In September of 2021 a suspect involved in a carjacking and attempted homicide led police in a vehicle pursuit that ended in a car crash in Farmington Utah. The suspect fled on foot across Interstate 15 into a residential neighborhood prompting patrol officers to establish a perimeter and begin a search with a K9 unit. During the search a single gunshot was heard, South Davis Metropolitan SWAT and North Davis Metropolitan SWAT were both activated to conduct a house -to-house...

DME 08

My guest today is Dr. Jenny Prohaska, a clinical psychologist who has spent her career on the front lines of trauma and high-stakes performance. Jenny trained in neuro -rehabilitation psychology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, working with patients and staff in trauma, ICU, and burn units, where she built her expertise in how the brain and body adapt to extreme stress. For more than a decade, Jenny has brought that expertise into policing and tactical operations. She's force scien...

On October 12th, 2020, Bakersfield police responded to a hospital on a domestic violence call to a female who had been hit in the head with a hammer by her ex-husband. When patrol officers arrived at the suspect's house, the male suspect exited the home, screaming at police and threw an improvised explosive device at officers. Negotiations with the suspect began, who initially appeared to be negotiating in good faith, But after two hours, it became apparent the suspect was not going to comply...

My guest today is Patrick Van Horne. Patrick is the co- author of Left Of Bang: How the Marine Corps combat hunter program can save your life. He is also the co-founder of the CP journal where he supports clients in preventing, preparing for, and proactively responding to disasters, disruptions and acts of violence. After starting his career is an infantry officer in the Marine Corps following the September 11 attacks, Patrick has supported public and private sector o...

On October 27, 2018 a lone gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA with the intent of killing anyone he could. Tree of Life was the home to three different congregations, Tree of Life, New Light, and Dor Haddash, all of which were preparing for or having their normal shabbat services. What followed was the deadliest attack on the Jewish Community in American history. 11 innocent people were killed, and a further 6 were injured. This attack is the subject of our docu...

On Friday May 17 2024 the Surprise Arizona Police department received a call that a suspect had broken into his ex-girlfriend’s home and taken her and their 7-month-old child hostage. The suspect told her that he planned to kill her and the baby and eventually killed her dog. She eventually convinced the suspect to let her go outside and fled to local construction workers who called the Surprise police. When police arrived on scene, they found the suspect shooting out the front of...

On this episode of The Debrief we are going to be looking at Post Traumatic Stress and Post Traumatic Growth. These are two topics that I am extremely passionate about because, as you might imagine, each incident we cover on The Debrief has had a profound effect on everyone involved. Over the years that I have been working with teams and the years I have hosted this show I have seen people destroyed by their experiences. Yet I have also seen others use the trauma they endure...

On the 15th of December 2014, a terrorist took over the Lindt Chocolate café in Martin Place, in the heart of Sydney, Australia, holding 18 customers and staff hostage, creating a siege that would last for over 16 hours. Although numerous hostages escaped, by the time the event conclude,d 2 innocent people were dead, 4 others were injured. For 10 years, this incident was suppressed under a government-mandated gag order. This prevented the New South Wales Police Tactical Ope...

On May 24, 2022, an active shooter took the lives of 19 children and two staff members and physically and mentally injured the survivors, their families, staff, teachers and the broader community in Uvalde, Texas. At the request of Uvalde's leadership, the U.S. Department of Justice established the Critical Incident Review (CIR) to conduct an independent, objective assessment of what happened that day and assess the systems in place in the weeks leading up to May 24. The goal of the episode i...

Capt. Trey Sorensen – Pasadena FD and Sgt. Bobby Crees Pasadena PD Just after 6pm on January 7th, the fire ignited in Eaton Canyon, California. In a matter of hours, powered by sustained 60 mile an hour winds, with gusts as high as 100 miles an hour, the fire spread through Pasadena and into the neighboring area of Altadena. In the days that followed, the Eaton fire grew to become one of the worst fires in California history, killing 17 people, burning more than 14 ,000 acres, destroying more...

My guest today is Kim Pastore. Kim’s husband Jorge Pastore was killed on November 11, 2023 while attempting to rescue hostages with the Austin, TX SWAT Team. This was a case we covered previously with the Team in Seasons 4 Episode 5 released on November 11, 2024. However, Kim has graciously agreed to sit down with us and debrief the incident from her perspective. This is an episode we have wanted to do for a long time to consider the spouses perspective on a LODD as well as ...

My guest today is John Dowd. John is a former navy SEAL who 15 years ago started SOFware, LLC a company that develops software and consults with elite units in their assessment and selection processes. John and his team work with many of the world most elite units assisting them in not only choosing the right people but also helping them develop over their entire careers. John’s views on selection and the lessons learned by his team over the past 15 are extremely valuable informat...

My guest today is Casey Glass. Casey is the founder of Warfighter Health and Performance and for the past 11 years has been a Special Operations Strength Coach for US SOF units. Casey’s Grew up on a ranch in Texas. In college, she played soccer at Texas Christian University and interned with the strength and conditioning staff her senior year. While pursuing her master’s in health and Fitness at Purdue University she became their Graduate Assistant Strength Coach. ...

On June 28, 2022, the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (aka GVERT) was working as a quick response team for narcotics surveillance when a call went out of an active bank robbery in progress. Two suspects, covered almost completely in body armor and heavily armed with SKS rifles were robbing the Bank of Montreal branch in nearby Saanich BC. The suspects had herded all of the bank patrons and employees into the back of the bank and then proceeded to wait more than 12 minutes...