Tactical Tangents

An ex-police officer went off the deep end and committed a series of ambushes as he sought revenge for alleged injustices that lead to his firing. Christopher Dorner declared "unconventional, asymmetric warfare" against LAPD and targeted police officers and their families, resulting in 4 murders and several other attempts. Dorner's story ended when Deputies cornered him in a cabin and set the plac...

Four refugees entered a "Good Guy" electronics store and took over 40 employees hostage. After hours of deteriorating crisis negotiations, a SWAT team conducted a dynamic hostage rescue. We cover the "doomed captives" concept, tactical considerations, and what went right and wrong. YouTube Clip Wikipedia page Heads or Tails: A True Hostage Story of Terror, Torture and Ultimate Survival A Clear Sho...

Jim gives us a quick review of the key tactical and strategic lessons coming out of Ukraine, including things like the role of tanks in modern conflict, drones and air power, and information warfare. Russia has been learning lots of lessons like: stay out of Ukraine! Bayraktar Video Like what we're doing?  Head over to  Patreon  and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time...

Whether you are trying to deliver consistent training to thousands of people or manage a major critical incident one thing is for certain: More is not always better. But a lot of tasks at major events are manpower intensive and we need to make the most of the available resources. This is a thought exercise especially for people who work in either really big or really small organizations who want t...

Mike is a retired Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations who also worked as a local cop back in the day. Now Mike hosts the ASP Podcast where he deep-dives critical self-defense encounters from both the civilian and public safety worlds. We compare and contrast federal and local law enforcement, and then we talk about some of the aggregate trends and lessons from the interviews he's d...

There is more to leadership than rank or titles—and before you know it, you're the guy or gal with just a few years on when you realize you're not the rookie any more. We talk about capitalizing on good mentoring and working within your sphere of influence to build a foundation of resourcefulness that will keep you happy, your bosses happy, and set you up for success down the road and avoid toxic...

A pet peeve of ours is when people talk about deadly force and say, "Do what you gotta do." As instructors, using explicit language when teaching about lethal force is vital when there is a threshold that cannot be crossed. We have to help our students mentally prepare and morally reconcile lethal force so that they can be decisive when lives are at stake. Check out our episode with Dr Blumberg he...

The medical treatment for trauma patients doesn't change just because there are a lot of them. Managing large scenes is fundamentally a logistics problem and requires leadership, teamwork, and communication. We discuss ways you can learn to deal with triage, incident command, and scene management that doesn't involve fancy medicine or bigger kits. SALT Mass Casualty Triage Five Days at Memorial: L...

In between a harsh word and hollow points we need a stepping stone of some kind; training or a tool for situations which lethal force isn't called for. Mike and Jim talk advantages and disadvantages of OC Spray, Taser, and other less lethal tools.  Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one time contribution at GoFundMe . Intro musi...

Mike and Jim condense a 40 hour week of crisis intervention training into an hour discussion about tactics, dos, and don'ts related to talking to and otherwise dealing with someone who is suicidal or in crisis. Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one time contribution at GoFundMe . Intro music credit to bensound.com

Fundamentals are final and the mission always drives the gear train, but the role of creativity still plays a huge role in the future of our industry and tactics. Imagine how much the game changed when night vision came out, or police officers got computers in their cars. It's easy to get distracted by the solutions out there that lack a problem to fix, but it's important to approach new ideas wit...

Mike talks about the role of proficiency and stress management in prevent bad outcomes if we miss when we get in a shooting. We briefly touch on using deliberate practice and discipline to make sure we get it right, because you never know when that day will come. Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one time contribution at GoFund...

"It depends" We explore the risks and benefits of a hasty transport instead of waiting for the medical professionals trained for this sort of thing. There are risks and benefits to this practice but it can be a life saving decision. Learn key considerations and other ways you can compress the timeline to definitive trauma care. Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for eac...

McKenna Geer is a US Paralympic competitive shooter who brought home a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio games and also competed in Tokyo in 2020. McKenna talks about her upbringing and how her parents helped her become a national level competitor in spite of the disability she was born with, and talks us through coaching, training, and mindset. Like what we're doing? Head over to  Patreon  and give us...

In 2019 there was a big shootout between cops and some armed robbery suspects who carjacked and kidnapped a UPS driver in Florida. Both suspects were killed, as well as the UPS driver and another motorist. Mike and Jim talk about gunfighting principles for cops, and how important it is to have discipline, team cohesion, and a plan when bullets start flying. Links:  Wikipedia article YouTube Link 1...

Mike and Jim work through some fundamentals on buying gear in a thoughtful way from a new pocket knife to a new stealth fighter. How to build a requirement, get funding, find a vendor, test a prototype, and manage the widget through its lifecycle. Like what we're doing? Head over to  Patreon  and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at  GoFundMe .  Intro m...

Jim and Mike talk about what it means to work with a service dog, what distinguishes them from pets, how to select them, train them, and employ them. Mike also talks about different training methods and how some of them work in different ways. The principles of dog training go outside of just employing a dog in a working environment. A dog who follows simple commands will help keep your dog, and y...

Mike and Jim explain how to capture lessons-learned from each mission and train from those lessons. We take a few ideas from the Blue Angels and address some factors in organizational behavior, culture, and operational planning as well. Links: Glad To Be Here: Lessons in High Performance from the Blue Angels Like what we're doing? Head over to  Patreon  and give us a buck for each new episode. You...

Major League Baseball, Stanford University, 10th Special Forces, and Los Angeles County Fire are just a few of the organizations Fernando Montes has served as an exercise physiologist and sports performance coach in some capacity. He currently works with firefighters, especially wildland crews and academy recruits. Mr. Montes talks to us about the mental side of training, heat acclimatization, hyd...

A watershed event in the history of US Special Operations was the 1979 hostage rescue attempt at the embassy in Tehran, Iran. Known as Operations Eagle Claw, this failed mission and the tragedy at the Desert One landing site led to the formation of US SOCOM and pushed special operations into the next generation. The best way we can honor the hostages who remained in captivity and the service membe...

The best instructors know that fun and effective training takes careful planning and a lot of effort to get the details right. If you want to get buy in from your bosses to take all your innovative ideas and put them into practice, you need to make those events as safe as possible. That doesn't mean eliminating every hazard, but it does mean being thoughtful and deliberate about which risks you ar...

The founder of FastingWell.com talks about the differences between intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets and the health benefits of both. These dieting strategies are popular because they work and have a number of long term health benefits. Ben is a PA in Emergency Medicine and shares some hacks to show us how they are also compatible for the busy lifestyles of military and public safety crowds...

There are several approaches to leadership in the workplace, but it is important to remember that we are shaping the decision making of the people we lead. If we do all the work for them, we are setting them up to be paralyzed when help isn't available. Here are some tips to avoid micromanaging your troops, and how to handle a boss who is a little too involved in your daily decision making. Like w...

Allan Phillips, AKA The Kettlebell Doc, is an author, Army Officer, and Physical Therapist. He also puts his money where his mouth is as a triathlete and marathon runner and he's going to help us build on fitness without unnecessary time off. He shares his insight on injury prevention and rehab, running shoe selection, mobility, and more. @TheKettleBellDoc on Instagram ; Website Yoga poses for Run...

Jim Interviews Caroline Reynolds, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in domestic violence intervention. Caroline shares expert advice for police response, helping a victim, encouraging cooperation, and cooling down an argument before it escalates. We also discuss special messages for police and military families and leaders facing a domestic abuse case. Like what we're doing? Head over...