Mike is a police SWAT team member, K9 handler, and tactical medic. Jim is an Air Force pilot with a background in close air support and combat search and rescue. Our goal is to elevate the conversation about all things tactical for public safety, military, and concerned citizens. Join us to hear lessons learned about decision making, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork.
…
continue reading
1
176: Read the Room - Who is Leading You?
51:51
51:51
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
51:51
Most leadership and management training has a top-down approach, but real human interaction involves influence in all directions - especially during a negotiation or confrontation. Mike and Jim discuss how to recognize when the other party is trying to influence or manipulate you, and how to lead your way through a tense situation. This is the esse…
…
continue reading
1
175: The Last Traffic Stop: Kyle Dinkheller’s Story
1:04:27
1:04:27
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:04:27
This episode examines the tragic 1998 murder of Deputy Kyle Dinkheller, a young Georgia sheriff's deputy killed during a routine traffic stop. Using dashcam footage, we recount the chilling escalation of the encounter, explore the decision-making and mindset to reconcile deadly force and delve into the lessons this event teaches about officer safet…
…
continue reading
1
174: De-Escalate? Escalate? When can you taser them?
1:46:23
1:46:23
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:46:23
Mike & Jim explore what the law enforcement use of force continuum is and what it means. They also talk about how to apply lessons from policing toward personal defense and even the military. Conflict Management, De-Escalation, and Reasonableness are universal. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join …
…
continue reading
1
173: Dancing With Exotic Weapons
1:10:43
1:10:43
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:10:43
Mike and Jim discuss how to handle CBRN- Chem, Bio, Rad, Nuke threats and how to set your preparedness to the current threat landscape with synthetic bio-terror weapons on the rise. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our Facebook Discussion Group. Find all of our episodes, art…
…
continue reading
1
172: Making Worthwhile Exercises
1:34:41
1:34:41
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:34:41
A lot of training exercises and drills can be a waste of time. Mike and Jim explore ways to improve military readiness, disaster preparedness, and school safety by making better training events. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our Facebook Discussion Group. Find all of our …
…
continue reading
1
171: Sticks and Stones: Survival Skills 101
1:24:04
1:24:04
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:24:04
We take it out to the woods with how to build a fire, 7-step Checklist for Land Navigation, knots, PACE planning, forging resilience and a positive mental attitude, and more in this disaster prep, end-of-the-world, stuck-on-a-deserted-island overview of basic field craft and considerations for packing and planning. Find us on social media (Facebook…
…
continue reading
1
170: “Time is on our side right now…” -Uvalde School District Police Chief
1:09:34
1:09:34
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:09:34
“Help!” “Help!” “Help!” “I don’t want to die. My teacher is dead.” “One of my teachers is still alive but shot.” “Officer!” “Officer!” “Are they [officers] in the building?” “There is a lot of dead bodies.” These were the words of nine- and ten-year-old children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, during a call with 911. We…
…
continue reading
1
169: What a Wreck: Scene Size Up
1:03:51
1:03:51
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:03:51
Car accidents are something that are likely to touch all of us in some way or another, whether we are involved in one or manage them professionally as first responders. Not only are they exceptionally common, sometimes they are also challenging to manage well. We talk about some of the competing priorities and offer some ideas to get the emergency …
…
continue reading
1
168: Sniper in the Tower: 1966 Austin Clock Tower Shooting
1:05:35
1:05:35
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:05:35
Back in the 1960s a former Marine took the high ground in one of the first and deadliest school shootings in American history. This watershed event was part of the discussion that brought the idea of a SWAT team to the national stage and arguably brought momentum to what some now consider to be the militarization of the police. We talk about counte…
…
continue reading
1
167: Calling Bull$h!#: Responding to Swatting Hoaxes
1:10:58
1:10:58
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:10:58
No one should die over a false report. Internet gamers, celebrities and public figures, and maybe even one of your neighbors have been the victim of this sort of prank. These hoax emergency calls that can lead to an exaggerated police response are becoming more common, so we discuss strategies to make sure we tailor our response appropriately and k…
