Law Enforcement / First Responders

Ayman Kafel served our national honorably in the US Army and was a translator in Iraq during the height of the war against Al-Qaeda. Following a medical retirement from the Army, Ayman still had a heart of service and became a police officer. In law enforcement, he served in a diverse roles including SWAT, DEA Task Force Officer, undercover interdiction and patrol. When we last spoke with Ayman in 2022, he had just founded Project Sapient. He did so to [...]

New York Homicide host Robert K Boyce spent 35 years with the New York Police Department – the largest municipal police for in the country. He served as Chief of Detectives for the last four years of his career, overseeing a team of 5,800 uniformed and civilian members. New York Homicide is entering its third season broadcasting on the Oxygen Channel True Crime Network. Bob was approached about hosting show at the peak of the George Floyd riots. He jumped [...]

Jana Monroe wanted to be a law enforcement officer ever since she was 13. She would go on to become the first woman to join the FBI’s elite Behavioral Science Unit.  She says her motivation is the fact that she loves the freedoms granted by our country and she hates bullies. Jana began her law enforcement work as a probation officer and then joined the Chino California police department.  Women in law enforcement were still rare, and she says she [...]

Vinnie Montez knew he wanted to be a law enforcement officer from a young age. He grew up watching the Ponch and John characters on the CHIPs TV show and loved the way they were pictured interacting with the public in a respectful way. Vinnie joined the law enforcement cadets program as soon as he could and became a deputy in 1998. He has now served over two decades as a Deputy Sheriff with the Boulder County Sheriff’s office.  Early [...]

The Hunter Elite; Inside America’s Secret Force Against Terror by Leon Wagener describes the transition of the Secret Service from being a strictly defensive organization to a proactive one. One could be fooled into thinking the book is a work of thriller fiction but it describes real people and situations. Leon says that getting inside the Secret Service was a difficult task. “They take the secret in the title very seriously.” Finally he found two agents willing to talk as [...]

National Police Week is an outgrowth of President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officer’s Memorial Day. Each May tens of thousands law enforcement officers gather in Washington D.C. to recognize the sacrifices and valor of those who wear the badge. In this episode we examine National Police Week through two lenses. Nohemy Hite is a police widow and founder of the Erik Hite Foundation. Dave Bray is a former Navy Corpsman who is now a [...]

“Ernie & Joe; Crisis Cops” is a multiple Award winning HBO documentary that follows two San Antonio police officers and their work to help persons experiencing a mental health crisis. It is estimated that 20-30% of a patrol officers’ call load involves some sort of mental health crisis. Ernie Stevens joins us to share his journey from a “regular” cop to one of our nation’s leading advocates for crisis intervention training for law enforcement officers. His book “Mental Health and [...]

9/11 survivor & FDNY Veteran Tim Brown lost nearly 100 of his friends in the September 11 terrorist attacks, including his two best friends.  He has made it his mission to assure that our nation never forgets. Tim is no stranger to the face of terrorism. He responded to the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing and was dispatched to help with the recovery efforts following the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. But nothing could have prepared him for the events [...]

Irv Brandt’s evolution from a Navy torpedo man to law enforcement was an awkward transition but it worked out. Irv served with the US Marshal  Service for more than 20 years. After leaving the Navy, he went to college to study business. After Black Monday no one was hiring business majors, but there were lots of opportunities in Law Enforcement. “I went into law enforcement and it turns out I was really good at it.” As a member of the [...]

“Bridging The Gap”, a new book authored by 26 year law enforcement veteran Glen Williams might be directed at his police comrades but holds learning lessons for all of us. Over the course of his career, Glen suffered through two divorces, numerous traumatic events and developed severe PTSD. "My objective in writing this book was to help others not do the same stupid things that I did. If I can help one person avoid a divorce or PTSD or suicide [...]