CATO Podcast

Lt Travis Norton and Lt Adam Sharki join Marcus to discuss the concept of "novelty." What does it mean? Why does it make us all amateurs? They'll cover strategies you can use today to enhance your response to these "novel" and critical events.

CATO President Brent Stratton sits down with Nick Sprague, the President of the Rocky Mountain Tactical Team Association (RMTTA). The two discuss how to take care of your team, both professionally and personally. They also cover the importance of debriefs--even when they hurt--and the similarities and differences between CATO and RMTTA. Finally, they explore Brent's obsession with Peanut Butter Whiskey...we try not to judge.

In this episode, Brent and I sit down with retired Navy Seal Command Master Chief Jason Tuschen and world-renowned author, Dr. Graham Simpson, who is the medical director for Opt Health. 

Military and first responders share many similar health problems during and after their service. I asked Jason and Dr. Simpson to explore the common health issues found in our communities and how we should be addressing them.

In the past, we’ve discussed how our body keeps score, so think of this episode as a continuation of that conversation. Are we doing the best for our bodies so, when we survive this career, we can actually enjoy all the things we said we were going to do?

 

Eternity HFLC NON-VEGETARIAN DIETARY GUIDELINES

Marcus Sprague and Kris Jenny sit down with Fire Training Division Manager Jim Etzin.  Jim has been involved with the tactical community since serving as a corpsman in Desert Storm and as a combat medicine instructor for the 1st Marine Division.  Jim attended LASD SEB SWAT school and has dedicated his life to enhancing our response to large events.  He is also the founder of the  North American Active Assailant Conference (NAAAC). Jim's unique blend of education and experience has also led him to develop a High Risk Unified Command class that discusses lessons learned from real life events, as well as how law enforcement, fire and EMS can work together to enhance our response and save more lives.

Is your ropes program ascending to meet the needs of contemporary tactical problems? Marcus Sprague sits down with a longtime friend of CATO, Dana Vilander. Dana has partnered with CATO in presenting Tactical Rope Access courses and has decades of experience in the tactical community as an operator and medic. They discuss Dana's unique background and how he blended his tactical experiences with his medical training and rescue work to form VTC training.

Kevin Cyr (RCMP SWAT) joins Marcus with Echelon Front's Codey Gandey.  Codey is part of the Echelon Front staff and is the lead for their First Responder Training program.  Codey has worked with a variety of agencies and has personally worked with Kevin's full-time swat team in British Columbia.  The group discusses common challenges agencies face and how Echelon can help your team succeed.

Marcus sits down with the Deputy Director of the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center to discuss the importance of fusion centers.  Randy started his career as a patrol officer in Atlanta Georgia. However, he spent the majority of his career working for the Drug Enforcement Agency.  His final assignment with the DEA was as the Regional Director of the Middle East.  After a brief stint in the private sector he became the Deputy Director of NICRIC.  Randy shares his lessons learned and his perspective spans from patrol to the Middle East and how what officers do can impact LE efforts around the world.

Marcus Sprague, Kris Jenny, Travis Norton and our guest, Kevin Cyr, discuss active shooter training and response and some of the lessons of the past that we have yet to learn. While the nation mourns the tragedy in Uvalde, it would behoove us to discuss what we can do now to better prepare ourselves, our teams and our communities. This discussion is not intended to specifically address Uvalde, as we believe that would be premature. 

 

_{Kevin Cyr is a SWAT Commander for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the greater Vancouver metropolitan area. He has over 21 years of experience in law enforcement with a variety of specialty and leadership assignments. We like how Kevin thinks and enjoy his articles. Check him out on LinkedIn or come see his presentation at this year’s CATO Conference in Reno, November 9-12th.}

 

Brent and Marcus sit down with Jon to discuss his relationship with CATO and how he has crossed paths with several pioneers of the tactical community. Jon's unique background has given him the opportunity to receive thousands of hours of tactical training as a civilian and work with a variety of tactical teams throughout law enforcement and the military. Jon uses his experiences to blend a unique outside perspective into the debrief, one which leverages a passion for the tactical community combined with an insider's access and knowledge. https://thedebrief.live/

In this episode, Brent and Marcus talk with the founding members of the Honor Hike Foundation. Each year members of this organization hike one mile for every fallen Law Enforcement Officer from around the country, creating a moving memorial. The foundation also supports the officers' families and their agencies. The Honor Hike Foundation was created by a group of active and reserve law enforcement officers and during the hike the participant carries only the gear they need to survive, a Thin Blue Line American Flag, and dog tags made in honor of each fallen officer. This year several CATO members joined the hike along the Appalachian Trail and carried dog tags in remembrance of Deputy Sheriff Phillip Jesse Campas from Kern County Sheriff's Office, who was killed 7/25/21 and Detective Luca Pietro Benedetti from San Luis Obispo Police Department, who was killed 5/10/21. 

 

To learn more about this noble cause and to show your support visit their website honorhikefoundation.org and donate what you can.