…
continue reading
1
166: Run the Clock: Time, Talk, Tear Gas, Tactics
1:22:14
1:22:14
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:22:14
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Downs v. United States was a benchmark case for domestic law enforcement that establishes our requirement to attempt negotiations for a peaceful resolution. We define a hostage situation and talk about strategies to manage them in contrast to active killer and barricaded criminals. Downs v US (6th Circui…
…
continue reading
1
165: Separating the Wanna-Bes from the Gonna-Bes: Motivation, Grit, and Discipline
42:00
42:00
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
42:00
Your Recipe for Success looks something like equal parts of three things. Motivation, the spark and desire. Discipline, your habits and structure. And Grit, your capacity to overcome challenges, adjust, and perservere. Mike shares some of the research that’s been done on these topics and ways you can integrate them to get your closer to where ever …
…
continue reading
1
164: Power Lines and Wildfires 2023 Maui Disaster
1:29:15
1:29:15
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:29:15
Over 100 people were killed, more than 2,000 structures destroyed, and over $5 billion in damage were left behind after wind and fire tore through the historic Lahaina district and adjacent areas in Maui, Hawaii. We dive into some of the public safety and disaster planning takeaways from this event including evacuations, notifications, misinformati…
…
continue reading
1
163: Strategy for Door Kickers
1:27:15
1:27:15
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:27:15
Is “strategic” the size of the bomb you drop, the scale of the map you use, or way you play Monopoly? In this episode, Mike and Jim turn Sun Tzu’s fortune cookie sayings into operational reality. We work through how we can win fights all over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam and still lose. We also cover strategies for winning against Active Shooters…
…
continue reading
1
162: Ordering Troops to their Deaths
1:05:32
1:05:32
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:05:32
Is the American military prepared for the sacrifices that we can expect in a World War? Mike and Jim discuss whether commanders can lead and whether the troops will follow when it comes time to storm the beaches knowing many will not return. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in …
…
continue reading
1
161: Tactical ADHD: Managing Attention
1:06:43
1:06:43
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:06:43
Situational awareness demands focus and selective attention. Sometimes playing on your phone can help, and sometimes it can kill you. Most people can’t multitask as well as they think, but Mike and Jim will give you strategies to outmatch your enemy and avoid becoming a LUMP. FAA Task Management White Paper: https://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/tech…
…
continue reading
1
160: Lights in the Sky: Aliens or Drones? Jim Spills the Beans on UFOs
1:17:12
1:17:12
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:17:12
Just because it's not aliens doesn't mean we can ignore it. Let's develop a comprehensive air defense and counter drone plan in the wake of Ukraine, Syria, and Gaza. We investigate Unidentified Flying Objects, UAVs, aliens, killer drones, spy satellites, Chinese balloons, and Foo Fighters. UAP Task Force : https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Rele…
…
continue reading
1
159: What’s up with the beards? Setting and Enforcing Standards
1:07:26
1:07:26
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:07:26
Green Berets have to work with a different rule book than the troops guarding nuclear weapons—and for good reasons. We explore the balance between strict adherence to rules and the often necessary flexibility to go off-script in tactical operations and your organization’s culture. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTan…
…
continue reading
1
158: “Your Children Are Not Safe”: DC Beltway Snipers
51:24
51:24
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
51:24
In October 2002, a 17 and 41 year old carried out a series of serial murders, killing 10 and wounding 3 others in what were described as random attacks against people doing every day tasks like pumping gas and mowing their lawn. We cover lessons from this large scale, multi-agency investigation with takeaways for individual cops and police leaders …
…
continue reading
1
157: Use it or Lose it: The Essence of Officer Discretion
37:13
37:13
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
37:13
There are over 18,000 police Chiefs and Sheriffs in the United States, and every one of them has their own version of what right and wrong looks like. But unless they plan on showing up at every traffic stop, they are going to have to trust that their Officers and Deputies on the front lines are doing the best they can. Empowering law enforcement o…
