career where he is the recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He further speaks about the importance of training and how that training saved him and his team on the day he was ambushed. Sanchez presently trains/instructs younger federal officers at The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center , “The Center of Excellence “. I had the honor of being instructed by Rod Sanchez in his control tactics course. I’m honored for his willingness to be interviewed for this podcast. A wealth of knowledge and history, along with being a humble warrior. Take a listen and enjoy !

Josiah Blalock (“JB”) a retired Army Major, joins me on this episode. JB has a storied career, highlighted by serving with the 75th Ranger Battalion, 101st Airborne Division and multiple overseas deployments to include Ramadi, Iraq, Afghanistan and Asia for the Global War on Terror. He received the valor award for action in combat among numerous other awards in his actions and deployments. JB shares his story of PTSD and how it effected him in his transition from the military to Civilian life. He also sheds light on how he W.I.Ns now by supporting veterans through ruck sack walking and other self care activities. As I lay my head at night and enjoy my freedoms that I live throughout the day I’m extremely appreciative and grateful for real life Warriors and Heroes exemplified by Josiah Blalock’s service to our great American country. JB can be found on Instagram (@josiah_blalock, https://instagram.com/josiah_blalock?utm_medium=copy_link). He’s offered his support and help as well for those vets or LEOs who need help with dealing with their own issues. Forever grateful, thank you!

Prince William County Police Department in Northern VA are doing amazing things with how they treat and foster a culture of positive mental health. I’m joined by Vickie Taylor and Kelly Tappenbeck, both Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) and both part of a team that provides positive mental health coping skills to the men and women of Prince William County Police Department. Within a couple years this department suffered several tragedies that involved suicide and on duty incidents that cost the life of officers. To help the department foster a culture of speaking up and out for help The Resiliency Center was born. Vickie Taylor is the director and head of The Resiliency Center and she talks about why she got into helping LEOs and first responders in this episode. Her leadership and experiences have lent to a healthier department where the culture of silence and compartmentalizing is being eradicated and the stigma seems to be loosing teeth. Kelly Tappenbeck, partner of Vickie Taylor, talks about how he started with helping LEOs but also talks about what he did to learn LEOs mindset and ways , developing “cultural competency”. These two and the Resiliency Center for Prince William County first responders is doing amazing work , and is the model for how agencies and departments should be helping their first responders. Bravo to these angels that are helping save lives in Prince William Police Department.

Brendan King, CEO and Founder of Crisis Consultant Group (https://www.crisisconsultantgroup.com/brendan-king/ ) joined me on this episode. Brendan also has over two decades of military and law enforcement experience. He has provided de-escalation and active threat training to over 300 corporations, some of which are on FORBES 500 list. Mr. King talks about his early struggles, and how that led to a path of self discovery and persistence in wanting to become a law enforcement officer. He shares the mindset of a pre to post law enforcement officer and shares his transition from law enforcement to being a very successful entrepreneur. In knowing the need to help law enforcement officers Brendan shares his vision and mission through starting LETACOR (Law Enforcement, Tactical, Corrections) powered by Warrior Week. This program is designed to help LEOs dig deep through physical, mental, and emotional challenges; ultimately building a strong bond with other participants and break down walls that were built up over a career and lifetime. Brendan King provides truth and authenticity and is leading a charge to break the culture of silence that plagues our men and women by way of LETACOR. Brendan King can be reached at trainccg@gmail.com, and can Crisis Consultant Group can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Rey Narvaiz, a Marine Corps veteran of 8 years where he saw combat and got wounded, and served in counter intelligence , joins me on this episode. He transitioned out of the Marine Corps into the Executive Protection world where he’s an expert at being a silent professional. He’s protected heads of state and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and survived an ambush attack on one of his tours in Iraq. Rey is a warrior and skilled in protection and his insights are great . He talks about LE and the transition of LEOs into Executive Protection sometimes doesn’t fit . He also states the strengths of LEOs when becoming an EP. A great interview with a silent professional.

John Imperial, host of The Pointman Podcast, and military and law enforcement veteran joins me on this episode. John doesn’t hold back on his views and insights of what law enforcement lacks in training but does speak truth on the community aspect of what law enforcement officers do in their own communities . John is also trained as a medic in the military and hold the position of the medic on his departments SWAT team. Most importantly , John is an advocate for mental wellness and provides his wants in giving back to those LEOs who may be struggling with mental health. You can find John on Instagram @pointmanpodcast , or his podcast can be found on all major podcast platforms. Thank you John Imperial for this interview!

