Blue Grit Radio: the Police Performance Podcast: Mindset, Wellness, Leadership

Are you strong? No doubt, cops and first responders SHOULD be strong, but how strong? What is "strength"?  Is it being able to bench 300 lbs on a good day, all wrapped up, but gassing out when you have to carry a shield and ram up a flight of stairs?   In this discussion, my guests Anthony Shefferly (active SWAT cop and tactical strength coach) and Paige Arnone (founder of Firstgevity) d...

Many first responder, military veterans and people of ACTION have a gripe about therapy... they don't feel like it moves to ACTION.  Many recognize the power of reflecting, talking, sharing, but after that - what then? Veteran and therapist Matt Donnelly has an answer to this "so what, now what" that resonates with many in our community. In this conversation, we talk about his backg...

The police testing and hiring process is long. It's tedious, arduous, even.  This is all for a good reason - we put a huge amount of trust and responsibility in the hands of anyone who works in the criminal justice, policing, and law enforcement fields. The biggest impact for those interested, applying, and trying to enter the arena is to DO THE SIMPLE THINGS RIGHT, and beware, navigate and a...

Over-worked, understaffed and resourced.  This isn't just sworn officers, deputies, troopers, and detectives - but our invaluable support staff. Everyone has to manage review of statements, jail calls, data and records compilation.  How do we streamline getting all this audio to text for quicker review and ultimately, what the prosecution will likely require? Ben Walker joins us to talk about...

Have you had a leader/boss/manager who had confidence, but nothing to back it.. or the converse- someone that had the experience and insight but struggled to show and step up to direct and share the vision? Confidence and competence are so crucial and we need to help develop them in all of our leaders- emerging and those who already hold the rank.  Joining me in this discussion are three dynamic v...

What gets us into the most trouble?  What causes the most fear in officers? There is no doubt that safety and tactics are paramount, but how even those battles are ultimately fought in the legal arena..  Proper action and proper articulation come with proper education and proper training.  Bad headlines, bad outcomes, cops getting sued and charged result from these trends. In this discussion with...

We always go home.  We never quit. We finish our fights. We do our best, we train mentally and physically.  We tell ourselves mind over matter... but as we also learn, the suspect gets a vote.  Danger gets a vote.  Fate gets a vote.  And in this life, we can plan, practice, strategize to play our best hand... but we don't hold all the cards.  Our bodies can break. We can get shot in the face....

Ok, I study for the test... but what ELSE do I do to prep for this dream job? This dream unit selection? This dream promotion I have been grinding my whole career for? For years before Blue Grit or my stint in hiring, people in my circles would ask about what they should be focusing on or working toward for their upcoming interviews and selection process. This this episode, I share about some of t...

Police promotion testing can be intimidating, even for those who have been through a process. There's the different components, but the interviews can be the most tricky and daunting. In this episode, retired Seattle Police Capt. Brian Stampfl and I discuss key themes, tips, and strategies so you can own the process and your outcomes.  It includes and goes far beyond: Mindset, reducing anxiet...

Many cops says they would never work for Seattle PD, or any big city because X, Y, Z.  So when I asked if any active cops wanted to come on and rep their agency, I was excited for Britt’s response. I’ve known Britt Kelly for a few years, but I knew her name and story from when I was a new solo cop, when her FTO, Tim Brenton was murdered on duty in their squad car.  Britt shares about her career, a...

Viral police video goes out.. instantly every cop is cringing at what they see OR the comments, usually from people who don't know ____ about _____.  Kenny, created his page to dispel much of the noise, to give straight-talk about what we as police see, train, learn, experience, and perceive. It goes beyond this, to recognize other factors that don't get captured by one single camera ang...

If only people understood what we did.. why we do this job.. what it takes.. what it tests.. If only they knew we were people, doing our best.. I connected with Abby in July 2023 and was humbled to be featured in an interview with her, (ep. 47 of On Being a Police Officer).  In it, she called out my "relentless optimism."  It was one of the coolest compliments I've heard and part of...

