In this episode, we're joined by Nick Edwards, a former Dallas Police Officer turned community leader from Mesquite, Texas. Nick shares his journey of overcoming personal struggles with depression and addiction, highlighting the transformative impact of mentorship on youth. We delve into the often-overlooked mental health challenges faced by law enforcement officers and the importance of strong leadership and support systems. Through laughter and poignant anecdotes, we explore the lighter and more serious sides of policing, celebrating the unsung heroes who go above and beyond to serve their communities. Join us for an enriching conversation on the power of resilience, community, and mentorship.
email us at- bluegrit@tmpa.org
In this episode, we're joined by Nick Edwards, a former Dallas Police Officer turned community leader from Mesquite, Texas. Nick shares his journey of overcoming personal struggles with depression and addiction, highlighting the transformative impact of mentorship on youth. We delve into the often-overlooked mental health challenges faced by law enforcement officers and the importance of strong leadership and support systems. Through laughter and poignant anecdotes, we explore the lighter and more serious sides of policing, celebrating the unsung heroes who go above and beyond to serve their communities. Join us for an enriching conversation on the power of resilience, community, and mentorship.
email us at- bluegrit@tmpa.org
And so my third day out of the academy, third day on the street, I ended up shooting and killing a guy that had 15 different felony arrests, multiple drug arrests, robberies, and now had killed two people.
Speaker 2:Welcome back. Viewers, watchers, listeners. I'm your host, Tyler Owen.
Speaker 3:And Clint McNeer Welcome back, thanks.
Speaker 2:You did a great job. Well, thank you. I had to seek counseling. In fact, we got a counselor on today that we're going to talk about, but, yeah, I missed you.
Speaker 3:We've done about 70 episodes together and every once in a while, if I'm not available, he has to do an episode alone and I don't get to hear the end of it.
Speaker 2:No, I was. Yeah, I mean, it's just not the same. And the word of James Babb the chemistry between us is special. He's exactly what Bab said. That's what he said and I quote that's what.
Speaker 3:Bab told me, and Bab knows special.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely that's awesome.
Speaker 3:That means a lot coming from him. He knows special how you been. I'm good man. I just whipped the case of the flu and I'm back on my feet like. Rocky Balboa.
Speaker 2:You got over it, you got some very flu. Is that what they?
Speaker 3:prescribed you Tama flu is the prescription one Yep. It turned me around. How's the Owen family?
Speaker 2:We're doing good, you know. I just got back from.
Speaker 3:If it's more than one Owen, it's Owens, isn't it?
Speaker 2:No, it's not Owens, we're not sausages just yet, but we we. We've been busy. Janet had to take care of the kids. For those that don't know, my wife's not a morning person, so when I do travel and she's a hell of a deal coming from a guy that gets up at 4 am.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have to wake her up every morning, which is not a bad thing. I love seeing a beautiful woman laying in my bed every morning, who I call my wife. It's been an honor for me to do that for 20 something years now. I'm a high school sweetheart but nonetheless well, I got to go to Eagle Pass with executive director Kevin Lawrence and John Blaney and John Wilkerson, so I got home last night. She was very, very anxious for me to get home, get settled in and get back to the routine. So I I I sensed because I'm her husband and just a great guy. The reality is is that I got to take the kids to school this morning. She got to sleep in a little bit.
Speaker 3:So there you go. The truth always comes out. Yeah, yeah, I'm back in.
Speaker 2:Wembley, texas. Now I'm away from the border, Back in God's country, I'm back in God's country. So who you got on today?
Speaker 3:We've got a forney friend of mine, Nick Edwards. Welcome on bud.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much, sir, appreciate it. Are you a fighting jackrabbit? Yes, sir. Well, I didn't grow up as a jackrabbit, but I've been there long enough.
Speaker 2:I count myself as a jackrabbit, it accepted you in Well good, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:It's like the mob man, I mean once you're in, once you're a made jackrabbit, you're in.
Speaker 2:I understand you get jumped in, jumped out bleed in, blood out, whatever they do at the game. The forney gang.
Speaker 3:Nick Nick's on.
Speaker 2:We got a cool story you're going to get to hear, I think you're going to like, and I think there's several aspects I think the listeners like what I liked about it is what you were talking about how y'all met and then the impact that you've had on today's youth, and I'm sure we're going to jump into that later on. But you were telling us about the. Was it the brunch brothers? The brother brother brunch, brotherhood brunch. That's so impactful, especially right now with the youth, especially with your. You know your history being a former cop, but, thank you, because I've got small kids. So I've got an eight and 11 year old and you know, for somebody to take the time out of their day, to do that on a weekend, a weeknight, it takes, it takes a lot. So from one dad to I'm assuming you got kids, three daughters so yeah, from one dad to another, thank you.
Speaker 1:Appreciate that. Thank you very much. It really has been a lot of fun just to be a part of this football team. I've been doing mentorship for, I guess six years now and just being a part of these young men's lives and just go, man they just. We need as many good men in their life as they can possibly get.
Speaker 2:You're probably training your future. So long have you thought about that? Yeah, well, I have thought about it.
Speaker 1:Yes, I have Then thinking okay, not you Maybe you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you may make the cut.
Speaker 3:You may make the cut but there's never been a more important time and I guess people have always said that through the decades to me there's never been a more important time for young young men to need to have some positive male influences in their life, other than a video game or BS on TV or whatever, a human role model standing in front of them practicing with the preach. I agree, I agree. We like to just start up an episode off of who in the heck is Nick? Where'd you grow up? Where were you born? Tell us about growing up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I grew up in Mesquite, which is just east or just west of Forney, between just east of Dallas. I grew up there, my family's actually from there, played football at North Mesquite and then went off to Hardin Simmons out in Abilene played a little college football.
Speaker 2:Stallions, or was it the Stallion? Absolutely Stallions, yes, okay, that's what I thought.
Speaker 1:Don't get confused with the other team.
Speaker 2:No, no, I'm not.
Speaker 1:I came into the Forney Jackrabbit family, but I've always been a Stallion.
Speaker 3:I got you All right, sorry, all right, I don't know. You played college football.
Speaker 1:Played one year out at Hardin Simmons Whoops Session. Often the Flyman played center. Really, yep, I was a little less fat, a little bit more built back then.
Speaker 3:But you're not a giant offensive lineman.
Speaker 1:You must understand leverage and All about technique and just giving it your most and making sure that you know more than anybody else on the field.
Speaker 3:I was talking to Brock the other day about he's not massive in size compared to a lot of these kids and I said one of the best centers Dallas ever had was Mark Stepnowski. Yeah, we were, we were giant, but the man understand technique, leverage body position and had one heck of a career in a pro-walt career not as a massive man, that's cool man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, actually had his poster on my wall. That was my hero right there, mark, Stepnowski, that's cool.
Speaker 3:Keep his good one, that's cool.