Travis, an 8 year law enforcement veteran in the D.C area joins me and talks about everything from race relations in policing; family; respect and accountability. Travis doesn’t mince words and provides a great perspective on his career and the lessons he’s learned and how he’s teaching his boys the important lessons now. Travis is also the host of his own podcast called “The Perfect Cast” where he talks about a myriad of topics. Travis can be followed on all major platforms by @_travis23. Thank you for such a great interview and time Travis!

Connie Bates, a 25 year law enforcement veteran of a large department within the DC , MD , VA area joins me on this episode where we talk about her great career in detective work in several high profile divisions. She was a major crimes detective, specifically involving narcotics, sex crimes, child abuse, homicide and ending her career in cold case. Connie talks about the positive compartmentalizations she utilized in surviving her career and all that she experienced and saw through her case work. She also delves into the gender role of a woman vs a man in the department she worked for , and also if gender mattered when dealing with victims of sex crimes and/or child abuse cases. Connie provides such great insight into the rigors of detective work and how certain cases investigated affected personal decisions. Her career is in depth and I was honored to have this great retired LEO as a guest on Brownie In Blue.

Meghan Kelley and Jeanna Marie Saccoccio , co-founders of Wellness for Warriors (https://www.wellnessforwarriors.live/) joins me on this episode l. These amazing women have made it their mission to support and help first responders in providing a myriad of wellness techniques , and individual therapy. Their therapeutics and counseling are all free and they also provide nutritional information as well. I was honored to have these strong and vulnerable women on the podcast . They can be followed @wellness_4_warriors on Instagram and they are very responsive as well. Thank you Meghan and Jeanna Marie.

Chad Lyman, (http://code4combat.net/about-us.html ; @c4c_operator Instagram; https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC_SBi325bO1fDf-fIlhrbhQ) joins me on this episode. Chad is a wealth of knowledge in all things Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and how it’s techniques and training directly correlates to policing. Specifically, Chad talks about how officers fears can play a part into how much force one employs in subduing a suspect. Fear can be both good and bad according to Chad, and he uses the analogy of the “zoo lion” versus the wild lion. Chad has trained under MMA professionals and now provides training worldwide to law enforcement officers. Chad can be found on all major social media platforms and his YouTube channel (https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC_SBi325bO1fDf-fIlhrbhQ) chronicles his training and its effectiveness for law enforcement and alike personnel. Did I forget to mention that Chad is also an active bad ass law enforcement officer from Nevada? Well, he is ! Thank you Chad for this opportunity to get into your mindset and experiences.

Lt. Dave joins me on this episode. Dave has almost two decades of law enforcement experience in a major metropolitan police department in the D.C , Maryland, Virginia area. He has been assigned to specialty bureaus as well as supervised several coveted detective bureaus in his department. Despite his career success Dave is most proud of his 27 years of sobriety. Dave enlightens me on the compassion he uses towards his officers and also the compassion and understanding his department has in providing those officers in need of mental and emotional help. That help can come in the form of trauma therapy to addiction help and programs. This department’s actions in bettering the mental wellness of its officers and de-stigmatizing asking for help is a model for what law enforcement agencies should concentrate on; especially as times for law enforcement officers get harder and harsher. Dave, thank you for your leadership and empathy !

Dr. Michael Barta (https://www.drmichaelbarta.com/), a renown doctor in treating addictions, specifically sex addiction joins me on this episode. Dr. Barta breaks down the three brains and the usage for each in how we regulate trauma. He also gives his expertise in dissecting how childhood trauma can be the catalyst for sex addiction. He provides explanations from a neurological approach on how the brain is affected from early on “attunement”, proper or improper. Dr. Barta also gives his expert opinion on a possible reason law enforcement officers become law enforcement officers due to childhood traumas. Dr. Barta started his own intensive treatment center , Begin Again Institute (https://www.beginagaininstitute.com) , and has authored a book that’s sold in all major outlets including Amazon, TINSA (Traumatic Induced Sexual Addiction) A Neurological Approach to Sex Addiction (https://www.amazon.com/TINSA-Neurological-Approach-Treatment-Addiction/dp/198173869X/ref=nodl_) I was honored and privileged to have Dr. Barta on the podcast and hope this resonates and reaches those that may not recognize or know why they are doing the things their doing. Thank you Dr. Barta! Resources mentioned : Patrick Carnes (https://www.drpatrickcarnes.com/). Gabor Matè (https://drgabormate.com/).

