On May 6, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas. An Allen Police Department officer was already on the scene for an unrelated call for service when he bravely pursued the suspect and ended the incident.  Allen Police Department Deputy Chief (then Lieutenant) Kris Wirstrom responded and acted as the Incident Commander. Nine people were killed, and seven others were injured.

In this episode of the CATO Podcast, Marcus speaks with Deputy Chief Kris Wirstrom, breaking down the active shooter incident, lessons learned, and the impact on our profession. Marcus was fortunate enough to represent CATO at the 2024 North American Active Assailant Conference, where he heard Kris Wirstrom speak. He's one of those guys who makes you proud to be part of our profession. We trust you'll find his reflections and insight as valuable as Marcus did.

Allen Premium Outlets Active Shooter Event - ALERRT/AIR video:

https://app.frame.io/presentations/1c76c14b-4ba3-4460-8245-860d9e823e4f

Marcus interviews Travis Norton about his doctoral research on active shooter response at the University of Southern California.  Travis was one of the authors of CATO's latest two-day course, Active Shooter Incident Leadership.  Travis contributed much of the research and content for this POST-approved course, which addresses the common failures and challenges inherent in Active Shooter response.  To learn about the class, where it is next or to host it, go to CATOTRAINING.ORG.

"Good intelligence is the linchpin for all tactical operations."

-Sid Heal

Marcus, Adam, and Kris discuss Chapter 8 of Sound Doctrine: A Tactical Primer. The group discusses information versus intelligence, the parts of the intelligence cycle, and situational awareness. They also cover the common operational picture and how you can reduce friction during your next operation.

On June 15, 2023,  Denver Police Sergeant Justin Dodge was working the Denver Nuggets celebratory parade when he found himself caught under the wheels of an 80,000 lb fire truck carrying the players.

Lying in the street, Dodge promised himself that if the tourniquets held and he could get to the hospital in time, he would stage an epic comeback. Eight surgeries later, including one that amputated his leg inches below the knee, he's back! 

Justin works as a full-time SWAT team supervisor and has found a new passion in motivational speaking. The subject of a PBS documentary, Justin, is just a phone call away for anyone struggling. 

We hope his testimony inspires you to build resiliency so you can become the hero of your own story. 

Learn more at https://heavyvictory.com/

Follow him on Instagram at: @heavy_victory_

It's been said that it's more important how you think than what you think. CATO VP, Marcus Sprague, was fortunate to represent CATO at the Ohio Tactical Officers Association Conference in Sandusky, Ohio. 

CopLine wants to aid in reducing the stigma associated with asking for help. They believe (as CATO does), that it is imperative for police officers to have a safe place to talk about anything occurring in their life. For more information about CopLine, please visit www.copline.org. Whether you or someone you know is having a "bad day" or a full-blown mental health crisis, CopLine is here with the motto "Cops Understand Cops".

Call the hotline: 1-800-COPLINE or 1-800-267-5463. 

In this episode of the CATO Podcast, Marcus talks with First Responder Wellness Clinical Coordinator Teal Ankeny. Teal's background places her in a unique position to understand some of the wellness challenges facing the first responder community. She and the team at First Responder Wellness have dedicated themselves to serving our community and have achieved a variety of positive results in preventing and treating some of our profession's negative impacts. 

To learn more about First Responder Wellness, visit the First Responder Wellness Website.

CATO Team Leader Instructors Kenny Brayton and Kris Jenny sit down with Marcus to reflect on lessons learned while teaching CATO's SWAT Team Leader course over the last five years. The trio discussed common challenges shared by the majority of teams, how teams address these challenges and the things that great teams do consistently well. 

One of our Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, said it best, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” It's a critical element to tactical operations and we're discussing it on the latest CATO Podcast. Kris Jenny and Marcus analyze the importance of planning and how to evolve from a collaborative response to a coordinated response. They present a primer on what planning really is, what it looks like, and when and how you should document it. 

CATO Vice President, Marcus Sprague, had the honor of attending a meeting with several tactical associations from all across the country. He took advantage of the opportunity and asked a few folks to discuss some of the issues we all face. The group discussed leadership, recruiting, selection processes, annual testing, keeping training fresh and engaging, and how they deal with the challenge of finding training locations.

Marcus was joined by Sheriff Eric Blankenship of the Alabama Tactical Officers Association, Lt. George Bradley and Jon Brock of the South Carolina Tactical Association, and Barry Cape, Vice President of the Rocky Mountain Tactical Team Association.