In this episode, retired Chief Dewayne McCarver joins me as we dive into the realities of police burnout and morale. We talk about “back in the day,” working nightshift patrol where morale and sense of impact soared - yet how career dynamics and mounting stress eventually catch up to us all if we aren’t mindful. McCarver highlights tools and strategies that leaders and agencies can invest in to promote mental health, genuine connection. This ranges from from training to bett...

On BGR, we focus on leadership and wellness, and with that we have a stellar, impactful guest to hit on both. I am pleased to feature local WA state police leader and mental health counselor Lt. Corey Williams! Corey shares about the origin of both careers, and how he can even manage (it's making me tired thinking about it!) We talk about the impacts of the police career, balancing two careers and family. We explore many meaningful topics such as first responder (over) ident...

*Part 2!! * Growing up as a 90s kid would make you think Ninja would be a legit career path, between Ninja Turtles, Surf Ninjas, 3 Ninjas, and on... As it turns out, you can get pretty dang close, if you are a dedicated, hyper-focused, diligent patrol officer - and then turn into a plain-clothes surveillance detective. My guest in this 2-part episode is a long term teammate and true friend. We started our careers in the region at virtually the same time but took diverging career p...

Police eyes in the sky are absolute game-changers for tracking down violent offenders on the run - or people trying to reenact GTA on high-speed hijinks. Beyond that, our pilots in policing can help public safety in many other aspects. Trooper and pilot Anson Statema with the Washington State Patrol joins me to share about career opportunities in flight as well as teaching on how cops on the ground can help our aerial counterparts - and vice versa. We talk pros, cons of aircraft a...

Growing up as a 90s kid would make you think Ninja would be a legit career path, between Ninja Turtles, Surf Ninjas, 3 Ninjas, and on... As it turns out, you can get pretty dang close, if you are a dedicated, hyper-focused, diligent patrol officer - and then turn into a plain-clothes surveillance detective. My guest in this 2-part episode is a long term teammate and true friend. We started our careers in the region at virtually the same time but took diverging career paths, honing...

Some listeners come for mental health topics. Others for the importance of fitness and functional training. Then there's the deeper dives in philosophy, service, and the human condition as they affect the psyche of police and first responders. Well, this episode hits all those realms and more. For probably just as long as I've been running this project, experts and colleagues in the wellness spaces have been talking about my guest, Matt Domyancic. The accolades come f...

We know a full police career (or even fraction of one!) can take a toll on us. Physically. Mentally. Our batteries don't only get sapped, but sometimes they get fried (you know, that annoying thing where it just doesn't charge fully, and seems to drain rapidly??) In this episode, a true example of a FULL career of legit cop work joins me to talk about all of these dynamics. Andrew McCormick retired as a sergeant from Tempe PD. He spent 27 years total, with 24 of ...

You asked - so I answered! I recently went through a tear on a handful of books and among them was Mel Robbins' Let Them. As I posted it in my story with some pages/quotes, many of you wanted to know my thoughts. Some of you were fans, some of which had read it, others not so much. Some of you were NOT fans of her or her writing, with some commentary. In this episode, I share about how I learned about her and her content, and do an overview of Let Them, the 5-Second Rule, and the ...

This topic and question came from a listener/follower like YOU! The question was what tips should the applicant keep in mind going from a small, slower agency to a big, fast-paced department? The tips actually translate to anyone changing roles, ranks, or assignments! The themes range with regards to environment, but I break down the main things anyone should bear in mind, how they prep their mindset, what traits they should embody and how to navigate new people and culture. ...

In the second half of this special 2-part interview, we focus on a lot of "what to do" and how to go about the info we learned in part 1. Dr. Leah Kaylor (FBI's sleep expert) and I go down some rabbit holes on sleep hacks and I even learn some myths and hacks exposed about blue light, melatonin, and how to approach "sleep hygiene." If you missed it, you're not going to want to miss part 1 (aired ep prior) on contributors to sleep issues, how to curb them, and critical info on und...

In this first half of a fantastic 2-part interview, we focus on SLEEP (and the lack thereof!) When chatting and polling first responders, it is usually the biggest challenge and deficit that people want more of. I am joined by the FBI's resident sleep psychologist, Dr. Leah Kaylor. I share about my own struggles and hacks, some decent and others misguided and misinterpreted. Dr. Leah helps us sift through sharing her background, how she landed with "the bureau" and so much a...

This is part 2 of the interview, make sure you listen to part 1, Ep. 254 first! Police applicants! So much of my goal since working in hiring and recruiting was to remove the mystery of our hiring process. Many of us succeeded because we knew police officers and get some context to this unique process, including interviews and oral boards. Others of us had to learn through trial by fire, which is a huge waste of time, and frankly, can hurt your chances as you repeat testing over a...

Often, to know where we need to go, you need to know where you've been. Chief Jeff Spivey (ret) shares about police wellness culture - which is easier to talk about but harder to implement effectively. He details not only how he saw it grow in his department, but in the industry. We talk about different game-changers and necessities in modern police agencies, and how some are missing from critical infrastructure. We talk cynicism and "stuffing it down", then bridge to ...

Police applicants! So much of my goal since working in hiring and recruiting was to remove the mystery of our hiring process. Many of us succeeded because we knew police officers and get some context to this unique process, including interviews and oral boards. Others of us had to learn through trial by fire, which is a huge waste of time, and frankly, can hurt your chances as you repeat testing over and over. This is another episode where I recorded a mock interview with a gentle...

Standards. Hiring requirements. Headlines popping up with education requirements being proposed - a college degree - whereas other departments are dropping such items. In this episode, I am joined by Bill Fraass, who helps break down the pros and cons of educational requirements, but what we may be missing. We discuss what police agencies and the public want in officers, what makes successful officers and leaders, what departments are hiring for, and how to actually detect and mea...

Great trainers will recognize that every significant action police take, or don't take, gets reviewed and evaluated in the eyes of the court. We do a lot, risk a lot, and have to write a lot of our experience, insight, evidence, and perceptions... to make sure our arrests get prosecutable, and/or our actions don't get us sued.. or worse. Back in the day we heard about the "red pen" where Sarges would mark up police report errors. These days, it's kicking them back for more detail...

Police have a range of challenges. They are short-staffed and many issues compete for their attention. Tools and technology can be force-multipliers, not only helping officers deploy effectively (to specific areas) for gunfire, but also vet the likelihood that the illegal discharge call that came in was not just fireworks or a car backfire. Joining me in this dynamic topic is former police officer Jamie Algatt, who now works with SoundThinking. He details some of the many w...

Who get's to decide who a leader is? (Clue: it's not the leader). In this episode, I feature a conversation with a local executive police leader, who got the best compliment from another regional police leader. I asked on my socials who I needed to have on that exhibited genuine leadership.. who did it humbly for their people. (You could not self-nominate). I had a local sarge say I NEEDED to have Chief Cheol Kang on the show! We talk cultural upbringing commonalities...

In a rut? Feel like you're going through the motions? If it's more than 3 years til your retirement, it's too early to be counting down the days! Even those with strong sense of purpose and drive can find themselves in moments or periods of lost momentum or creeping cynicism. Trust me, I've been there SEVERAL times, and so have so many leaders and mentors who have shared with me. It's natural, but we don't have to just idle and float through life, going through the mot...

FDR said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Relevant in this conversation, as Fear itself is not the enemy, it's not bad, it's just a thing. However, making sure that THING doesn't paralyze us, prevent and stall us, or get us hurt or killed is very much critical. Tony Blauer an internationally renowned expert on all things defensive tactics, martial arts, and human performance. In our conversation, he shares about what is missing from most training systems from...