Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates

Send us Fan Mail Your career and reputation can be taken away from you without a guilty verdict, without a complaint, and without evidence. If you find that shocking, you don't understand the state of law enforcement leadership today and you've never heard of Deputy Chief of Police Arthur Myers. He wrote a book to tell his story called " Tattered: When the Blue Line Frays " and...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, we talk with Doug Larsen about why police staffing shortages keep getting worse even when agencies spend big on recruitment marketing.  Doug has spent the last 5 years solving law enforcement recruiting for countless agencies and his raw, authentic truth, is something that every leader must hear. Here are just some of the topics we discussed:  • separating...

Send us Fan Mail Accreditation in law enforcement can feel like a four-letter word, especially when you’ve only experienced it as paperwork dumped on patrol. We talk with Kevin Rhea, co-founder and executive director of the National Association for Accreditation Leadership, to make the case that accreditation can be a leadership tool, not a compliance treadmill, when it’s used to build systems tha...

Send us Fan Mail We talk with longtime EVOC instructor and author Hugh Anderson about why emergency driving remains one of the biggest and most preventable threats to officer and public safety. We dig into what consistent leadership, real-world on-road training, and ongoing requalification look like when an agency takes police driver training seriously.  • why emergency vehicle operations training...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with retired Air Force intelligence officer and leadership coach Chris Russell to unpack the leadership lessons behind his book More Than a Mission. We talk followership, purpose, crisis leadership, and why clear communication and real accountability are the difference between task completion and true success.  • Chris’s path from ROTC to fighter units, Weapon School,...

Send us Fan Mail Officer assaults are at an all-time high, and it seems like no one is discussing this dangerous trend. In this podcast, Dr. Travis Yates will discuss his personal path that brought him to discovering the first system designed for law enforcement safety that focuses on behavioral cues prior to violence.   If you care about officer safety, threat assessment, use-of-force standards,...

Send us Fan Mail We trace the journey of John Leas from a San Diego Police Lieutenant to MLB security director and unpack the real work behind safe, seamless large-scale events. We share hard lessons on budgets, training, terrorism risks, and how to build teams that protect people without breaking the fan experience. • early path from explorer and cadet to SDPD lieutenant • discovery of special ev...

Send us Fan Mail Pilate has authority, facts, and options, yet he still folds when the crowd gets loud, showing that leadership failure is often a failure of courage. Travis Yates and Dr. Greg Amundson connect that pattern to modern law enforcement leadership, resilience, faith, and the daily choice to lead by example. • Pontius Pilate as a leadership warning under pressure  • cowardice reframed a...

Send us Fan Mail We dig into why police staffing shortages persist even when plenty of people still want to serve, and why slow, confusing hiring pipelines push good candidates out. Brian Ellis explains how agencies can raise recruit conversion by reducing friction, clarifying expectations, and preparing applicants for every gate without lowering standards. • the real cost of understaffing across...

Send us Fan Mail We examine how counterfeit sheepdogs infiltrate agencies, the media, and leadership spaces, why strong leadership and vetting matter more than charisma, and how to trust intuition without slipping into cynicism. Dr. Olivia Johnson shares practical tools for spotting red flags, setting boundaries, and protecting the mission. We encourage you to read her article on this same topic....

Send us Fan Mail A jury cleared Deputy Anthony Gann of a manslaughter charge in two hours, but the path to that verdict is the part that America must understand and public safety needs to be warned about. I’m joined by Tiffany Yant, founder of Give Blue Hope , a nonprofit providing financial assistance to families of first responders killed in the line of duty. Tiffany also brings the lived realit...

Send us Fan Mail This is not just the story of Deputy Anthony Gann facing 20 years in prison for following his policy and training, but also about a much darker issue affecting law enforcement across the country.  This episode is the opinion of Travis Yates. But it's an opinion you must hear. You can read the accompanying article here .  Our show sponsor, Telegenix , offers a 37% discount on...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Craig Floyd to trace his journey from building the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and Museum to rallying public support through Citizens Behind the Badge. He lays out the data behind crime trends, officer assaults, and why leadership must speak with courage. • origins of the memorial and museum • why 2020 sparked a new advocacy effort • media narrative...

