ATO: BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

Episode 43 Texas Officer Jackie Q and Dr. Tania Glenn In this episode the ATO traveled to Cedar Park Texas to sit down with with Officer Jackie Q and the great Tania Glenn. Jackie’s journey of struggle, courage and recovery takes the listener through her early teen years, time on as an EMT to becoming a police officer in Texas. This story is unique as the guest cohost, Tania Glenn, is the person t...

FOCUS - INSPIRE - TRANSFORM The ATO is honored to sit down with the owner, the great Aaron Conner, of Legends Fit Gym in Rockwall, Texas. Aaron is owner of this true first responder gym and they are dedicated to providing a welcoming haven to all walks of life and especially the military and first responder community.  From the moment you walk in the door you see Police, Fire, every branch of the...

Hello friends This our third message with the great Misty Vancuren and Joe King We want to give the listener a heads up on more upcoming episodes and say Thank You.  In this message we preview our “rookie” episode with Rodney Harrison. There will be singing involved with this guest.  We speak on the Dallas SWAT Dr. Metzger episode in which he discusses several critical incidents as well as the cit...

Episode 41 Lance Crawford #5818 ”learned how to turn the squad car into a learning environment “ The Assist the Officer Foundation is proud to sit down with a true Dallas PD legend in Sr. Cpl Lance Crawford. Lance hired on Dallas PD in 1988, one of Dallas PD’s most deadliest years, in which the Dept lost seven officers in a 12 month period. Crawford was the epitome of what a field training officer...

On July 7th 2016 five Officers were killed and nine others were wounded during a protest in downtown Dallas Texas. Two civilians were also injured during this cowardly attack as it was the deadliest incident for law enforcement since the September 11th 2001 attacks. This event has affected so many lives in so many ways as wives were made widows, friends had to salute the flag draped caskets, child...

  Episode 40 ”Command, Control, Communication “ The History and Evolution of Dallas SWAT: Part 2 This episode is the conclusion to the history of Dallas SWAT. We touch on the failed February 1993 Dallas Cowboys’ Championship parade. This incident magnifies mob mentality as a celebratory day turned to rioting when agitators swayed Cowboys fans. We also tell the story of a car jacker from January 24...

EPISODE 39 “Once the threshold is breached…we push on” THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF DALLAS SWAT: PART 1 The Assist the Officer Foundation is proud to sit down and tell a story of one of the most recognized units in the history of law enforcement. The acronym SWAT is known worldwide as it has been romanticized in tv as well as movies since the 1960’s. However real life is not pretty and the world o...

Hello friends This our second message and we have a new guest cohost…. We want to give the listener a heads up on more upcoming episodes and say Thank You.  Special thank you to Surah for her incredible feedback and supporting us. If you have an idea…..gripe…..guest or topic suggestion let’s us hear from you at Atobridging@gmail. Com .  Also if you want to look up information on the ATO and donate...

Episode 38 The Assist the Officer Foundation sits down with one of the most genuine human beings that Dallas PD has to offer. Kevin was born in Orange County Texas and grew up in Houston and became a die-hard Astros fan. Living a fans dream in becoming a Houston Astros batboy then climbing that sports fan ladder and becoming an Assistant Equipment Manager for the Houston Rockets.  Kevin finally pu...

Hello friends This is just a little message from our hosts to talk about the Assist the Officer Foundation and some podcast projects we have in the hopper.  This is also an opportunity for us to talk directly to the loyal listeners and tell you thank you and we want to hear from you.  If you have an idea…..gripe…..guest or topic suggestion let’s us hear from you at Atobridging@gmail. Com .  Also i...

EPISODE 37 The Assist the Officer Foundation is honored to sit down with the Texas Radio Hall of Famer Mike Rhyner as he shares his many stories on the history of Dallas, Texas that span seven decades of change, tragedy, and reform. Born in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas in 1950 Mike observed so many changes from the Civil Rights Movement, the Kennedy assassination, the birth of the Dallas Cowboys,...

Episode 36 Dallas Police Department Assistant Chief Teena Schultz ” We have tomorrow….” Straight from Council Bluffs Iowa Teena always has had a passion for helping others and being a protector for those who could not protect themselves. Teena had a childhood hero….a person that grew up in a small town, was raised by parents of high character, had impervious skin, was faster than a speeding bullet...

EPISODE 35 DALLAS PD SEXUAL ASSAULT DETECTIVE ALAN HOLMES ”Show me the survivor, I’ll show you the suspect “ IN 1887 SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE INTRODUCED THE WORLDS GREATEST DETECTIVE IN SHERLOCK HOLMES. HOLMES WAS KNOWN FOR HIS USE OF FORENSIC SCIENCE, DEDUCTIVE REASONING THAT BORDERS ON THE FANTASTIC. THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS THEIR VERY OWN DETECTIVE HOLMES….ALAN HOLMES. GROWING UP IN BROOKLYN NEW YO...