Speaker 1:That's going way back right there.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The Cowboys could actually win Easy, easy, easy, so hard.
Speaker 3:So hard in Simmons. What was Nick's growing up like? Pretty low key kid, pretty quiet kid, mesquite, salty, pretty normal childhood, grown up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just blue collar. Hardworking families grew up with guys that we played football together from six all the way till graduating high school until a bunch of my team man I'd just grown up with we knew their families actually met my wife in high school. She went to a different high school in Mesquite, she went off to A&M, she went to Abilene, came back and got married after college and so just some long term relationships and even still with guys that I graduated high school with that are on Mesquite police department and still live in that area, and so just long term relationships and a lot of community there.
Speaker 3:What was your degree in?
Speaker 1:Actually church ministry and psychology.
Speaker 2:It's too good. It was probably handed in on. Imagine yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so my journey has been a pastor, been a police officer, worked for Dallas police for seven years, was pastor again. Now work part or do some work in the school district, but also have a life leadership and business coaching. But what I realized is that every field there's crazy people. So being able to understand that and just know that right off the bat, no matter where you go, there's crazy people everywhere definitely helps.
Speaker 3:Graduated from Abilene. Did you come right back to north Texas?
Speaker 1:Yep, so moved back to Mesquite, went on staff at a church in Sunnyville and was there for four years. My wife got married, had our first kid and God just kind of took us on a crazy journey. From that point Really thought God was going to open up some doors for us to go different places and pastor in different places. And God had different plans. You know there's times that we think we have a plan of what God's going to do in our life and it doesn't always go according to our plan. It was his perfect plan. So we ended up working part-time job to part-time job. My father-in-law was a Dallas police officer, so I was badged 8932. He was 3982.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, that's cool.
Speaker 1:And his dad was badged 144 for Dallas police department.
Speaker 3:Wow, that goes way back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, way back there so what transition.
Speaker 3:get out of college do some ministry pastoring work in Sunnyville and, as you said, you thought you were going left and turns out God was going to make you turn right, which that's a pretty big jump from pastoring to DPD. What did? How did that evolve?
Speaker 1:Well, it was not an easy journey. I actually struggled a lot during that time, struggled with my faith. What do I believe about God, what I believe about who God is? Can I trust God? Just went through a season of depression, some addiction issues, really struggling in my home of who I was. God. What can I believe about you? What do you have for me? And I've been going through all this process believing that you had something for me.
Speaker 1:And now I'm working part time job to part time job and it's not working out. My father-in-law says hey, dallas is hiring and you need a good job. It sounds like a good fit. It sounds like a good father-in-law thing to say right, there isn't it. And so I ended up interviewing for Mesquite and for Dallas, and one of the guys I was working for at the time, who was a friend of my dad's, told Mesquite I was a thief and had been stealing from his company, had been lying. And Mesquite said, hey, you're no longer a candidate here and I just remember going. God, I don't have a clue what you want from me. Why am I in this position? I've done everything. Right now have this guy lying against me when I'm just trying to get a job, and so just struggling with that ended up. My dad had a conversation with the guy. Probably would never go, be good on record of what that conversation looked like and what the conversation sounded like and ended up going to work for for Dallas.
Speaker 3:What year is that?
Speaker 1:Uh oh six.
Speaker 3:DPD academies. How long back then?
Speaker 1:Uh, 32 weeks Dang, yeah, that's long time.
Speaker 3:What was the Academy like back then? There's, there's DPD, runs a pretty good Academy, pretty, pretty tough Academy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my Academy class was really good. We had guys in there. Actually, in my Academy class had a guy on my left that actually became my partner. He did three tours in Iraq, has a Marine. Guy on my right was a Marine. You know, marines are real sensitive guys.
Speaker 1:We are very sensitive, very sensitive guys and so, uh, but developed long-term relationship with those guys. Got on my left, became a partner, got my right, I ended up marrying him and his wife baptized his children. And so just what God had a bigger story going on than what I could see at that moment, and so it was really good.
Speaker 3:How many in your cat and your class? Do you remember?
Speaker 1:44, I think, is what graduated. I think there's like six left. Wow, that still worked there.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:And none of those that worked there. Still, I would have ever thought they lasted that long.
Speaker 3:Dang man, hmm Uh, graduated hit patrol FTO phase. Where'd you go?
Speaker 1:Worked uh Central, which was East Dallas, and it was uh man, I was excited about it. Um, before going to the Academy, I didn't know really what to expect. What was going on. You know, you're just trying to learn. I was never a great student, but I always wanted to learn, I always wanted to grow, I always wanted to get better. Um, and getting assigned to Central, I was excited about that. Go in meet my training officer. He was an awesome guy who's great at writing reports. He said nothing else matters if you can't write it. And so just started off. Man, right from the beginning you got to be able to know how to write. So those first couple of days just getting to know him was great. Um, I ended up doing training at Central before going to Southeast.
Speaker 3:Who's your first turned officer, if you want to give him a shout out or remember his name.
Speaker 1:Yeah, martin Rodriguez.
Speaker 3:Martin.
Speaker 1:Rodriguez. He's the only trainer I remember.
Speaker 2:Oh, there you go Well actually I do remember another one, but he got arrested, so that's a whole different story for a whole different day, um, but I take it he wasn't because for the FTOs out there that we had that, we had listening some can be, let's just face it, law enforcement could be kind of a hazing portion of that, of that phase in their law enforcement career, and I've always hated that and always been against that. Obviously that wasn't the case with Rodriguez. He he wanted you to be a part of the family and basically like a big brother aspect.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. He was great at that. He wanted to make sure he protected you, make sure you put you in good positions, made sure you knew how things worked. Um, he probably wasn't the best tactical officer, but he was the officer who made sure he was the best tactical officer. You knew how to do everything that you needed to do, knew how to work the system, knew who to go to for what and make sure that you you could write the report that really covered your butt.
Speaker 3:So Kind of doing pastoring work, file a law. Uh volon tells you that law enforcement career would be an interest for you to head towards. Had you ever had an interest in law enforcement prior to that?
Speaker 1:or yeah, um, going into ministry and just really thinking that's what God had called me to, I really thought I'd do one of two things. I'd either be an FBI sniper that's really being in a long range shooter, I thought I could do that or be a coach. I do have a long range rifle now and really like shooting long range. And now I do coaching, whether it's coaching leaders and coaching business owners, coaching different organizations or even coaching kids in the field.
Speaker 3:Oh cool, had you been around your father-in-law a lot. So when you were about to hit the street day one out of the FTO, did you have a pretty good idea of what you were undertaking?
Speaker 1:No, not from my father-in-law is a incredibly godly, wise man. I've never seen him go high. I've never seen him go low. He is just even kill. I mean, just most steady man I've ever met in my life. And so, talking about what that meant to be on the street, I don't know if we had those conversations, but I knew that if I got in a situation I could call him and he would have the answer.
