173: Dancing With Exotic Weapons
Tactical Tangents
Mike and Jim discuss how to handle CBRN- Chem, Bio, Rad, Nuke threats and how to set your preparedness to the current threat landscape with synthetic bio-terror weapons on the rise. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our . Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website Like what we’re doing? Head over to and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at . Intro music credit Bensound.com
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172: Making Worthwhile Exercises
Tactical Tangents
A lot of training exercises and drills can be a waste of time. Mike and Jim explore ways to improve military readiness, disaster preparedness, and school safety by making better training events. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our . Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website Like what we’re doing? Head over to and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at . Intro music credit Bensound.com
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171: Sticks and Stones: Survival Skills 101
Tactical Tangents
We take it out to the woods with how to build a fire, 7-step Checklist for Land Navigation, knots, PACE planning, forging resilience and a positive mental attitude, and more in this disaster prep, end-of-the-world, stuck-on-a-deserted-island overview of basic field craft and considerations for packing and planning. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our . Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website Like what we’re doing? Head over to and give...
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170: “Time is on our side right now…” -Uvalde School District Police Chief
Tactical Tangents
“Help!” “Help!” “Help!” “I don’t want to die. My teacher is dead.” “One of my teachers is still alive but shot.” “Officer!” “Officer!” “Are they [officers] in the building?” “There is a lot of dead bodies.” These were the words of nine- and ten-year-old children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, during a call with 911. We try to take a balanced approach between the real challenges first responders take and the tragic reality of this event. We hope you learn from it. Show links: DOJ Report: ALERRT Report: TX...
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169: What a Wreck: Scene Size Up
Tactical Tangents
Car accidents are something that are likely to touch all of us in some way or another, whether we are involved in one or manage them professionally as first responders. Not only are they exceptionally common, sometimes they are also challenging to manage well. We talk about some of the competing priorities and offer some ideas to get the emergency response to a traffic collision off to a good start. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our . Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more...
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168: Sniper in the Tower: 1966 Austin Clock Tower Shooting
Tactical Tangents
Back in the 1960s a former Marine took the high ground in one of the first and deadliest school shootings in American history. This watershed event was part of the discussion that brought the idea of a SWAT team to the national stage and arguably brought momentum to what some now consider to be the militarization of the police. We talk about counter-ambush tactics, cover or suppressive fire in law enforcement, tactical medicine, and more. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our . Find all of our...
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167: Calling Bull$h!#: Responding to Swatting Hoaxes
Tactical Tangents
No one should die over a false report. Internet gamers, celebrities and public figures, and maybe even one of your neighbors have been the victim of this sort of prank. These hoax emergency calls that can lead to an exaggerated police response are becoming more common, so we discuss strategies to make sure we tailor our response appropriately and keep everyone safe. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our . Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website Like what...
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166: Run the Clock: Time, Talk, Tear Gas, Tactics
Tactical Tangents
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Downs v. United States was a benchmark case for domestic law enforcement that establishes our requirement to attempt negotiations for a peaceful resolution. We define a hostage situation and talk about strategies to manage them in contrast to active killer and barricaded criminals. Downs v US (6th Circuit Court of Appeals) - Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our . Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website Like...
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165: Separating the Wanna-Bes from the Gonna-Bes: Motivation, Grit, and Discipline
Tactical Tangents
Your Recipe for Success looks something like equal parts of three things. Motivation, the spark and desire. Discipline, your habits and structure. And Grit, your capacity to overcome challenges, adjust, and perservere. Mike shares some of the research that’s been done on these topics and ways you can integrate them to get your closer to where ever you want to be. Links: Randy Pausch "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" Atomic Habits by James Clear (Excerpt here: ) Carol Dweck TED Talk - Grit by Angela Duckworth - Angela Duckworth TED Talk - Mindset by Carol Dweck - The Art of Learning...
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164: Power Lines and Wildfires 2023 Maui Disaster
Tactical Tangents
Over 100 people were killed, more than 2,000 structures destroyed, and over $5 billion in damage were left behind after wind and fire tore through the historic Lahaina district and adjacent areas in Maui, Hawaii. We dive into some of the public safety and disaster planning takeaways from this event including evacuations, notifications, misinformation, planning, and risk. FEMA After Action Report: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/blog/preliminary-after-action-report-2023-maui-wildfire/ Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in...
info_outlineNo team in law enforcement is composed of robotic textbook-following automatons, nor would we want it to be, if we’ve ever found ourselves at 2MPH over the limit. But when a worst-case incident unfolds, we want every first responder to make the right decision at the speed of life, because in those incidents seconds often equal victims. How can we raise the lowest common denominator, so our people make the right decisions quickly without rushing to failure?
In this episode Mike and Jim talk about command and control, and teaching decision-making skills to team members. In this way, when everything hits the fan, the right decisions get made fast, and get made at the right level. There’s a reason for supervisors, commanders, and leaders, but it’s important to know when to let subordinates make decisions. Not every incident is The Big One, but nobody’s ready for The Big One if they haven’t been taught in the small ones.
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Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website www.tacticaltangents.com
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Intro music credit Bensound.com