CATO Podcast

In this podcast episode, Marcus and Brent sit down with Chief Chris Hsiung to discuss lessons in leadership. Hsiung is the Police Chief of the Mountain View Police Department, located in the heart of Silicon Valley CA, and is an internationally recognized speaker and author on the topics of digital strategy, crisis communications, and leadership. In his time with Mountain View PD, Chief Hsiung has...

Marcus and Kris Jenny sit down with Kris Allshouse, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Regional Training Center, to discuss the current state of drones in law enforcement, what future drone technology may look like in the near future, and their must-attend class 'The Edge of Chaos.' Kris also discusses several essential courses available at LARTC. Kris Allshouse is a retired Detective Superviso...

Marcus sits down with Matt Alexander, Kris Jenny, and Travis Norton to discuss the effects of California AB3 92 on managing hostage rescue operations, as well as its impact on the priority of life and things you should consider in training, deploying, and documenting uses of force.  Matt Alexander is a Lieutenant at a Central California agency. He is a CATO Instructor for the SWAT Team Leader and...

Marcus continues the conversation about Command and Control with Travis Norton and Kris Jenny. They discuss practical action items you can do now to reduce the friction inherent at all levels during tactical operations. Travis Norton is a Lieutenant in a Southern California agency. He is a CATO SLP 1 (Strategic Leadership Program) graduate, leads the CATO After Action Team, and teaches a variety o...

Marcus and Brent sit down with Ted King to discuss balancing command and control with independent decision-making through a variety of perspectives. Ted is a Lieutenant with the Bakersfield Police Department and a co-founder and managing member of Alpha Safety Solutions, a company that works with organizations and safety professionals to develop comprehensive emergency management plans based on FE...

Marcus Sprague discusses workers' compensation issues with Nick Hitch and Laura Rosenthal. They detail what you can do before, during, and after a work-related injury. Nick is a medically retired police officer from Northern California who was forced to retire after his injury was mismanaged by his agency, their insurance provider, and some of the medical folks charged with his care. Laura is a wo...

Kris Jenny and Marcus Sprague sit down with Andrew, who works for a large Southern California law enforcement agency and has managed a variety of First Amendment activities. Andrew recently taught a Demonstration Response Class for CATO and we thought it would be a good time to sit down and discuss some of the key components in analyzing and developing a response to demonstrations, protests, and r...

Chief Hansen is that rare leader you can’t help but want to work for when you meet him. His combination of humility, humor, and sage wisdom not only provide lessons we can all learn from but they set the standard for what today’s leaders should embody. He has dedicated his life to the thoughtful study of leadership and serving others, and in this podcast episode he sits down with Brent and Marcus...

Our latest podcast episode, The Tactical Athlete and Quiet Professional with Rob Shaul from Mountain Tactical Athlete, is now available. In this episode, Marcus Sprague sits down with Rob Shaul, founder and president of the Mountain Tactical Institute, to discuss how Rob and his team design mission-directed fitness programs to assist tactical athletes. We talk about common pitfalls in today’s law...

In this episode, Marcus sits down with Police Promotion Expert Andy Borrello.  Andy has helped thousands of law enforcement professionals improve their performance during the oral board process.  They discuss what executives are looking for, some of the common pitfalls to avoid, and some key things you can do to separate yourself from other candidates.  Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a g...

Deputy Chief Jessica Nowaski discusses an intentional approach to building a culture of leadership and how making quick decisions can make us great emergency managers but can work against us when developing a culture of leadership.  She discusses some key things you can do right now to improve morale, listen more effectively and improve the culture of your unit, team or organization. 

Marcus interviews Zechariah Cartledge, a young man who started his own non-profit, Running 4 Heroes, to raise awareness and funds for first responders who have fallen in the line of duty. But don't take our word for it, listen to this podcast episode where Zechariah explains why he runs a mile for every first responder lost throughout our nation.  To learn more about Running 4 Heroes, check out th...