Speaker 2:Where did he work at during that time?
Speaker 1:He worked for pawn shop at that point.
Speaker 3:That you're far along as a pawn shop detective Okay. So I had to detail. Yeah, trying to monitor pawn shops and locate stolen property, I see. So he hit street full of you're an invigor ready to go? Absolutely Catch bad guys. Tell us about how day one and first week of FTO goes.
Speaker 1:So I remember how were you? Oh gosh, I'm going to make me do some math 27.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to get 27, 28. I remember in the academy actually one top gun pistol in my class. I'd never shot a pistol before being in the academy. I ended up winning top gun and going to get into those last couple of weeks and going. Some of the guys that were in the military had had different experiences.
Speaker 1:So you never know how you're going to respond when you get in a situation and I just remember thinking, yes, I do, I know what I'm going to do. I know what it's going to take because I'm going home to my wife and daughter Nothing's going to change that and just having that mentality and some of the guys going. Well, you just don't know. You may not, but I know how I'm going to respond. I know what it's going to take. Well, what I didn't know is day three out of the academy graduate academy on Friday go to work central on Monday. On Wednesday we get a shooting call. Mesquite is in Chase. They're chasing a guy who went into a donut store the donut store I actually grew up going to kill the owner of the donut store. Went next door, carjacked a lady at the water burger the water burger directly across from the middle school. I grew up going to Mesquite Chase is in Dallas and you know there's officers everywhere.
Speaker 3:Day shift.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is 10 o'clock in the morning and so they said he had exited 30 in Winslow. Knew he was going to be in that area. Well, there's a bank right there that has a gated parking lot. Well, he actually goes into this, into this bank, takes a lady hostage because he had wrecked out her car or his car, takes her in, gets in her car and he's in this gated parking lot down at the end just doing donuts.
Speaker 3:When y'all pull up.
Speaker 1:When we pull up. So it's right on the service road of 30 going into Dallas Beautiful neighborhood. Obviously you've been there. Yeah, this is liquor store after liquor store after liquor store, right there on the highway and my training officer said hey, we're going to go around the back, we weren't going to come in from the backside. End up going there. There's two cars that are parked there. We're actually standing behind him. He's all the way down at the far end doing donuts in this car.
Speaker 1:I can see a still has the has the lady hostage with him in the car with him and I can see a Mesquite officer. He's a detective wearing a red shirt, red polo, can still see it. He is making his way through the parking lot, trying to get down there closer and he, the suspect, begins driving right towards us. And you know, when you're in those high stress situations, you don't see movies anymore, you see picture, picture, picture, picture. It's not real smooth and in my mind what I remember seeing is pulling up my pistol and knowing there's a hostage between me and him, as he's coming right by us. And then the next picture is the cars gone and he's jumped out of the car with a pistol and he's at 15 feet and I remember seeing the, this red shirt, all the way down they in my mind it was a, it was a range guy.
Speaker 1:His range has always been a ring, a red shirt and having to step out from cover in order to shoot down range. I did not shoot towards the red.
Speaker 3:I hit the range officer.
Speaker 1:And so my third day on the third day out of the academy, third day on the street, I ended up shooting and killing a guy that had my 15 different felony arrest multiple drug arrest, robberies and now had killed two people.
Speaker 3:God, multiple officers fire. We don't want that fired.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there, I think there was 13 or 17 shots or something like that. One of old heads with his six shot shot from over 50 yards away. No idea where that round ever went with a revolver from 50 yards. He was trying to drop one in there from a long range, but he'd been hit seven times and four of them were mine, because I was the only one in the scene that was shooting a 357.
Speaker 3:Four rears. How many do you fire?
Speaker 1:at four.
Speaker 3:Oh wow, third day, third day. Well, that's that top gun award.
Speaker 1:And it's training when you don't know what you're training for Right.
Speaker 3:Well, and it was very fresh training still at the time. Absolutely Somebody out of the academy had had that fresh of recent of training and did annual qual once a year where you go out and shoot 50 rounds on a piece of paper. May not have been as fresh and prepared.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, because I'm sure y'all've been at the range with that guy who hasn't cleaned his pistol in a year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, rested shut yeah.
Speaker 2:Wow, I never got that. I never said that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, what does that day go like? What is third day on the job? Wouldn't in freaking heroic stuff killing a hijacker. How do you, how do you process that? Did you realize that quick what had gone on?
Speaker 1:You know I don't. There's no way I understood the magnitude of what just happened, didn't understand everything that happened in Mesquite, didn't understand magnitude of everything that happened in that moment. But I remember going in, uh Martin said, hey, go get in the car, don't talk to anybody. You don't talk to anybody but me. We didn't have mics in the car at that point, didn't have to worry about any of that. And he said don't talk to anybody. And I remember getting them on the phone and trying to call my wife and say I need you to call me and this is going to be on the news. I need you to know I'm okay. Um, and I remember in that moment going what's wrong with me? Because my whole body's shaking and it was that adrenaline dump.
Speaker 3:Oh God, imagine it was a massive dump.
Speaker 1:To the you know, just extreme, uh, adrenaline dump and not knowing if I wanted to yell, not knowing if I needed to cry, not knowing what. I didn't know what was going on with my body in that moment, uh, and your body's just trying to regulate and trying to figure out. What are you doing, because this is such an extreme situation? Um, and talking to my wife, I said I'm okay, this is going to be on the news.
Speaker 3:You got her on the phone.
Speaker 1:I was able to get her on the phone Uh and said don't worry, everything's okay. She actually called her dad and said hey, you need to go check on Nick. He gets there um, end up, um have a lawyer show up, walk through everything. Everything was was really good in that moment Just thinking I did everything right, um, everything about the shooting. There was no question. Like you know, officers that face today they're worried about what are the consequences of what's it's going to look like. There was none of that. I didn't have to worry about anything. Everything was clean, everything was good.
Speaker 2:Jeff D, I guess DPA.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, uh, chris Livingston, okay.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, and was your father and lawyer, buddy officer.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:That's nice, that's cool.
Speaker 3:That's a good uh, that's a good battle buddy to have show up, absolutely Wow, and Livingston is a great lawyer.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I didn't know I needed a lawyer on day three, but they make sure that you don't leave the Academy without one.
Speaker 3:Wow, um. You commented one time about you had a really stable. You were in a really stable place at that time with your marriage, your relationships, your foundation, your faith, your home, life, everything. And you said it's still tough. Share a little bit about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was in, although a year earlier I had been really struggling with my faith, what I believe about God. I was in a good place, good place in my faith. My marriage was strong, amazing wife she's actually Dr Edwards, so she makes more money than me, always has made more money than me, is smarter than I am and is just a huge blessing to me. She's just rock solid Everything. Mentally I was good. Emotionally I was stable in life. Everything in my life was good and stable. I didn't have a lot of chaos. My parents are in my life. My dad was my best friend. He passed away in this last October. I had good, solid foundation of everything around me and just you know, you had your three days off going to the range and then you went oh man, you're the rookie that killed this guy and everybody giving you high fives and you went. Man, you did a good job.
