This episode is dedicated to one of my best friends, Sgt. Mitch Blocher of the Indiana State Police. Mitch was diagnosed with a brain tumor earlier this year and everyone was optimistic that it was treatable. I found out yesterday that treatment has been ineffective and now his time here is nearing an end.

This episode is my own journal entry to preserve in time. It chronicles my journey with Mitch and what my relationship with him means to me. I tell some old war stories and explain how we always seemed to work out a way to be working together.

It's also my way of introducing you to The Greatest Cop I Ever Knew. I'll probably go back and listen to this once a year if I had to guess.

As promised, retired HSI Special Agent Victor Avila is back to fill us in on what's happening along our border with Mexico and how it pertains the human trafficking and drug trades in the U.S. that are controlled by the drug cartels and other criminal organizations.

If you'd like to discover more about this story and Victor Avila, please find his book Agent Under Fire: A Murder and a Manifesto by using any of the links below:

www.agentunderfirebook.com

https://www.libertyhillpublishing.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781632215291&HC_ISBN

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1632215292/ref=tsm_1_tp_tc

To contact Victor about a personal appearance or speaking engagement, please contact him at [email protected]

On February 15, 2011 HSI Special Agent Victor Avila and Special Agent Jaime Zapata were ambushed by the Zetas cartel on their way to deliver surveillance equipment to their counterparts in Monterrey, Mexico. Victor survived. Jaime Zapata did not. Victor Avila is here to tell their story.

If you'd like to discover more about this story and Victor Avila, please find his book Agent Under Fire: A Murder and a Manifesto by using any of the links below:

www.agentunderfirebook.com

https://www.libertyhillpublishing.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781632215291&HC_ISBN

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1632215292/ref=tsm_1_tp_tc

To contact Victor about a personal appearance or speaking engagement, please contact him at [email protected]

 

This one's a little different. Kevin Grogan is a former homicide detective with the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department. I had a lot of respect for him before this episode but even more-so after this episode. Sure, he shared some incredible stories from his years on violent crime task forces, multi-jurisdictional drug task forces and as a homicide detective, but that's fun. What isn't fun is sharing a story about a mistake you made that ended an otherwise storied career. But he did. And not only that, he shared the story of his two-year battle afterward against unfounded criminal allegations that resulted in a grand jury indictment on felony charges for which he was ultimately acquitted. There's a lot to learn from this one.

Because it's Election Week I wanted to give you some insight to the law enforcement agency that is most intimately involved with that political process, the U.S, Secret Service. Fortunately, I have a good friend that was a legend within that agency. Danny DiRienzo recently retired after 22 years of service and was one of the better criminal investigators I've ever had the privilege to work with. So, who better to educate you on what the Secret Service does and what it's like to be an agent there.

There is a virtually unknown story within law enforcement's history that existed during the "War On Terror". It's the story of the DEA's F.A.S.T. Team. A tactical team that was created to work in concert with US Special Operations Teams and Special Forces to locate, take over and dismantle drug labs used to fund the Taliban. Within that story exists an even lesser-known story of one of the F.A.S.T. Team's members, Joe Piersante. This is Joe's story.

Todd's favorite thing to do is to help share stories from fellow officers that worked undercover and this is another great one. Lou Valoze spent his entire career with the ATF in the undercover program going from one deep infiltration operation to the next, So strap in and enjoy the ride.

The Texarkana Moonlight Murders were a series of unsolved murders and other violent crimes committed in and around Texarkana in the spring of 1946 by an unidentified serial killer known as the "Phantom Killer" or "Phantom Slayer". The killer is credited with attacking eight people within ten weeks, five of whom were killed. This is the story.

Todd was traveling on business so he decided to release a previously released episode from the 1st generation of Season 2 that is no longer available. Many of you have requested it's return so HERE...WE...GO.

Girly Chew Hossencofft (August 27, 1963 – September 9, 1999) was a Malaysian-born woman who disappeared on September 9, 1999, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The investigation into the murder of Girly Chew revealed a conspiracy theory involving reptilian queens, UFOs and reports of cannibalism. Girly Chew's husband Diazien Hossencofft and his girlfriend Linda Henning were convicted of her murder. Girly's body has never been found.

Just Not Today is the incredible story of brothers and fellow police officers Marty Dulworth and Joe Garrett. Marty and Joe joined me in studio to tell their story.