Heroes Behind the Badge

"Three years. That's all it took for my shooter to get away with it." =============== **EDITOR'S NOTE:** This is Part 2 of Tom Weitzel's story, originally released on YouTube in December 2025. We're now making it available on all audio platforms. =============== In Part 1, Tom Weitzel told us how he survived a gang ambush during a traffic stop in 1987. Part 2 is about what happened when the justic...

In August 1987, Riverside, Illinois Police Officer Tom Weitzel stepped out of his squad car to check a suspicious vehicle parked on the wrong side of the street - no plates, dark tinted windows, door cracked open. Seconds later, a gang member rolled out of the back seat, racked a pump shotgun, and shot Tom at point-blank range. Tom’s portable radio was cut in half by the blast. He crawled back to...

In this powerful episode of Heroes Behind the Badge, Executive Director of the National Black Sheriffs Association, Anthony Amerson, shares the extraordinary story of his father - Lucius Amerson - the first Black sheriff elected in the South since Reconstruction. Anthony takes us inside the struggles, courage, and legacy of his father’s service, while also confronting today’s biggest challenges in...

Sixty years after the JFK assassination, the questions and consequences still echo through Dallas. In our final episode, historian Rick Janich shares the seldom-discussed aftermath: the federal tensions between the FBI and Dallas Police, the city’s scarred reputation, and the creation of what would become the Dallas Police Museum. We also examine the legal aftermath of Jack Ruby, the man who kille...

Beyond the headlines of November 1963 were the families, officers, and everyday citizens whose lives changed forever in the aftermath of President Kennedy’s assassination. In Part Two, we explore the emotional heart of the story: Marie Tippit, widow of Officer J.D. Tippit Jackie Kennedy’s private grief and her letter to Dallas Clint Hill’s reflections decades later The experiences of Detective Jim...

On November 22, 1963, shots rang out in Dealey Plaza — and the world changed in seconds. But behind the iconic images of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination was a frantic, chaotic, and deeply human response unfolding inside the Dallas Police Department. In this first episode of our three-part series, Dallas Police historian Rick Janich walks us through the minute-by-minute movements of Lee H...

What happens when the badge comes off? When the mission changes, but the heart that served still needs a place to go? In this second part of a powerful two-part conversation, Heroes Behind the Badge host Dennis Collins continues his discussion with David Berez, Dave Howe, Bill Erfurth, and Craig Floyd—exploring what comes after awareness: rebuilding purpose, identity, and joy beyond the uniform. T...

Every year, more law enforcement officers die by suicide than from all line-of-duty causes combined. In this powerful first part of a two-part conversation, Heroes Behind the Badge host Dennis Collins sits down with David Berez, Dave Howe, Bill Erfurth, and Craig Floyd to confront the silent epidemic of stress, trauma, and loss inside police culture. They discuss why suicide remains the most painf...

What happens when officers are ordered not to act, even as lives hang in the balance? In this gripping episode of Heroes Behind the Badge , former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steve Sund returns to discuss the growing tension between politics and policing in America. From the real-life Chicago dispatch audio where police were told to stand down , to the lessons he learned on January 6, Sund reveals h...

At just 19 years old, Chris Cosgriff founded the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) from his college dorm room. What started as a student project has grown into the nation’s leading digital memorial for fallen law enforcement officers, honoring their sacrifice and ensuring they are never forgotten. In this episode of Heroes Behind the Badge, Chris shares the incredible story behind ODMP, its evolut...

In Part 2 of this series, we move beyond the statistics to reveal the real-world consequences of America’s crime crisis. From Baltimore’s violent crime surge to the collapse of proactive policing, we uncover how political decisions, media narratives, and staffing shortages affect both law enforcement officers and communities. Discover what it means when National Guard troops patrol U.S. streets, w...

Why do politicians and media outlets say crime is down while Americans feel less safe than ever? In Part 1 of this two-part series, we expose the hidden truth behind America’s crime statistics, the shocking 44% rise in violent crime, and why most people have never heard of the National Crime Victimization Survey. You’ll hear about police staffing shortages, the fallout from the defund-the-police m...