Speaker 3:Well, that's unheard of. I imagine you were quite known at the time.
Speaker 1:Very, quick, yeah, wow, and so. But over the weeks ahead I couldn't get the guys face out of my mind. I still know what he looks like. Still, I remember shot number two and four hitting him. I can see those rounds hitting him and doing everything right. I mean this guy is scum. I mean this guy's the guy that you need to take out right, yeah, and going I did everything right legally, I did everything right procedurally, I did everything right morally and this is the right thing. And just weighing on me going. Why am I still struggling with this and why don't I feel this weight of what am I going through right now and understanding, okay, well, ptsd was coming about during that time and that was part of it. But just going, what am I supposed to do with this? And now you have to go see the shrink for one time and going. That's not really the answer, but I still got some things going on within me that I don't really know what to do with.
Speaker 3:They're just checking a box to say you went, absolutely, you know, and it's unique you talk about. It weighs heavy on you and you try and figure out your faith. My Academy class we had a pastor and somebody went up and asked him if he believed in killing somebody if he needed to, and he said he wasn't sure. So then internally his Academy were like well, somebody's shooting at me and you don't murder them back, we're gonna have some problems you may need to clear before. If I live, you better leave because we may have a murder circle here if you didn't murder back somebody murdering me.
Speaker 3:And it's hard. You know everybody watches all these TV shows and video games nowadays but at the end of the day, no matter how justified it is, no matter how big of POS the person is, at the end of the day it still boils down to that's a human being. And another human being is not built to take. Well, people that are conscious and have a heart and have passion, not a serial killer. No matter how bad it is, it's still a human taking another human's life. We're not built to do that normally and I respected the humility of your statement the other day saying that your life was completely on solid foundation. And it was still very hard when a lot of law enforcement always don't have all their pillars of their foundation stable in the ground so they're not getting involved in a critical incident from a position of power because they don't have their feet under them usually. I thought that was super important.
Speaker 1:I appreciate that and it makes you realize, even as stable as you are, this is gonna knock you off Any solid platform that you have, and just be able to knock you off. And so if you don't have a solid foundation and just like so many officers who are struggling with life and they're trying to work extra job after extra job and keeping up with the Joneses and everything like that, the stress of all that weighs on top of everything else. And so when you get yourself in a critical incident like this, how are you gonna handle it?
Speaker 2:Well, and I guess you said something a while ago you didn't think that you needed an attorney the third day on the job. We just had Robert McCabe on last episode, One of our attorneys from here.
Speaker 2:He's an attorney, great guy, great attorney. And what he said and Clint says this best is that we have several times we'll have members call in. This is just kind of a great point to make is that we have members that may get advice of a situation at work. It may not seem important and they may give a statement, but they call us. And so what Clint always says and it's a great way to put it is that we would rather be involved in the first inning than the ninth.
Speaker 2:And so back to your point about you didn't think you needed an attorney. Most rookies don't think they see the bigger picture. And yes, it's a serious offense, a serious incident that you just have killed somebody, right, but some departments, even back then in 2006, you're not processing like, oh shit, this is a homicide investigation, right, I mean, you're not processing that. You're like, oh my, I've just used force, now there's gonna be some. But you gotta take yourself out of the equation and actually realize our profession is under so much scrutiny and war right now.
Speaker 2:You are now the target of a homicide investigation, right in there. Pull yourself out of it and get your game face on, because if you have Travis Jose Garza, if you have Kim Hogg? What is it, chris O'Dallas Jogans, I mean. So when you said that, I just wanted to make sure that our members know that that, as far as TPA is concerned, whatever organization that you are a part of, if you're in doubt, call. I would rather. We would much rather be involved at the first inning than the ninth. When he said that I just wanted to give a shout out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what I would also tell your members is there's gonna be things that you're gonna experience that no one around you in your immediate circle has experienced. But because y'all cover such a vast area and covered all the way across the state with 33,000 officers, someone on your team has been there, done that and can give some wisdom and some advice and some direction.
Speaker 3:What a young local officer. Lose a leg in an incident and kind of thought that life was over and people reaching out to us to help and I'm like I don't know what to tell a young man that's lost a limb how to move forward. I can't relate to that and he didn't want to hear it from me. So we found an officer in North Texas who lost a leg, had turned into a PT. God became a scratch golfer, so we linked him up and flew that guy to Lubbock yeah, I've still got both mine.
Speaker 2:I'm not a PT, god. I don't know if you ever go ahead. He's a.
Speaker 3:PT. God don't let him fool you. But I was like there's nothing any of us can say to him. But I know one guy sure can know what to say to him. Something too I don't want to miss before my tiny brain forgets it To our listeners. Nick was talking about when that incident happened. He saw suspect vehicle, then he saw suspect vehicle with hostage and hostage taker and then the next thing he saw was suspecting a gun. And I tell people, when I teach Officer Bob's shooting classes you got the old movie reels and it's all these scenes. And when I would go out and talk to an officer at a scene he would tell me about this slide and then there would be like five empty slides and then he would tell me about this slide and then he would tell me about this slide.
Speaker 3:And people talk about tunnel vision and auditory exclusion and narrowing of focus of vision and adrenaline and the body's desire to protect itself. You have vasoconstriction. All the blood goes to the core of the body. That's when all your fine motor skills kind of start going away. It's when you have the narrowing of the vision. Your hearing is the first thing that goes, when you never hear shots fired but in that also, your brain is only capturing the most dangerous things. And I'd work a shooting where I'd go out on the guys like stopped car, he pulled gun, I shot him. Well, there is so much that happened in between him, but those were the only two major incidents that he could recall at the time.
Speaker 1:It's the only thing your brain needs to know at that moment.
Speaker 3:Yep, saw bad guys, saw gun shot gun I mean. And REM cycles of sleep, for whatever reason, scientifically proven REM cycles of sleep. Rem sleep, specific, is when your mind minds those empty slides. And so after at least one cycle, if not two, you will begin to fill in all those slides that are missing. And you may not fill in every single slide. There may be some that'll never come back, but it's so, it's, it's. It's interesting to hear it from somebody that's you know your education and your background and your faith and how level headed you are. But you just hear it over and over again and it's, it's flash. Stop the car. He came out with a gun. Well, they forget, they approached it. They'd already approached the car twice before he finally stepped out. But for our listeners out there, you're going to. Your body is going to play tricks. You're going to have reactions. It's involuntary. People ask why I'll power through auditory exclusion or I'll power through. It's all. It's involuntary reactions that your body has. This is going to happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you need to know that's okay. You need to know that that's normal. You only saw slide one in five. Yeah, and to understand, you're not missing something. Something's not wrong with your brain, but sleep is how your brain recovers, and being able to sleep. And guys work double shifts and double shifts, and double shifts, and you've slept a total of nine hours and four days. Your brain's not at your best and so your reaction times are slow and everything about you is slow. So being able to take care of your brain is as important as making sure you're in the gym.
