Hold The Air with Mike Darter

The bullet grazed Officer Tommy Smith’s head, but it wasn’t because of poor aim. The victims on the street were proof of the madman’s marksmanship.   Working out of Orange, New Jersy, Smith felt he had been pushed out of the line of a fatal round at the last millisecond.   Miles away, his brother, Officer Eddie Smith, and his wife were attending a wedding.   They were dancing at the reception when...

After receiving a disturbance call about an armed individual wielding a machete, Sergeant Chris Lapre's SWAT team arrived at the scene. No contact could be made with the suspect, so Lapre ordered an officer to go to find position at the back of the house, hopeful to get eyes on the situation. That's when the sniper saw a man inside a bedroom window holding a sign that read, "HELP ME". Another sign...

In retrospect, Justin Wing's first ride-along as a civilian wasn't the most thrilling experience. But it didn't matter. "I was hooked." After applying for a position with the local department, Wing was immediately hired, and he went from a banker one day to a soon-to-be police officer the very next. Once on duty, Justin quickly took to the job. "I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun there was...

Jeff Locke "Gang unit was really being the police. These were the worst of the worst. Early in my career, I realized those were the types I wanted to go after." At an infamous motel in Oklahoma City, drug dealers fronted two females who couldn't pay. Forced into prostitution to pay off their debts, one managed to escape and contact the police. Two responding Officers were met with gunfire by the l...

Brett Key was attending Langston University and was stationed at the front door when he noticed his Loss and Prevention Supervisor at the local Sam's sprinting towards him. Brett had been asked to stand guard because someone had been stealing cigarettes, but he barely noticed a man walking past him holding a case of them before realizing what had just occurred. There were no first responders in Br...

From patrol to Tactical Unit to Homicide to Narcotics - where he and his partner were responsible for a then-record 8 kilo seizure of cocaine - Gary Eastridge spent over 20 years serving in the Oklahoma City Police Department. Born and raised in Skiatook, Oklahoma, Gary eventually retired at the turn of the century. But law enforcement was still in his blood, and he quickly found himself on a UN c...

"Shadow, White Chocolate, Robo and other nicknames" Mike Darter

Matt Patten

"A SERIES OF GET RIGHTS" Danny Long went from roping horses to collaring criminals. Through a career involving multiple shootings and a military contractor stint in Iraq, Danny had to overcome the deep-rooted scars from a lifetime of hurt and the allure of a bottle to ultimately become the father, husband, and mentor he is today. Professional Experience Oklahoma First Responder Wellness Division F...

Jared Reston

"The Smell of Cordite Filled the Air" New agent Walt Lamar cried out to his ancestors in the cold, Virginia woods, searching for a reason to stay in the FBI.  Their lifetimes of experience in hunting and survival not only leveled the playing field, but took him to another level to become a legendary agent.  Of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, and a descendent of the Wichita Tribe of Oklahoma, in h...

Dan Carli

Interview of Katie Lawson

When he began taking AK-47 rounds from the truck he was pursuing, Brian Costanza didn't flinch before grabbing his own rifle and returning fire. Costanza had spent the week hunting down leads on a fugitive killer, and all he wanted to do on his day off was take his wife and children to a Halloween party. But his gut instincts and a new lead found him racing across the state, where he ultimately fo...