…
continue reading
1
156: I AM THAT B*TCH! Erica Gaines of TacMobility
1:22:55
1:22:55
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:22:55
Erica is the founder of TacMobility, a wellness training company and online resource with a ton of free material for public safety. TacMobility is implementing a blend of mobility training and mental health support by working its way past the tough “sheepdog” exterior. Through eye-opening surveys, TacMobility highlights the not-so-funny truths abou…
…
continue reading
1
155: Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say
1:08:48
1:08:48
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:08:48
Here’s the thing about plane crashes: We all die at the same time. Inefficient and ambiguous communication has serious tactical implications when managing a crisis as a team. Sometimes, we water down what we need to say because we don’t want to step on toes or piss anyone off, especially when talking to authority figures. This is called mitigated s…
…
continue reading
1
154: Get with the times: Pistol Optics are the way of the present
1:07:46
1:07:46
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:07:46
For some reason there are a lot of people out there who still feel like putting an optic on your pistol isn’t reliable or practical, and our handsome hand model in the photo John Correia calls those people the Gun Amish. We agree with that title, because it’s 2024 and pistol mounted optics are a game changer. Mike and Jim talk about some of the cha…
…
continue reading
1
153: Guns n’ Guitars: Go learn something new
1:00:49
1:00:49
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:00:49
There is an art and science to learning a new skill. Whether you are picking up new hobbies and trying to improve performance at essential job tasks, there are some tricks and concepts to understand to break plateaus and keep training fun. We cover crawl walk run, the balance between simple and technical, developing a growth mindset, and embracing …
…
continue reading
1
152: Do you trust me? Selflessness in Teamwork
48:27
48:27
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
48:27
We say that we should put Service before Self, but it's more than just a mantra. Where the rubber meets the road is all in how we develop implicit trust among teammates so that we know where each other is going to be and what they are going to do when the going gets tough. We can accomplish this with the intentional application of Standards, Contra…
…
continue reading
1
151: All's Well...If We Make it Well
47:38
47:38
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
47:38
Wellness isn’t just a soft and fuzzy term bandied about in the Human Resources department. Healthier, happier employees perform better, and in professions where the rubber meets the road, wellness is tactical. The trite concept of Work/Life balance isn’t so trite when lives are on the line. How do you keep yourself all happy and centered and still …
…
continue reading
1
150: Team Selection: Real-Life Fantasy Draft
1:14:27
1:14:27
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:14:27
When drafting players for your fantasy sportsball team, stats provide an easy benchmark. Just pick the ones with the most home runs, passing yards, and the highest free-throw percentage. It’s a little harder selecting people for your real-life tactical team, but having a similar checklist in mind helps. In this episode Jim and Mike talk about what …
…
continue reading
1
149: A Good Commander Knows What to Control
1:30:53
1:30:53
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:30:53
No team in law enforcement is composed of robotic textbook-following automatons, nor would we want it to be, if we’ve ever found ourselves at 2MPH over the limit. But when a worst-case incident unfolds, we want every first responder to make the right decision at the speed of life, because in those incidents seconds often equal victims. How can we r…
…
continue reading
1
148: Sleeping for Success
1:13:40
1:13:40
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:13:40
The downsides of sleep deprivation are legion: irritability, poor judgment, even lowered testosterone. Yet the duties of the .mil and LE career fields are well known for demanding odd and/or long hours that can make it hard to get good sleep. Mike talks with Dr. Paul Sargent of O2X, a specialist in human performances and sleep factors, in how to ge…
…
continue reading
1
147: Finding the Bomber
1:02:26
1:02:26
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:02:26
In the spring of 2018, the city of Austin, Texas was rocked by a string of package bombs, five in all, that killed two and injured five. The story of how local and federal agencies tracked down the perpetrator is almost all open source and a great illustration of how these investigations proceed. Listen to Jim and Mike tell the tale in this episode…
…
continue reading
1
146: Put Me In, Coach!