In this second and final part of his powerful 9/11 story, retired Port Authority Police Chief Joe Morris shares what it was like to lead the recovery effort at Ground Zero after surviving the collapse of the South Tower. Chief Morris recounts how he organized hundreds of officers in the midst of chaos, the heartbreaking loss of colleagues like Captain Kathy Mazza and Lt. Jimmy Romito , and the pro...

On September 11, 2001, the Port Authority Police Department suffered the greatest single-day loss of life in U.S. law enforcement history. Thirty-seven officers never came home. In this first part of a powerful two-part series, Chief Joe Morris shares his firsthand 9/11 story. Starting the day as commanding officer at LaGuardia Airport, Joe recounts how he mobilized his team, rushed to the World T...

Episode Description: The shootout was over, but the nightmare had just begun. With one bomber dead and the other wounded but dangerous, former Watertown Police Chief Ed DeVeau faced one of the largest manhunts in American history. In this concluding episode, discover how an entire metropolitan area came to a standstill and how a simple boat in a backyard became the site of the dramatic final captu...

Episode Description: April 19, 2013. Three small-town police officers found themselves face-to-face with the Boston Marathon bombers in what became the most intense firefight in modern American law enforcement history. Former Watertown Police Chief Ed DeVeau reveals the untold story of the seven-to-nine-minute shootout that involved hundreds of rounds, multiple pipe bombs, and split-second decisio...

From beat cop to FBI leadership - Louis Quijas made history as the first police officer to become FBI Assistant Director without coming up through federal ranks. This unprecedented 36-year law enforcement career spanning Kansas City Police Department, High Point Police Chief, and FBI leadership reveals how one officer changed federal law enforcement forever. After 9/11, FBI Director Mueller person...

Citizens Behind the Badge founders Craig Floyd, Dennis Collins, and Bill Erfurth reveal how their 5-year mission transformed the national conversation from "defund" to "refund" law enforcement. After cities slashed hundreds of millions from police budgets following 2020, the devastating consequences became undeniable: homicides surged 30%, officers fled the profession, and response times skyrocket...

"When you're fighting for your life, anything and everything is an option." - Ed Mireles In the conclusion of the most harrowing survival story in law enforcement history, FBI Special Agent Ed Mireles accomplished the impossible - ending the Miami firefight with a one-handed shotgun technique that defied all odds and saved countless lives. This is Part 2 of Ed's incredible journey on April 11, 198...

"When you're fighting for your life, anything and everything is an option." - Ed Mireles, FBI Agent (Rtd.) On April 11, 1986, FBI Special Agent Ed Mireles faced the most violent confrontation in Bureau history during the Miami firefight that would forever change how law enforcement officers are armed and trained. This is Part 1 of Ed's incredible story - from tracking the mysterious "Unknown Gang"...

After surviving five gunfights that should have killed him, decorated Lieutenant Randy Sutton faced his most devastating battle - against his own police department. In Part 1, we heard Randy cheat death repeatedly during his legendary career. Part 2 reveals how a stroke on duty exposed the shocking truth about how police departments really treat their heroes. At 2:30 AM on the Las Vegas Strip, Ran...

Lieutenant Randy Sutton survived five officer-involved shootings during his 34-year career - a statistical impossibility that would change the trajectory of American law enforcement forever. This decorated Las Vegas Metro Police veteran represents the 27% of officers who actually fire their weapon in the line of duty, but his story goes far beyond statistics. From leaving small-town Princeton for...

Jan Scruggs didn't just build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – he saved the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and created a sacred space where we honor every police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice. When Craig Floyd was struggling to build a memorial for fallen law enforcement officers, he turned to the one man who had successfully built a national memorial in Washington, D.C. Jan S...

In this special episode, we turn the tables on Heroes Behind the Badge founder Craig Floyd, making him the guest instead of the host. Join Dennis Collins and Bill Erfurth as they explore the remarkable 34-year journey of the man who built America's National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and Museum from the ground up. Featured Guest Craig Floyd - Founding CEO of the National Law Enforcement Off...

In this powerful episode of Heroes Behind the Badge, we tell the extraordinary survival story of Utah State Park Ranger Brody Young. While patrolling alone on a November night in 2010, Ranger Young approached a vehicle at a remote trailhead outside Moab, Utah. What began as a routine check ended with Young being ambushed and shot 9 times at point-blank range. Despite catastrophic injuries to his h...