Speaker 3:I'm not going to the gym anytime soon, but at least in theory but legally, after your critical incident you need that REM cycle of sleep so that your memory can recall as accurately and factually as possible. But what most of us do is go home and start drinking alcohol, which scientifically affects REM sleep. So if you go home and drink after your critical incident, you're intentionally sub marining your ability to repair your brain to recall the facts that you need to fill those slides in. So then when you go to IA with your attorney the next day or two days later and you've been schnockered for 24 hours, you've submarined possibly your own legal case to help defend yourself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. It's really good Just in being able to understand that process and what that looks like, being able to have someone who can go. This is normal for you to fill this way. You can't get rid of the auditory exclusion. It's going to happen.
Speaker 1:I remember hearing one shot and it was actually one of the guys had a rifle and, while the guy was still driving, clipped the side mirror, shot him in the shoulder. That's the only shot I remember hearing, but I remember seeing bullet two and four hitting and bullet four. He was actually already falling to the ground and actually hit him in his side when he was squared up to me and I remember wondering are they going to ask why you shot him on the ground? And when it's a lag time, you have nothing. There's nothing you can do about that. Your brain's not fast enough to tell you to stop, but in that moment going, what is that going to look like? What's that going to look like when they go? Well, why is this one in the side and another 33 in the front? What happened? And just creating doubts in your own mind.
Speaker 3:When you bring up another good point about it's okay to deal with. However you deal with it. Well, not not alcohol or drugs. But you know I would pull up to a scene and a guy, an officer, would be mad Like why did he make me do that? Why I pulled up. And guys have been sad. You know I tried it. I did not want to kill the guy he made me kill. I didn't want to kill a guy. However you deal with it, that's just how you deal with it and it's okay. And you know I've been through critical incidents myself and that's one of the biggest things that I struggle with and can damage yourself and others, is trying to figure out that you need to grieve a certain way, or or judging why somebody else doesn't grieve a certain way. Um, because how somebody navigates, I've seen, I've shown up to shootings and seen every emotion under the sun from eh, I'm good, he pulled the gun, so I'm good, I'm just ready to grab bite to eat, to sad, to mad, to throwing up.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, my partner who did three tours in Iraq, um, because I had gone through this situation, he was willing to be my partner later. But every time we had a high stress situation, once everything was calm he had walked over and throw up, because that's his adrenaline dump.
Speaker 3:Oh wow, he had a system.
Speaker 1:He had a system and it's going all right. I got it, you're good.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:But that's, that was how his body processed it, and so everyone's going to process those things different and being okay for how your body processes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that at least that's a healthy way for him to process it, rather than, you know, going down in a airplane bottle of vodka or well, he had plenty of other unhealthy habits with that one was a good one.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I am curious. Uh, I don't know if it was you or somebody else we had this discussion for. You know, drink, consuming alcohol, it does affect your sleep, like negatively I mean, and I've never but me and my wife told me this every day. The differences of alcohol affect mine differently different kinds of alcohol affect you differently. Well see, I know we're going to this and I don't, I don't appreciate it. We're not talking about Angel Genji again. Uh, yes, yes, yes, I shouldn't lead you down the path.
Speaker 2:You are trying to leave me down the path and I'm not going for it. You're trying to hook me. What I was saying is that, like if I was to have beer or wine or whiskey, like my sleep's lighter or deeper, and I don't know why that is so uh, what about rehypno?
Speaker 3:So I think what he was recalling a couple episodes ago we had somebody, I think it was a- so I'm telling you yes, it was Gamalde and we were talking about people go.
Speaker 3:I drink alcohol to help me sleep and alcohol actually metabolizes as sugar. Yeah, like three to four. I think it takes three to four hours, and so you think at nine, when you're half snockered, you're sleepy, but then three or four hours later, when it's metabolized into sugar. That's why you wake up at one, 30 or two and don't sleep very good the rest of the night, cause now you've got a sugar high going.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, and it's not about don't have a drink, but that can't be your answer.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, oh, yeah, a hundred percent. I agree with that, yeah.
Speaker 3:And the problem, if you do try to use that as your coping mechanism, is it's a very I'm a, let's say, the present one.
Speaker 2:So if you're already, depressed as it is and you're taking the depressant it's going to make you more pressed.
Speaker 3:And I'm a wine guy. I'd love to have a nice rib eye and a gloss red wine, but if that's your coping mechanism, it's very easy for one to become two and then two to become four is good.
Speaker 3:I mean, four is good and I think it needs to be. I'm a foodie and that's why I like a glass of wine as a foodie, but if it once it becomes a crutch, I think it's a slippery slope that never ends well. But learning, I've realized now, I don't sleep good, I don't sleep good. I've always wondered why, when I drink, I don't sleep good. And learning a couple of years ago, that's why I don't. I'm a one drink guy. Well, because I need sleep. I'm fat and old and I need sleep and I don't want to be up from two o'clock on.
Speaker 2:And I guess my point I'm just going to throw it out there because we're family is that my dad struggled with alcoholism. In fact he died from. He died from cirrhosis. So I've always kind of carefully looked at like the intake of alcohol Me and me and Janet call ourselves the weekend warriors. I mean it's very seldom that we have, you know, a lot of alcohol during the week. If it is, we have like a whiskey Wednesday or wine Wednesday or whatever. But I've always kind of been conscious of of of how much alcohol I do intake because because I'm scared that I'm going to fall in my dad's footsteps. Love my dad. My best friend is my best man at my wedding and I wish he was here with me today. He had a sickness and it is what it is, but he he did not lack on sleep. He did not lack on sleep whatsoever.
Speaker 3:So if you want to scare yourself to death, pull up Huberman lab. It's probably about a year ago. You watch Huberman.
Speaker 2:Watch Huberman show.
Speaker 3:It's podcast. Pull up Huberman lab and Google that I'll call it. So it's probably an hour and a half long and he goes through. He's a caveman. He's a big old dude caveman type guy, so he talks it on our level, but he gives the scientific explanation.
Speaker 2:Is that where you're going with that Clint?
Speaker 3:Kinda.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:That's what my 23 and me says. I am as the enter fall, but he breaks down scientifically what alcohol does to the body as the decades go on and it will scare you to death to listen to that podcast about the continuing deterioration of the brain. And, like everyday drinks, yeah.
Speaker 3:And just like what one day one drink a day does, or what seven drinks a week does, or you know. I mean he just breaks it all down of what it will, what it does to your brain, and the brain doesn't ever recover really or heal from that.