1:09:56
1:09:56
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:09:56
Do you know what every great slugger in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown had in common? They all had hitting coaches. Today we have an abundance of riches in the form of internet videos to teach almost any skill, but at some point most everyone will benefit from the feedback of a skilled coach. In this episode Mike and Jim explore the value…
…
continue reading
1
145: Both Sides of the Door - Breonna Taylor and Bad Outcomes
1:27:56
1:27:56
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:27:56
In the world of ugly warrant execution, there are a lot of bad scenarios that have happened with lessons to be learned for people on both sides of the door. In this episode, Mike & Jim break down a notorious recent incident: The 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor during a narcotics warrant service in Louisville, Kentucky. While it’s about the Breonna …
…
continue reading
1
144 : The Real Burdens of Everyday Carry
40:59
40:59
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
40:59
If you’re a habitual firearms toter, how do you carry to and from places where you can’t carry? Do you? What if it’s someplace where there’s no provision for securing it at your destination? Whether going to and from the neighborhood BJJ gym or visiting a military base, this can be a real dilemma for the carrier. In this episode, Jim and Mike take …
…
continue reading
1
143: Problem Solving As A Team Sport
1:04:17
1:04:17
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:04:17
In the pop-culture tactical world today it’s common to see Col. Boyd’s Decision Cycle, the famed “OODA Loop”, applied to individuals and their actions, but indeed it has its origins as an institutional concept. If you need to solve problems as a team, or even an institution, it’s important to know how it applies to group tactics and operations. In …
…
continue reading
1
142: Making Sure the Kids are Alright
55:18
55:18
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
55:18
In any organization it’s almost a tradition to turn and look at the people coming up through the ranks behind you and bemoan how much better things were in the Good Old Days. Of course, things were better then because the people who had come up through the ranks before you helped mentor you into effective operators. In this episode, Jim and Mike ta…
…
continue reading
1
141: Having Public Affairs Without Screwing Up
1:25:06
1:25:06
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:25:06
Mike reminds us that “Responsibility to the Community” is not just a slogan on a squad car door in this episode, where he and Jim talk about the necessity of keeping the public informed in a manner that is both helpful to the public and not harmful to ongoing investigations. ”Public Affairs” is more than just a job title, and requires keeping in mi…
…
continue reading
1
140: The Case of "The Mission v. The People"
55:53
55:53
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
55:53
In dangerous career fields like the military or law enforcement, there’s an unavoidable tension of priorities between the mission and the safety of the people on the team who need to accomplish it. It’s one thing to say you put your people first, but if it was a safe job, they wouldn’t issue body armor. In today’s episode, Mike and Jim demonstrate …
…
continue reading
1
139: We Don't Like Bombs, The Bombs That Go Boom
1:02:21
1:02:21
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:02:21
Bombs are scary. You can’t shoot back at an explosion or talk it into surrendering or leaving you alone. But you can learn ways to spot the bad guy’s device before it does its thing. In today’s episode, Jim and Mike delve into some basics of the hows, whys, and wheres of improvised explosive devices to help you develop a risk picture based on likel…
…
continue reading
1
138: Your Candle Only Has Two Ends
1:06:52
1:06:52
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:06:52
High-stress jobs, such as those in the military or law enforcement fields, tend to attract mission-oriented people, dedicated to the team and the public, who thrive on stress. Well, plants thrive on water, too, but you can still wind up drowning them with too much of it. In today’s episode, Jim and Mike look at job-related burnout, its negative eff…
…
continue reading
1
137: Most Danger Doesn't Come From Strangers
1:07:30
1:07:30
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:07:30
Part of our mission here at Tactical Tangents is to overcome the “tactical fantasy”, and in this episode, Mike and Jim talk about avoiding one of the most pernicious ones. It’s easy in a world full of tacticool training classes to get focused on the sort of threats to ourselves and loved ones that jump out of the bushes and can be thwarted with kin…
