EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this powerful and timely episode of the Valor Tactical Podcast, we sit down with Chief Ricardo Perez of the Edinburg CISD Police Department to explore one of the most urgent and debated topics in public safety today:

➡️ Should SWAT teams be embedded within school districts?

Chief Perez walks us through the real-world reasons behind Edinburg CISD's pioneering move to deploy an in-house tactical team inside the school system — a strategy that could become the new national model.

🔍 Key Topics Covered

✔️ Benefits of In-House SWAT Teams
— Immediate response capability during active threats
— Familiarity with campus layouts and student/staff routines
— Increased confidence from faculty, parents, and students

✔️ Specialized Training & Equipment
— Role-specific tactical certifications
— Less-lethal options, breaching tools, and communication systems
— Integration of tactical medics and rapid rescue teams

✔️ School Board & Community Support
— How Chief Perez secured buy-in from district leadership
— Community outreach strategies to overcome public hesitation
— Transparency and accountability as trust builders

✔️ Interagency Collaboration
— Joint training with local, county, state, and federal partners
— Building MOU agreements and unified command protocols
— Lessons from previous multi-agency responses to school threats

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In this powerful episode, investigative journalist Idelfonso Ortiz, co-founder of Cartel Chronicles, with Breitbart News shares how his relentless reporting has exposed the brutal crimes committed by Mexican cartels along the northern Mexico–South Texas border, including a small town near the Mexico-Texas border, Allende Coahuila, Mexico in 2011. 

The " Zeta's" cartel incinerated hundreds of innocent men, women and children trying to find where the informant was hiding that was working with the U.S federal law enforcement agencies. He discusses the horror he found in the prison where these atrocities were taken place without impunity. 

He also shares a personal story why he decided to expose these cartels, after his father was kidnapped then released by the "Zeta's" cartel. The most violent drug cartel in Mexico's history.  

🕵️‍♂️ Ortiz takes us behind the scenes on:

• How he built a platform for anonymous tips to expose cartel operations.
• The links between cartels, corrupt police, and elected officials.
• Real stories of innocent people impacted by cartel violence.
• The daily risks of investigative journalism in a dangerous landscape.

This is a must-listen podcast for law enforcement, investigators, and anyone who wants to understand the real security challenges at our border.

🎧 Listen now on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

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Interview with Ret. Supervisory Agent Leo Silva, Author of " Reign of Terror". The rise and fall of the most violent Mexican Cartel, " Los Zeta's". Leo discusses how his team tracked, surveilled and arrested the most violent top leaders of this cartel. This organization terrorized northern Mexico and killed hundreds of innocent people, to include 300 in single border town.

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The rise and fall of the most violent drug cartel in Mexico "Los Zetas". Leo shares with us how his elite team of DEA agents and Mexican law enforcement tracked down, surveilled and apprehended the most violent members of "Los Zetas". His book " Reign of Terror", is on all platforms for purchase. Leo discusses how this violent cartel rose to to be the most feared and violent Mexican cartel in Mexico. He shares stories of true brutality by the leader of "Los Zeta's". 

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POW Edgar Hernandez discusses his 21 days in captivity and how he survived the capture during the Iraq War in 2003. He shares great life lessons and resiliency during this incident in Iraq. He also shares his charted path in law enforcement for the past 18 years. He discusses how he is managing PTSD after the war and in his current job.

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