CATO Training Cadre member Kris Jenny joins Marcus as they interview Tacflow Academy Instructor Mark Lang. Mark has an extensive amount of experience as a law-enforcement sniper and has trained thousands of snipers throughout the country. We discuss sniper response to public venues, aerial platform operations, and lessons Mark has learned from teaching throughout the country and serving as the sni...

Brent and Marcus sit down with retired Navy Seal Command Master Chief Jason Tuschen, and one of the Navy SEALs most sought-after interpreters, Johnny Walker, to talk about their experiences with team building, leadership, brotherhood, and trusting one another during times of extreme duress in combat. Jason's exemplary 27-year career in the military included serving with SEAL Team THREE, Seal Team...

Brent and Marcus sit down with retired Navy Seal Command Master Chief Jason Tuschen, and one of the Navy SEALs most sought-after interpreters, Johnny Walker, to talk about their experiences with team building, leadership, brotherhood, and trusting one another during times of extreme duress in combat. Jason's exemplary 27-year career in the military included serving with SEAL Team THREE, Seal Team...

In this episode, Marcus sits down with Travis, John, and Nick to discuss their lessons learned from responding to a variety of active shooter/killer incidents.  They discuss the principles at play during an event as well as things we can do now to prepare decision-makers and the troop to better respond to mass casualty incidents.  

In this episode, Bent and Marcus try a little something different. One of the more popular questions throughout the state from new Team Leaders and Watch Commanders is how to take newfound information back to their teams and lead up and down the chain of command.  This is such a prevalent issue throughout our profession that Brent passes out a pdf of the chapter in Extreme Ownership to new leaders...

Our newest podcast episode is a conversation with Jack Enter, author of ' Challenging the Law Enforcement Organization: Proactive Leadership Strategies .' We discuss what you need to know about inherent leadership problems in law enforcement and how you can fix it or navigate through it. Jack Enter started his law enforcement career 48 years ago when he worked as a street police officer, detective...

John Stanley served with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for 32 years. During his career, he taught non-lethal weapons, squad and riot control tactics, served as a member of TASER International’s (now Axon) correctional board of instructors, as a Senior Master Instructor, and lead instructor for the LASD Custody Incident Command School. Stanley is also an award-winning historian, authoring ov...

Sponsored by  National Training Concepts   In this episode, Marcus Sprague of CATO sits down with a legend in law enforcement, Sid Heal, to discuss his new book Concepts of Nonlethal Force. With decades of experience in the military and law enforcement, Sid is a bit of a mad scientist and has authored several outstanding books, most notably Field Command and Sound Doctrine. He is one of the three...

In this episode, Marcus Sprague of CATO sits down with a legend in law enforcement, Sid Heal, to discuss his new book Concepts of Nonlethal Force. With decades of experience in the military and law enforcement, Sid is a bit of a mad scientist and has authored several outstanding books, most notably Field Command and Sound Doctrine. He is one of the three founders of Field Command - the creators of...

How culture is a force multiplier for your tactical team and organizations. Brent and Marcus from CATO interview Aardvark CEO Jon Becker. Jon is part philosopher, part warrior, and fully committed to excellence in his personal and professional life. He has presented his philosophy on leadership to CATO's Strategic Leadership Program and at our annual CATO Conference, and written articles on it for...

Brent and Marcus sit down with Mike Wood and discuss how history can provide understanding and hope for the challenges that law enforcement faces today. They discuss the similarities and differences between the current protests throughout our nation and those of the late 1960s. Mike is part warrior, historian, author, and philosopher. His historical perspective can provide context and hope for tho...

Part 2 of 2: SWAT legend and CATO plank holder RK Miller discusses the importance of independent tactical team audits, what they are and why you should be doing them. RK has been training SWAT officers for over forty years, has conducted a variety of audits, and testifies as an expert defending teams throughout the nation. He is true gentlemen, and some say he conducted the AAR when Moses conducte...

Marcus and Mitch sit down with Chris Thorp from Operation Enduring Warrior, Task Force Sentinel.  In his former life Chris worked as a medical first responder and spent the majority of his life working as a deputy in the jail.  Chris saw a lot of emotionally and physically wounded members of law enforcement not getting what they needed.  In this episode we discuss how and why Chris dedicated his l...