EPISODE 34 OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE DEPT BRIAN “PICK” PICKLO “ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SURVIVE” The Assist the Officer Foundation welcomes on one of Oklahoma City PD’s finest in Brian “Pick” Picklo. Brian’s story in becoming a lawman took a much different path as he also is a 2 time All American wrestler for the Michigan State Spartans and was the Big Ten Champion in the 190 pound weight class in 1996.  ...

EPISODE 33 DR. CHASE TWEDELL AND NATE BORUNDA OF F1RST& SPORTS ACADEMY “Your body IS your job” Chase@F1RST.org PERFORM-ENDURE-RECOVER Today the bridging the divide crew sits down with Dr. Chase Twedell and Nate Borunda of F1rst and Sports Academy. F1rst and Sports Academy have teamed up as partners to commit to care for the first responder community. they take a unique and holistic approach to tre...

“Just don’t give up….”  Dallas Officer Rogelio Santander End of Watch: April 25th, 2018 On April 24, 2018, two rookie officers responded to police call for service at a nearby Home Depot to begin their shift. This call had no detailed information and most likely was a shoplifter detained by a loss prevention officer.   These two officers were classmates in the academy, the best of friends, and par...

"Your reputation isn't what you think of yourself, it's what others think of you."   At the request of many people, the guest microphone is turned around on the founder of the "Bridging the Divide" podcast:  Joe King.  The 2010 Patrol Officer of the Year the 2017 Police Officer of the Year, and the 2025 Police Officer of the Year for the Dallas Police Department, Joe King is asked to share details...

POLICE WARRANT SERVICE DEFINED… PART 2 FEATURING MATT SMITH OF DALLAS SWAT In this episode the Assist the Officer Foundation shifts gears from highlighting an incredible first responder career to taking on one of the most controversial and misunderstood topics in America today. This is part two of a two part episode that discusses NO KNOCK WARRANTS AND SURROUND AND CALL OUT tactics used in police...

POLICE WARRANT SERVICE DEFINED… PART 1 FEATURING Dallas PD Narcotics Detective MATT BANES AND Sgt JERRY GIRDLER In this episode the Assist the Officer Foundation shifts gears from highlighting an incredible first responder career to taking on one of the most controversial and misunderstood topics in America today.   This is part one of a two part episode that discusses NO KNOCK WARRANTS AND SURROU...

EPISODE 28 BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMER NANCY LIEBERMAN Born in Brooklyn New York, Nancy moved to Queens shortly after  and was raised by her single mother. She quickly started gravitating to basketball as she taught herself skills and began playing pickup basketball games with boys in Rucker Park. Nancy attended Far Rockaway High School in Queens and quickly established herself as one of the top bask...

Episode 27 Dr. Heather Twedell  “Silence isn’t always quiet” Please go to www. F1RST-tx.org for more info on Dr. T IG: @dr.t.f1rst Dr. Twedell, also known as Dr T, has a Doctorate in forensic psychology and is licensed in the state of California and Texas and specializes in treating first responders. She truly understands the first responder mindset as she comes from a first responder family. She...

Episode 26 Retired Dallas Police Dept Dottie and Dallas SWAT Steve Claggett “Do you know what your problem is?” This is a rare peek into the lives of two very distinguished careers of two true public servants that also happen to be partners in life.  Dottie and Steve Claggett are an amazing dynamic duo that their police careers, combined, spanned nearly 50 years as they served the city of Dallas....

Episode 25 Raul Martinez Jr "The Art of 4 Hands" Www.rogue-methods.com Honor to welcome on Army veteran, former Chicago PD and the Chief Operating Officer for Rogue Methods.   Raul is a proud first generation American and has dedicated his life to service as a combat veteran, undercover Chicago PD Narcs  and now dedicates his life to training officers and civilians around the country……making them...

EPISODE 24 "IF I DONT TEACH YOU HOW TO BE A GOOD PERSON....I FAILED" DALLAS FIRE AND RESCUE DAVID LINDSEY THE ASSIST THE OFFICER FOUNDATION CROSSES THE BRIDGE TO SPEAK WITH A MEMBER OF OUR RED FAMILY AS DAVID SPEAKS ON HIS NEARLY 4 DECADES WITH THE DALLAS FIRE DEPARTMENT. FROM STORIES OF STARTING IN THE 80S DURING THE ONSET OF THE AIDS EPIDEMIC TO SPEAKING ON THE REALITIES THAT MANY FORMER AND CUR...

Episode 23 Dallas Police Lt. Mark Rickerman “Everybodys going to need help....you might need a little, you might need a lot” One of Dallas’s finest Mark Rickerman’s story of survival from a unique on duty shooting in December 2005 shaped him as a person and as a professional.  The perspective gained from this incident stays with Mark as he is committed to promoting first responders mental health a...