Send us Fan Mail A high-profile kidnapping exposes how leadership decisions drive investigative success or failure. We unpack missteps in Pima County, the cost of sidelining experienced detectives, the silence at the podium, and the growing toll on the deputies carrying the load. • context of the Guthrie abduction and public pressure • comparison of Tucson PD experience and Pima County capability...

Send us Fan Mail We explore why culture beats cash, how leader–member exchange strengthens trust, and why sergeants are the keystone of retention. Dr. Marshall Jones makes the case for borrowing proven business models, fixing communication beyond email, and putting guardrails on AI so cases stand up in court. • education versus training and why the difference matters • applying business and I‑O ps...

Send us Fan Mail Officers in Minneapolis describe empty rosters, mixed messages, and orders that put optics over safety. We speak with Jesse Watts of The Wounded Blue about confidential peer support, staffing collapse, and what courageous leadership should look like in high-risk moments. • why The Wounded Blue deployed a mobile peer command center to Minneapolis • how staffing fell from an 888 all...

Send us Fan Mail Lt. Randy Sutton and Dr. Travis Yates challenge the myths driving modern policing, from failed recruiting tactics to political mandates that increase officer injuries, and lay out practical, data-led ways to keep officers and communities safer. Dr. Travis Yates shares research, real numbers, and steps leaders can take now. • why marketing fails and targeted recruiting works • cost...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Pete James of OfficerPrivacy.com to break down why doxxing has escalated, how data brokers expose home addresses, and what it takes to protect families. We also announce a waived-fee removal for Minnesota ICE agents and share practical steps to lock down social media. • why people-search sites endanger officers and families • how attackers chain social media to da...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with David Berez to unpack culture, leadership, and mental health in policing, and why science-backed tools beat checkbox trainings. He shares practical ways to build anti-fragility, define purpose beyond the badge, and lead with courageous optimism. • differences in culture across EMS, fire and police • internal competition, promotion pitfalls and leadership gaps • sc...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful interview, Travis speaks to Keith Graves, a 29-year law enforcement veteran and a worldwide expert in church security, to discuss the dangers in and outside the church. We share practical steps for Christmas services, early warning signs, and how to act with discernment and courage. • Keith’s path from policing to church security training • Free resources, newslet...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership gets real when the stakes are high and the cameras roll. We sit down with retired deputy chief and author John Blackledge to unpack what it takes to build courageous, effective leaders in policing and beyond—leaders who make the right call even when it costs them. John’s path spans patrol, undercover narcotics, internal affairs, academy instruction, and senior command,...

Send us Fan Mail Legacy is a common theme in leadership, but it's rarely seen. In this episode, Dr. Travis Yates explores the legacy of LAPD Captain Rudy De Leon through the lived experience of his granddaughter, Brandi Stansbury-Moody. For more information on Captain De Leon, read our article here .  Our show sponsor, Telegenix , offers a 37% discount on all wellness resources for first resp...

Send us Fan Mail We share a candid reminder that gratitude is not fluff, it’s a force that makes leadership steadier. By reframing complaints through global perspective and practical habits, we show how leaders gain clarity, courage, and momentum. • the pull of negativity and how it distorts judgment • the what if lens: life happening for you • global context of odds and freedoms • law enforcement...

Send us Fan Mail We explore how AI can strengthen or weaken policing, why prompts and ethics matter, and where automation crosses the line from helpful to harmful. We share practical steps leaders can use today and warn against replacing human judgment with black boxes. • three tiers of AI use: convenience, automation, agents • ethical prompting, master prompts and sourcing • automation that accel...

Send us Fan Mail We unpack why policing doesn’t have a talent shortage as much as a process problem and show how a recruiting-first strategy beats marketing spend. Doug Larsen of SAFEGUARD Recruiting shares sourcing tactics, mobile-first communication strategies, and real-world results from major agencies. • recruiting-first strategy vs marketing-led tactics • decline of career fairs and organic i...