…
continue reading
1
136 The Bear, The Dragon, and You
57:21
57:21
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
57:21
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may be over (for now) but that doesn’t leave us in a world without conflict. While we were hip-deep in the Global War on Terror, major great power competitors have been nursing grievances and feeling rising ambitions and opportunities. In this episode, Jim takes a detailed look at the state of play with respect to R…
…
continue reading
1
135: Operationally Supporting Supporters Who Operate
52:57
52:57
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
52:57
In both the military and law enforcement universes, there’s often an understandable amount of friction between the people out where the action is and those who help them get there and support them in their work. In this episode, Jim and Mike discuss ways to smooth cooperation between the people behind the scenes and the officer on the street or the…
…
continue reading
1
134: Dangerous Driving
1:12:34
1:12:34
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:12:34
In a cool tactical podcast, everybody wants to talk about a gunfight and nobody wants to talk about getting t-boned in an intersection on the way to the gunfight. This episode features Mike & Jim, who’ve bent enough fenders between them to have some advice to offer, talking about the realities of driving. Whether you’re driving the government’s veh…
…
continue reading
1
133: There's Nothing "Friendly" about "Friendly Fire"
1:09:24
1:09:24
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
1:09:24
The only thing more frightening than being shot at by your own team is finding out you just shot up your own team. The very idea of fratricide…aka “Blue-on-Blue” incidents…is scary, but being a professional means you can’t just be scared, you have to work on your skills and knowledge to counter the possibility of it happening to you or because of y…
…
continue reading
1
132: You Can't Spell "Officer" without "Office"
47:01
47:01
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
47:01
Offices come in a variety of shapes and guises, from a room with desks and whiteboards to the front seat of a squad car. In this solo episode, Jim sounds off on his favorite topic: Management is not a dirty word, to be shunned in favor of “leadership”. Rather, management is part of leadership. It’s the art & science of allocating and coordinating r…
…
continue reading
1
131: Ending the Threat, Reasonably
53:39
53:39
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
53:39
Sometimes bad training passes down information that might once have been good, but garbles it. Take “Shooting to Stop the Threat”…please. This episode sees Mike and Jim discuss the nuances of using lethal force to reasonably end the capacity of an assailant to harm you. What exactly is incapacitation? What’s the difference between “shoot to kill” a…
…
continue reading
1
Short Talk: Growing into Solving Problems
15:17
15:17
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
15:17
For a person in a first responder line of work, being caught with an inadequate skill toolset in a critical incident can lead to the sort of feelings of helplessness that are a greased rail to PTSD-land. In this short episode, Mike talks through some ways to preemptively head off those bad feelings with good preparation. Unlike the fixed mindset in…
…
continue reading
In a short episode inspired by a listener question, Mike dives into the art of noticing abnormalities. An EMT instructs his trainees to put every patient on the EKG, whether the complaint is cardiac related or not. Why? So that the trainee will develop a baseline of what normal cardiac activity looks like and will be able to spot the abnormal more …
…
continue reading
1
130: The Power of Professionalism
51:41
51:41
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
51:41
What is a professional? The dictionary says, at its simplest, that it’s someone paid to perform a task, as opposed to an amateur. But there’s more to it than a paycheck. In this episode, Jim and Mike examine the characteristics of what we know as professionalism, and how they apply in the world of the tactical…well, professions. Professionals don’t…
…
continue reading
1
Short Talk: Accentuate the Positive
22:04
22:04
Lejátszás később
Lejátszás később
Listák
Tetszik
Kedvelt
22:04
Can you weaponize a positive mental outlook? In this short episode, Jim talks about positivity and optimism and how they can be cultivated and employed by leaders. When your job is basically to foresee and plan for worst-case scenarios, this can be a factor that is easy to overlook. Optimism can go beyond simplistic hooah moto slogans! Positivity i…
…
continue reading