ATO: BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

Welcome back ATO family as we bring you the ninth Message from the Host. This will be our Kevin James Clayshoot Edition as we sit down with one of the organizers of this great event in Dallas SWAT Lt. Kevin Campbell. Lt. Campbell currently commands the SWAT Unit and has been instrumental in planning and organizing the annual KJ Clay Shoot that benefits the Assist the Officer Foundation. To registe...

Episode 61 Dallas SWAT Matthew Smith #7765 “Don’t get left in Virginia” ATO friends, you are in for a treat.  We sat down with the not so ordinary man with an ordinary name.  Senior Corporal Matt Smith talks about how his East Texas upbringing helped forge the discipline that has defined him throughout his police career.  Matt joined the Dallas Police Department in 1999.  He was assigned to the No...

Bob’s World Segment  This is special bonus episode so our ATO family can hear the Great Bob Sturm on his own show, The Hardline, discussing his experience on the ATO: Bridging the Divide Podcast. The radio station, The Ticket, is iconic in the sports talk world and has won the top award for radio station of the year four times. Bob is a good friend and longtime first responder supporter as he come...

Episode 60 Dallas Police Department’s Bryan Candelaria #9294 and Gabriel Candelaria #9326 The Dallas Island Boys The Assist the Officer Foundation welcomes on the Dallas Police Department’s identical twin brothers in Bryan and Gabriel Candelaria. Hailing from the 305, Miami Florida, they do embody the flavor of South Florida as they grew up in the fast- paced post cocaine cowboy era of Miami. They...

Episode 59 Dallas Police Department Major Mark Harris #7877 ”The craziest rage I’ve ever felt in my life” Today the ATO crew is sitting with a genuine individual and true professional to discuss the “Charlie Brown Effect”. Dallas Major Mark Harris grew up in St Louis and found the love of his life Yvonne before joining the United States Marine Corp as he started his life of service.  From 1986-198...

Episode 58 Dallas Police Homicide Unit Detective Andrea Isom # 9272 The Dallas Police Department’s Homicide Unit is incredibly rich in history. The Homicide and Robbery Unit, under Captain J.W. Fritz, was considered the elite unit of the Dallas Police Department as it investigated high profile crimes like the Texas Eyeball Killer, the pastor Walker Railey, and the murder of President John F. Kenne...

Episode 57 Bob Gorsky of Lyon, Gorsky, & Gilbert LLP. Texas Super Lawyer  When Police are put into a position to use deadly force or they have incurred an injustice they may have to make a phone call for help.  For over 45 years attorney Bob Gorsky has picked up the phone when first responders call in need of help. Members of the Dallas Police Association, Dallas PD’s largest association,  and...

Hello ATO family On the eve of releasing the Great Bob Gorsky episode I want to drop our latest message from the host. This is no ordinary message as we are proud to sit down with a true first responder supporter in the creator of The Officer Next Door Page. The father of this page likes to remain anonymous so we will respect his wishes but his former Dallas PD friends and family know the real man...

Episode 56 TMPA Field Services Supervisor and Retired Garland Texas Detective Clint McNear Today’s episode is with a third generation Texas Law Enforcement and a true voice and advocate for all police officers across the country. Clint grew up in Plano Texas and was the son of long time Dallas Police Department Homicide Detective Stan McNear. He joined the Marines and became an MP to begin his lon...

Episode 55 – Dr. Alex Eastman R298 The ATO brings you a different perspective today with an episode all about Doctor Alexander Eastman. Oftentimes people find a level of success and become comfortable with their positions in life.  They rest on their laurels and allow their previous accomplishments to define them.  Alexander Eastman is not one of those people. Growing up outside of Washington DC,...

A MESSAGE FROM THE HOST VII  YEAR IN REVIEW This will be our 7th Message from the Host with Joe King and Kent Wolverton as we say farewell to 2022 and welcome 2023 with open arms. We are extremely grateful for our loyal listeners. We want to say thank you to some of our day one listeners and also welcome our new members. The Assist the Officer Foundation if proud to announce a sponsorship with the...

Episode 54 Dallas Police Gordon Fulton #10785 “Walking on a razors edge “ Today’s story is a unique journey of heartbreak, darkness, accountability and redemption as this guest truly battled that demon in a bottle. The Dallas Police recently created a policy to assist officers that are struggling with alcoholism to come forward and seek help and have full support from the Dept. More importantly, i...

Episode 53 Shelby Houston In Memory of Richard Houston On December 3rd, 2021, Richard Houston, a 21-year Mesquite PD veteran, answered a domestic disturbance call and tragic events unfolded and he did not make it home that night. Being a family member or a friend of a first responder can be very rewarding as you have a front row seat of a true servant, a role model, and a hero. However, tragedy ca...