Speaker 2:I guess you pickle it, but it is scary to listen to not be good for me and you, with starting off at a lower level than most.
Speaker 3:So it is scary to listen to.
Speaker 1:And you get in the pattern of it. That's your go to coping mechanism. And the deal is, it's not just the extreme critical incidents, it's all the craziness that you see. I used to tell people I don't have to make up stories, I can't make up these stories, I'm not creative and creative enough to make up the kind of stories that we see and the things that you experience on the streets. And so if that becomes your go to forever crazy incident, I mean it's why you know there's a crash on the highway and guys are smoking a joke and laughing over there in the corner because they don't want to deal with it. So how do you escape? Well, after work, you escape by having that drink and well, and it's fire party.
Speaker 2:Uh, holason, now call kind of go hand in hand. I mean I said yeah, I said so.
Speaker 2:And before dad did pass away, is that if we did have a get together and somebody did not participate in drinking, I would give them a rash of shit and I would just be really hard on them, and for no reason. And so Maybe they're going through something that I don't know, maybe they're trying to have lifestyle change, maybe they watched that podcast that you're mentioning, and so I Recognized it after dad passed and Jen and actually called me on it. Thank you know. Thankful I'm thankful for my wife because she does call my BS when it needs to be called out, but I guess to listen thank you.
Speaker 2:Janet, or yeah, so you watch her out there. Reviewer, is that if you've got a friend that's in the pack, that's that's joining you guys for a night out and he's not participating in drinking, don't? Don't be that asshole and call them out and, you know, encourage them. Just leave it alone if you want to have a glass of tea and have water, great fruit and a glass of milk Like Clint does have once while, then let them do it.
Speaker 3:Amen.
Speaker 1:That's actually being a good friend.
Speaker 2:That's right. I heard this the other day and it was from some friends of ours in Wembley, and she said friendships like a candle. She said you want somebody that wants to guard your flame, but you you also want somebody that that's not there to blow it out. And I thought about that for like two or three days after the fact. It's pretty neat. You're gonna say something smart.
Speaker 3:No, no, no. I see it in your face.
Speaker 3:No no no, as a young guy, garland, I used to hear people asking people are your rope holder? And I didn't know what it meant. And after I've been on a little bit, a guy said if I was dangling off side of a cliff and there was only about four feet of rope and you were holding me, are you gonna Just say, hey man, this is burning my hands a little bit, I'm gonna have to let go? Are you gonna hold it until your hands are bloody, sopping wet and the rope finally slides through with the blood or you get pulled over with me? Or are you just gonna pretty quickly let go because you're just tired and doesn't feel very good on your hands? I was like whoa.
Speaker 3:Cuz I want somebody out here going on a call with me. That's a rope holder. Yeah, you need to let me know if you're a rope holder.
Speaker 2:I was like good point oh that's good word right there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm gonna use that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's a heck of a way to start a police career. Three days on the job that's like winning the Super Bowl as a rookie. Super Bowl MVP is rookie, and where do you go from there?
Speaker 1:So I ended up working Southeast the patrol for a while, ended up being on a burglary task force For about a year and a half. We ended up making like 200 250 felony arrest in one year. Oh wow, I've done warrants for burglars and robbery warrants and really good. We had a great team and able to run warrants, learned a lot during that process, really really created a very solid team. After doing that for a couple years, just realizing I've got something else Planned for my life and I'm not really sure what that looks like. I know this isn't the end, but for me I think I even remember One of my high school coaches wrote a letter of recommendation to me and he said Nick's one of the most coachable players I've ever had.
Speaker 1:And Having that mindset of I always want to be coachable, I always want to learn, I always want to grow, I always want to be better, I like that and so after every time we ran a warrant, I always wanted to think what went good, what went bad. But we don't ever stop for that, we just go to the next one. Right? What we good in this incident? What? What can we grow in this incident? How we can we go back and watch film and go. Hey, there's things we should have done different for our protection.
Speaker 3:We just fluff each other and don't really talk about truthful bad Things, we just go.
Speaker 1:Man was awesome. Yeah, kicked ass.
Speaker 3:We don't break down the bad part.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I said it going no dude. That house was dark and you didn't have your flashlight with you. Yeah, what the heck?
Speaker 2:Yeah and, on your point, executive level, leadership, chief sheriffs or executive management Can be coached oh.
Speaker 3:Mid and lower level. He does executive coaching and that's one of the things that I've enjoyed getting to know Nick about is Is just because you have executive in your title doesn't mean you're done learning, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I have a business now to do life leadership and business coaching. It's called my leadership coach, my leadership coach org and I was on a flight about a Thank you for that. I was on a flight about a year ago it's actually last March. I was going to Florida, sit next to this lady and she's reading a leadership book that I knew, that I actually taught and I thought, oh, here's a potential client, right, and I'm saying this is a sales opportunity.
Speaker 1:So I started asking her what do you do? And she said well, I work for this Company and I manage finances. And I said, well, tell me more. And I'm just kind of dig it in and keep on pressing. She goes. Well, I manage All my clients are 500 million and up. Oh yeah, and I want okay, I'm outside of my league on this one, right, really quick 500 million in up. And I said well, tell me, she goes. Well, what do you do? So she started asking questions. I was telling her and I said do y'all have coaching? And she goes what? What mid-level Organizations don't understand is everyone on my level has a an executive coach. It's part of your contract. It's not negotiable. You will have a personal coach that you will meet with 25 to 30 times a year.
Speaker 1:Wow and so she said companies that do over a hundred million, that have Big accounts. That's not optional, because they understand that leadership has to grow for the business to grow, and so they're constantly grow Perpetually.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I like that. That's good so well, you would think that really is as an outsider looking in, you think those people think, oh, we're the, we're the top of the top of nobody's gonna coach me on anything.
Speaker 1:Really, contrary to what you would think, but you look at the very top of the, tiger Woods in his heyday or a Quarterback or whatever. They all have a specific coach for that specific thing even at their very best.
Speaker 3:Yeah, tiger carried that guy from McKinney Hank Haney with him pretty much his entire career. I think yeah, wow, it's good good stuff.
Speaker 1:Tom Brady, or whoever that is. Yeah, they have coaches that are not just the coach that's hired by the Patriots or whoever, but they have a coach that's coaching them outside of that as well to help them be at their very best.
Speaker 3:Was there something specific at the end of your time at DPD that you thought?
Speaker 2:man.
Speaker 3:I'm just. I've got something bigger to challenge me. Was there a? Was there a specific day moment that Realized I think I'm about to close this chapter and move to the next? Or was it just I'm ready to try something new?