We turn on the news (or our socials) and see ALL THIS NEGATIVITY.  It's the state of the union, it's police everything, it's videos, headlines, and a whole lotta yuck.  It's red vs. blue, old vs. new, AI is taking over, and there's no escaping the end of the world as we know it. Whether it's police scrutiny or everything else, veteran Aaron Brown joins me to discuss h...

Sometimes you read a phrase, a sentence a story and you get hit.  With an idea, with resonance.  With jarring feelings -  with feeling seen.  I had many of all those moments reading veteran and retired law enforcement officer, Doug White's book - Hiding in Plain Sight. Although we are quite different people with quite different experiences, Doug's ability to write and share those lessons...

I often get questions and requests for feedback asking if they should test to promote (sergeant, command, etc).  Usually this involves giving the landscape of what they do now, what pros/cons may be, and whether it is "worth it." In this episode, I share a listener question and explore some of the considerations to test again, what things I would ask, things he should think about, and ho...

Wellness.  Those into it "get it" but those who aren't into it roll their eyes and think they "get it" too.  However, those folks are often the one who need it most of all.  I'm joined by my guests with Law Enforcement Coaching, where we discuss the NEED on what our first responder community needs to recognize, share and use to nudge and uplift one another.  We talk a...

A buddy I used to work with sent me a news interview of his chief, commenting on a pursuit of a suspect vehicle, with an arrest.  The chief spoke plainly, unapologetically on the necessary actions of the officers to stop and control this suspect, who was a danger to the community.   These are things that are not lost on us in the first responder (and support) communities, but it's something w...

Bruce Lee… the Dragon! I grew up loving. Bruce Lee, and one of the few things my dad and I were able to bond over in my younger years was learning about him and watching his films.  Much of it had to do with a shared heritage.. while my buddies were watching Arnold, Sly, Jean Claude.. Bruce was MY guy that I could see myself like and really resonate with! Lee was so much more than a martial artist...

Training Day. Sigh. (The movie was great, but the state-mandated, checkbox curriculums, death-by-Power Point, and so on.. is not).  Too many trainers, leaders, bosses knowing teaching "the why" because they may not know "the why." In our discussion, fmr paramedic turned police officer, sergeant, trainer, teacher, student (always!) Scott Savage and I explore how to TRULY use cri...

Several weeks ago I found myself in a funk. There were many logical reasons: normal work stress, abnormal work stress, busy schedule, travel, mounting projects, and other angsty things floating in my head space.  I didn’t feel like doing anything. That’s not normal for me, despite how stressed or tanked I feel.  That’s what feeling like crud can do.   However, I attacked my funk with tangible stra...

We talk about work/life balance (which is an illusion) and the frequent over-identity of our police careers.  Things that help this are recognizing our legit skillsets and that even if we intend for this to be our 20-30+ year career, it doesnt have to be. Whether you are fully engaged with a smile on your face or burned out (to a crisp), the more you recognize your potential in other endeavors car...

The answer isn’t just more protein or eating garbage snacks and fast food… This is a throwback to where much of Blue Grit started- simply sharing some health/fitness/nutrition advice for a first responder (and general) community that needed it!  It usually isn't an issue of not knowing where to look- but how to sift through the noise to simple, practical advice. Those who feel like they are e...

The longer I am involved in the policing industry and first responder communities, the more I believe our biggest threat isn’t what’s “out there…” it’s in HERE. It’s negative attitudes, toxic departments and leadership, corrosive gossiping, a culture that eats its own, and that starts with us individually. The negative self-talk can get out of control for many of us. I’ve heard it from some of the...

After connecting with Sheriff Derek Sanders in episode 44, we have seen a LOT of proactive police work, video content, press releases, solid recruiting/staffing reports... it made sense to have the energetic/boots on the ground/lead from the front/pursuit engaging/public interfacing Sheriff back on the show to catch up and tell us how office has been! True to form, we talk the good, bad, and in-be...

Wellness. Leadership. Culture.  How do you build it? In this episode, I nod to 5 concepts we can all take on, regardless of our ranks. (Lead at all levels!) With popular demand, I’m rolling out more solo eps based on your questions, prompts and suggestions.  Shoutout to prior guest, LT. Ray Polk for the episode question/prompt! Questions, topic ideas and feedback? Send a line! To stay connected wi...