Episode 52 Bob Sturm of the Ticket’s The Hardline Welcome back to the show ATO family. This episode the Assist the Officer Foundation sits down with the Sturminator himself, Bob Sturm of KTCK The Ticket. Bob is a long time first responder supporter as he has a unique family connection with various types of law enforcement across the country. Bridging the Divide host Joe has maintained a friendship...

Welcome back ATO fans as this message comes from the site of the 8th Annual Desperados Restaurant Golf Tournament benefiting the Assist the Officer Foundation.  Today we are live from this incredible event and had on Desperados Mexican Restaurants Ameet Somaney who tells the listener why they support first responders with such passion.  We also have on other supporters such as Legends Fit, Hoist h...

Episode 51 Dallas SWAT Hostage Negotiator JD Byas ***Warning graphic content discussed involving suicide *** The Assist the Officer Foundation gets many requests from across the country on guests and topics and one common topic we keep getting is to have on a hostage negotiator. The Dallas PD SWAT Unit has several members trained in hostage negotiations however they have on a very “seasoned” veter...

Episode 50 Chief Doug Kowalski  Special THANK YOU to the ATO family and friends as we release our landmark episode in, fittingly, our Big 5-0. The Assist the Officer Foundation is proud to release our 50th episode and capture a true piece of Dallas Police and Texas law enforcement history in this story. Doug Kowalski moved to Texas and joined the Dallas Police Department in 1977, where he advanced...

Episode 49 Dallas Fire and Rescue Firefighter Zack Talent Dallas Fire Department is so rich in history and on July 4th 2022 it celebrated its 150th year anniversary. The ATO is happy to sit down with one of their young, rising firefighter stars, Zack Talent, to honor this department and give the listener some more insight into this job and the toll it can take. Zack and his beautiful wife, Meagan,...

Episode 48 ”Fight Well” Barbara and David Crump The ATO is proud to sit down with another dynamic duo in Barbara and David Crump as they let the listener take a peek behind the curtain of a true first responder couple. Barbara, a Licensed Professional Counselor and specializes in first responders and marriage therapy.  She wrote and taught curriculum for the Catalyst PHP program and was trained in...

Episode 47 Dallas Police Department Wellness Unit OWL episode “Stay the Course “ ~Dr. T Officer Wellness Longevity is the OWL This story is a different type of episode as the ATO is happy to sit down and give the listener a look behind the curtain of Dallas PD’s brand new wellness unit. In 2021 Chief Eddie Garcia tasked Assistant Chief Reuben Ramirez with creating a new robust unit to take a proac...

EPISODE 46 ”everybody deserves a second chance “ Today the ATO is proud to present our “rookie” episode as we sit down with young Dallas Police Officer Rodney Harrison. We wanted a rookies perspective in starting this profession in today’s climate of culture change as well as public perception in law enforcement. However we got more than we bargained for in booking young Rodney as he has an intere...

Hello ATO friends. This will be our fifth message from the host with special guest cohost Dallas PD Sgt. Kent Wolverton. Kent was a SWAT supervisor, K9 Sgt, and currently assigned to the Narcotics Division and more Importantly……he’s just an incredible human being that genuinely cares about his officers. Today we talk about upcoming episodes with the lifesaver Dallas SWAT Dr. Alex Eastman. Dr. East...

Episode 45 Dallas PD SWAT Dr. Jeffery C. Metzger The Assist the Officer Foundation is sitting down with a “white coat” in this episode as our guest is Dr. Jeffery Metzger. Dr. Metzger went to UC Riverside for his undergraduate, majoring in Biomedical Sciences, finishing a 7 year Bachelor/MD program at UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Metzger then went to Duke University for Emergency Medicine training...

Episode 44 Dallas Assistant District Attorney Michelle Shughart The ATO is excited to bring the listeners the story of one of Dallas’ most respected and accomplished prosecutors, A.D.A Michelle Shughart. Michelle, an SMU Dedman School of Law grad, hired on with the Dallas District Attorney’s office in June of 2005 and remains there to this day.   From 2015-2017 she investigated and prosecuted the...

Hello friends we are recording from the beautiful Riverwalk in San Antonio Texas   This is our fourth message from the  hosts to talk about the Assist the Officer Foundation and we very proud to sit down with the great Clint McNear.  In this message we talk about upcoming episodes and projects, including Clint’s upcoming episode.  We also tell the story of Deputy Inspector General Richard Hale.  D...