Speaker 1:I Didn't know what that was, I didn't like have a specific time and there wasn't like a moment. I was doing some work in my church part time and just trying to help out and they actually offered me a position and so I didn't know that was coming, but I was preparing and I was beginning to reach out and just going out. I want to be able to grow and get better and I think what pushed me in that is the 250 felony arrest in a year doing the different things being part of things in South Dallas, pleasant Grove. Those things were never as scary as being in the station Because the lack of leadership yeah, that's scary.
Speaker 3:That's a hell of a statement.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that you're More likely to get stabbed in the back.
Speaker 3:In the police station Than on the street.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so leaders have to get better.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you hear it in this day and time, day after day after day my dad's 34 years of DPD. I would never have happened. And in this day and time, for our listeners, what he's saying is, in this day and time, more often, it's more dangerous to be in the police station than it is on the street.
Speaker 1:That's unfortunate because we eat our own to yeah, if you, if you're a sergeant or up, your your job is to protect your guys. Your job is to put them in a position that they're not worried about how something goes down, that they're not worried about what you're gonna say, but they're worried making sure that you have their back and so Making sure they have everything they need to be successful, to be safe, to be on the street and don't. I know there's policies and procedures in place for everywhere, but don't, don't major on things that are just BS. Don't always harp on things that, hey, man, those aren't the right boots major in the minor things yeah, and you get on your to your troops.
Speaker 1:For hey man, that your boots are dirty today. Anyone Do? You know where I was yesterday? We were chasing out through a creek. Yeah, my boots are still dirty. And doing everything you can to help morale and People are leaving law enforcement faster than then we can handle right now, whether it's teachers or law enforcement or whatever career, morale is at a low For public service, absolutely so. To work for a boss, that's a jerk, that's just an easier exit, yeah, last time I checked, being nice, it's completely free.
Speaker 2:Well and you just every day you just reminded me.
Speaker 3:One of the best means people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.
Speaker 1:Absolutely yeah, so it's cool to our listeners how I'm at next my son was Going to church.
Speaker 3:He called. He's like hey, I'm gonna start going to this church in 40. Sounds good. Him and his buddies would go up there on Wednesdays and hang out and Came home talking about Nick and was fired up to go to church on Wednesday nights For several years. Well then came home one day and was a little less enthusiastic about it. So I get to inquire, and what's going on while I found out Nick this morning? So I get to inquire, and what's going on while I found out Nick, this mysterious Nick left?
Speaker 1:Well then I seen the paper that 40 ISD was bringing on board a Spiritual leader or athletic spiritual leader, director of staff and family services, to be able to do some leadership development, help to influence kids, be able to bring some mentorship programs to the district.
Speaker 3:And so what's cool is when All the rest of America is complaining that, that you shouldn't have anything to do with church and school and sports and All these other problems. In America, on Friday morning, my boy plays high school football. On Friday morning they have prayer breakfast. They play football. Friday night, saturday morning they get back up and they go watch film and then they have brotherhood brunch and Nick Is there throughout all of this as a positive role model, as um, as a leader, who I'll talk about a little bit. I just mean so much to me when you keep reading all these. These guys better not kneel on the football field and say a prayer, and they better not, and Clearly in our hometown. Thank god, for right now we are uh, we're on the forefront of it and demanding that it happens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely really blessed to be in this situation, um. So I guess I've been the district for a year and a half now, um, as an official capacity, but I've been doing this mentorship for six years and so being able to show practices, be there on Friday mornings. We talk about leadership. We talk about what does it mean to be a man. What does it mean to to think beyond yourself, um, what does it mean to sacrifice for your team? That it's not just about you, that it's not. This is you and the rest of the world just revolves around you.
Speaker 1:And what does it mean to be a man and to grow, um, to be on the sideline with him during the game, to be there when the season's over. Everybody's going dang, that sucks, and Ever senior cries that last game right and just going. I've been walk, well, I've walked this journey with you. I've seen how you've grown from a sophomore to a junior to a senior, and god's got good plans for you. Keep, keep walking, just keep going. Um, this isn't that your football career may be over, but there's bigger things to come. And just really being able to speak life and then being able to bring other men into these, these boys life and they need good men. And so, wherever you are, whatever small town you're in, and find a way to invest in the young men in your town.
Speaker 3:And I love Friday morning prayer breakfast and I love Brock is not a morning riser. He wants to be there on Saturday morning for Brotherhood brunch and watch film. Good job, yeah.
Speaker 1:Just providing breakfast. All in the booster club. They come in and make sure these kids are fed, make sure that they are there and they have everything they need To be ready for the next week.
Speaker 3:Yep, that's cool. Um, so I was sad to hear that Brock was upset about the guy leaving his church, but when I found out the guy was at his school now I was like that's cool, he's not at that church anymore, he's at your school. So I'm really solid with that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, clint, your son's a man, just a good kid, and there's so many kids that they just need someone other than they need dad, don't make any mistake.
Speaker 2:But they need a secondary male figure.
Speaker 1:That's not, yeah that I'm echoing the same thing he's saying, that I'm reinforcing that. It's not just dad saying this.
Speaker 2:Well, we've always had that moment where, like you know, clint is telling me the same thing my dad's telling me because, but because it's Clint and not my dad, I'm gonna listen to Clint try a little bit more, so it's the same thing, yeah it's so funny, brock.
Speaker 3:Years ago it was a picture and he got in a funky deal for a while when he would step out and stood as stepping at the plate. He would step out, well, then it would throw right. He was throwing weird. And so for a couple of practice I tried to talk to him and I don't know, he's 10 or 12 or something, but he was already kind of in that stage of dad absolutely knows nothing. So I talked to him about it for several practices. Well, the coach pulled me side. He's like dude, brock's pitching's kind of gone sideways. That's why I know he goes. You see what he's doing, don't you? I said no, I've talked to him about he's like, well, you need to talk to him. But I was like I've tried brother.
Speaker 3:I've tried like freaking five times, five practices in a row. He's like, okay, I said by all means, literally. Coach walks up to him. He's like, hey, brock, you're stepping out when you pitch, step at the batter like you've always done it. So you're Literally. He started doing it right then and he was right back on track. Coach looks at me and I'm like I have no idea, it came from you.
Speaker 1:Dad Didn't, couldn't, possibly and that's not a failure of dad. No, dad's doing everything again. You just need more men.
Speaker 3:No, it's to your point. Yeah, everybody giving the same message, absolutely, and dads don't know anything. The Texasville was a crazy kid. Stuff 100% yeah, I left the joke when I was uh, when I was 14, my dad was the dumbest person I'd ever met, and when I turned 21, I was shocked to see how much he'd learned in seven years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yep, well, uh, did we touch everything that you wanted to touch on?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think so I was. I was wanting to hit a couple things with you, though. Um, how old are you now?
Speaker 1:45?.
Speaker 3:What would 45 year old nick say to Say to 16 year old nick?