Eric, a 16 year Law Enforcement Officer in Southern California , joins me as my guest. His career has unfolded where he’s been a great role model for disenfranchised Latin youth and has been the face and representative for his Agency in international teaching and training to Latin American officers. With the highs, he has experienced the lows through 2 Officer involved shootings and other use of force incidents that have resulted in PTSD. He’s an incredible voice that speaks from the suffering and the healing process from the traumas he’s endured . His message is powerful and if you can resonate through his story he wants you to know that you are not alone in fighting the struggles of PTSD. Thank you Eric for your bravery and vulnerability!

Q Hart joins on this episode . He’s an 18 year old that is wise beyond his years and a former basketball player of mine that is now playing in college. He provides the youth perspective on law enforcement and provides the insight how his upbringing in an African American household has shaped his views on modern day policing. Q is a bright young mind that instills hope for the youth of America . Thank you Q and thank you to his whole family in raising such a responsible young man.

Marc Hildebrand, veteran of the LAPD , joins me on this episode. He provides his story and describes his transformation through his career and his personal life. He gives incredible commentary of his struggles with his health and mindset and how those struggles were the catalyst to the positive and strong mindset he has now. He also talks about how the positive mindset has propelled him to start his own business that focuses on helping LEOs and de-stigmatizing “asking and seeking help”. Marc can be found on Instagram @leo_family_fitness. I’m grateful for his story and his support. Thank you Marc!

Who I am; my background; and my reasons for the podcast. Tackling today’s big issue of policing in America!

Charlie joins me on this episode. She is a law enforcement spouse and she provides a unique perspective hardly ever focused on. She’s a mother , a wife , and most importantly the biggest support system to her Law Enforcement husband. She goes through in depth feelings about what she’s undergone in connection to the stressors of her husbands job; ultimately providing great information on how to support those that are married, dating a law enforcement officer. Charlie, Thank you for your courage in giving a voice to the silent but sturdy backbones of LEOs.

Matt Domyancic joins me on this episode and tackles the mental health issues of policing. He provides vast and in depth knowledge on how mental health is the key to a sustainable and happy life in policing. In the world of defunding police , political backlash, and demonizing the police mental health is paramount now more than ever in combating depression , isolation, and worse suicide. Matt provides a holistic and “upstream” approach to combating downstream problems. Matt, along with me, want to provide support to all those LEOs who are suffering. You are not alone !

Guest , Zeek Arkham, tackles race, politics, and law enforcement and how it relates to him as a African American Law Enforcement Officer in Gotham City, better known as the Big Apple. Zeek is a brave new voice that gets shouted down by the liberal establishment and ostracized by the mainstream media. Zeek Arkham is courageous and unabashedly conservative and pro Trump.

Phil joins me on this podcast and gives the behind the scenes look of how important sworn law enforcement personnel are in schools. He provides the empathetic/mentorship/ and friendly characteristics of what School Resource Officers provide in our schools. He bucks the narrative of defunding the police or in this case getting rid of SROs in schools. His powerful words and experience needs to be championed by those who have children in schools . Bravo Phil! Thank you for your service.

I provide an insiders view of what a police officer thinks and does while conducting a traffic stop. Traffic stops are one of the most dangerous scenarios for an officer and for a citizen. This is to inform non officers the mindset of why police do certain things and what can escalate an officers suspicion or actions during a traffic stop.

Will, an 11 year veteran in Law Enforcement and African American, takes on the narrative being pushed by the mainstream media narrative that blacks should be terrified of law enforcement. He expresses his views from being an African American community member and a law enforcement member. His message is comforting in that “accountability” is the forgotten foundation in wrong doing.

Steve, a 23 year law enforcement veteran, details his story and experiences of being Latin and being blue. He sheds light on the Latin community and how they view policing out in the west coast. He also gives an insider perspective on the mind of a law enforcement officer and the narrative being pushed by BLM. Lastly, Steve shares his experiences in how he as a Latin Officer and Hispanic gang detective positively affects the Latin community through his proactive policing.

Al, a 30 year career Law Enforcement professional, joins me as my first guest. He delves deep into his own experiences with leadership and the effectiveness or non effectiveness of leadership in relation to mental health. His thoughts and feelings resonate with the men and women of law enforcement but he brings up points and suggestions that would help all sectors of leadership- empathy. Al is the epitome of courage in times of crisis. Come and listen to his vulnerability and insightful thoughts on mental health and leadership.

The difference between empathy and sympathy and how it effects policing the community or internally on police departments.

My take from 20 years of experience in Law Enforcement on mental health and how it’s viewed in policing .