Speaker 1:Learn everything you can from anyone. You can Learn as much from every single person, even if you think they're a dumbass. Learn something from them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you may learn what not to do.
Speaker 1:solid advice, yeah learn something from everyone you encounter and never stop learning.
Speaker 3:What is next Very, very best day and what's next worst day?
Speaker 1:I think my best day is when I doing this leadership coaching, when I invest in someone and I see them get it and see them have done the work and they're reaping the benefits and they're getting joy out of their work. Now that they feel like they're in a hole, they're not sure how to take that next step, but when I invest in someone and they begin to light up because they're growing From a professional point of view, any day with with my wife is a good day. She is absolutely amazing. Couldn't do it without her, incredibly supportive, so she's always my best. You said you left and your wife was home for a few days while you were traveling. My wife leaves Friday for eight-day cruise with her mom, and so I got all the kids for spring breaks.
Speaker 2:I mean they're excited Because dad would be, because I know daddy don't play. I don't look at the cord. I actually used your. What is it called when you can't think back during the shooting? I just lost the train of thought. Your blood goes to your check.
Speaker 3:Veso constriction Critical incident amnesia.
Speaker 2:Anyway, the other day I spent some money that I wasn't supposed to and so, yeah, it came in there. She said, hey, really what? You didn't tell me about this? And I was like, uh, when Scott the saying for this like major instances I can't remember what the word is, but it's that she's like what the hell are you talking about? And I was like if something happened with cops when we get the shootings and I'm sorry, I should have told you about that.
Speaker 3:You have to ask. I don't remember. Well, I suppose who are you.
Speaker 2:I said you're going to ask me 72 hours and I get a full suit. I need to go to bed. Yeah, that did not go over real well. So anyway, hey, we liked to end each episode with three rapid fire questions, because you guys are friends and because you're DPD, you're probably going to answer this in the uh in McNeer favor, but we'll see you ready. Did you study for him?
Speaker 1:How do you not know these questions?
Speaker 2:Okay, first question, number one favorite drink of choice, or if you do drink, just whatever drink it is. Second, is favorite favorite line from a cop movie of your favorite cop movie. And third, is the favorite cop car.
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, uh favorite drink, uh Diet Coke or Jack and Coke.
Speaker 2:Okay, um was the second one favorite line from a cop movie or your favorite cop movie. Oh gosh, Um and die hard, chris, and die hard Can count, not for Christmas.
Speaker 1:Uh, uh was going to go die hard Training, day Training day is good, that's a good move Then slow.
Speaker 3:Yeah. He kills it.
Speaker 2:He does.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And what's your favorite cop car?
Speaker 1:Well, I know what my least favorite card kind of. Can I answer that way? Yeah, so for a while we had some O five and Paul is, and I don't know if you can see it, there's a scar right there. Oh, yeah 40 stitches put in my head, I'm listening. There's a Chevrolet right. Yes.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Chevy and Paula. Oh five, no breaks no power.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, peace crap yeah.
Speaker 1:That is by far, and you put a cage in it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're not. They're worth the jump yeah.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. What's your favorite? Hmm, I guess the in.
Speaker 2:we drove challengers or chargers yeah, chargers Okay.
Speaker 1:Dodge, just a little bit bigger, a little bit more room, fat guy.
Speaker 3:She'd take a dodge over crown Vic.
Speaker 1:We did have some crown Vicks that you know. They had all gas and no brakes, yeah.
Speaker 3:No breaks. Yeah, we're not good cars.
Speaker 1:Kind of drove like a boat.
Speaker 3:Definitely like a boat, like a sinking boat, like the Titanic, I thought gosh so he's a, he's a crown Vic guy. I'm a Caprice guy 100%, all the way. I have one last question. There is this scary character that Tyler and I have met in the last couple of years and we hope you've never come across scary.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Did you ever have to come across a guy named Joe King?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, was he shirtless when you met him.
Speaker 3:No, I don't think so so paintless probably didn't have pants on If he had a shirt on he didn't have pants on, that's probably likely no.
Speaker 1:So I got off training. I went to training at Central.
Speaker 2:There, you go.
Speaker 1:They sent me to Southeast there you go my first day off training and I walk in and there's a guy named Brian Emerson, who I actually went to high school with, and I said hey, brian, he goes. Man, what are you doing here? Said, just got off training, here, he goes. Well, you can ride with me. Well, I didn't know, I was about to ride with him and Joe and that whole squad, oh, man. And so I got indoctrinated into South Dallas really quick. Yeah, I'm sure you did.
Speaker 2:Shout out to Joe King.
Speaker 3:Just a couple of sessions of counseling help you get past Joe King.
Speaker 1:How do you get past Joe King? It's been years, years it's been years we can talk about.
Speaker 3:maybe we can go to the same counselor.
Speaker 2:I'm still trying to get past Joe King Shout out.
Speaker 1:Joe King, great guy, great officer, oh my gosh and really does care for the guys. I think he's part of that wellness team.
Speaker 2:He's part of Dallas and the ATO podcast. He's got a podcast out there with absolute phenomenal.
Speaker 3:That OWL unit is killing it what they're doing for cops.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Yep, shout out, joe King, we love you, brother.
Speaker 2:Well, when this episode drops it's going to be D-Day for voting. Hopefully we'll have some good news out of all the elections that we've got going on specifically in Travis County and we've got some other issues or some other problems going on across state with the, I think already identified the actual name of the fire up in the pen handle.
Speaker 3:Cedar.
Speaker 2:Creek or something.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, the prayers. 500,000 acres burning right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's probably going to get worse. We've got two field reps headed that way, so our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by that, not just our members, but the civilians as well and all law enforcement involved. It's time and time again it shows that we run towards danger. Last year Eastland County, I believe, lost one in a involved in a fire. So again, you just never know how and when law enforcement's going to get involved with natural disasters, and wildfire seems to be not something I was ever involved with in East Texas, but it's a common occurrence there in West Texas and Central Texas.
Speaker 3:If you're a listener and you're not law enforcement and you're in a leadership position or working at corporation to need some corporate coaching, some communications coaching, or if you're in law enforcement and you're in a leadership position, potentially in a leadership position and want some executive coaching or want someone to come in and talk about effective communication, professional communication how would they reach you, sir?
Speaker 1:Nick at myleadershipcoachorg.
Speaker 3:Nick at myleadershipcoachorg. He'll put it right there. Yeah, I'll put it right there, all right.
Speaker 1:We appreciate you guys, Appreciate what you all do, Appreciate your investment into just the law enforcement community and just making sure guys are healthy, they're safe and really there for them and some of their worst days.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that goes both ways, man You're doing. You've done more for my little community than you could possibly know, Thank you, it's awesome.
Speaker 2:I did, that's all I got. Well, you guys, stay safe. This body wraps us all up. Take care, god bless you and, as always, may God bless Texas Well.
Speaker 1:Yes, you.