Heroes Behind the Badge

Citizens Behind the Badge
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From the front lines to the final call, Heroes Behind the Badge brings you the untold stories of America's law enforcement community. Led by Craig Floyd, who spent 34 years working alongside police officers across the nation, alongside veteran facilitator Dennis Collins and law enforcement expert Bill Erfurth, this podcast cuts through misconceptions to reveal the true nature of modern policing. Our dynamic trio brings unique perspectives to each episode: Craig shares deep insights from his decades of experience and relationships within law enforcement, Dennis guides conversations with meticulous research and natural flow, and Bill adds engaging commentary that makes complex law enforcement topics accessible to all listeners. Each episode features in-depth conversations with law enforcement professionals, sharing their firsthand experiences, challenges, and triumphs. Drawing from extensive research and real-world experience, we explore the realities faced by the over 800,000 officers who serve and protect our communities every day. From dramatic accounts of crisis response to quiet moments of everyday heroism, our show illuminates the human stories behind the badge. We dive deep into the statistics, policies, and practices that shape modern law enforcement, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of what it truly means to serve in law enforcement today. Whether you're a law enforcement professional, a concerned citizen, or someone seeking to understand the complexities of modern policing, Heroes Behind the Badge provides the context, insights, and authentic perspectives you won't find anywhere else. Join us weekly as we honor those who dedicate their lives to keeping our communities safe, one story at a time. Presented by Citizens Behind the Badge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for law enforcement professionals across the United States. Join over 126,000 Americans who have already signed our Declaration of Support for law enforcement at behindbadge.org.

  1. 4D AGO

    CPR on "Superman": The Partner Rick Rossman Couldn't Save — Part 2

    Part 1 ended on the Thanksgiving 1983 murders of Rick Rossman's Metro-Dade partners Richie Boles and David Strzalkowski — shot with their own service weapons by ex-con Charlie Street — and Rick's admission that in more than four decades since, he has never spoken to anyone professionally about that night. Part 2 opens with Rick off-duty at a Miami nightclub when the radio erupts: a chase, shots fired, an officer down. The officer was Joseph "Superman" Martin — Rick's friend since they were teenagers, a power lifter known for wearing a Superman costume to take his kids trick-or-treating. By the time Rick arrived on scene, Joey had been shot three times by a teenager the squad personally knew. Rescue got lost. Rick performed chest compressions alone as Joey bled out on the pavement. Back at the station, Bill Erfurth walked him fully clothed into a shower stall and watched "Joey's lifeblood" swirl down the drain. Four cops dead in four years, all on midnight shifts. Rick's public push for minimum staffing made him "like a cancer" to command. Thirty-two years into the job, he reflects on carrying the weight, what Miami looked like in the Scarface era, and the one thing a third-generation cop won't recommend anymore — law enforcement as a career for his own kids. 👍 If you support law enforcement stories told with honesty and context, like, subscribe, and share. 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don't miss future episodes.

    31 min

  2. 6D AGO

    He Called It Suicide. By 2:14 AM, Two Partners Were Dead | Part 1

    Thanksgiving weekend, 1983. Only five officers were assigned to cover an entire Miami-Dade, Florida district that night. Before his first call, Rick Rossman told his sergeant it felt like suicide going out that short-staffed. By 2:14 that morning, two of his partners were dead. Richie Boles and David Strzalkowski responded to a disturbance call — the same call Rick couldn't take because he had a robbery suspect in his back seat. The man waiting for them was Charlie Street: a violent ex-con whose criminal history never surfaced in a records check because the system was down. Street overpowered both officers and shot them multiple times with their own weapons. Rick arrived on scene to find both partners lying in the road. He drove to a highway overpass and waited alone — betting he could cut Street off before he reached I-95. Broward County caught him first. When Rick arrived to make the identification, Street looked at him and smiled. Rick says he doesn't remember much of what happened next. Part 1 covers that entire Thanksgiving night shift — the systemic failures, the murders, and the long weight that followed. Part 2 picks up with a third line-of-duty death Rick was first on scene for: the murder of Officer Joey Martin. 👍 If you support law enforcement stories told with honesty and context, like, subscribe, and share. 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don't miss Part 2 — it's already in production.

    28 min

  3. APR 9

    She Wrote the Words on the National Police Memorial — Here's Why | Part 2

    In Part 1, Vivian Eney Cross revealed how her husband — U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Chris Eney — was killed in a 1984 training accident, and how the system failed her completely in the aftermath. In Part 2, we hear the rest of the story. Vivian finally learns the full circumstances of how Chris died: the abandoned Capitol Hill building, the zigzag stairwells, the training drill that went wrong in a single unguarded moment. With remarkable grace, she describes forgiving the officer who fired the shot — and meaning it. From there, the conversation moves to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial itself. Vivian reveals how she argued for the lions over the eagles, why a children's book called Chronicles of Narnia shaped that decision, and how the inscription now etched into the memorial wall came to her in an instant — not researched, not labored over. The episode closes with two moments that bring everything full circle: an active-duty officer standing at the memorial wall, tears streaming down his face, telling Vivian "you're the one that let me know I don't have to die to be appreciated" — and Craig Floyd spotting Vivian on a Washington street 33 years after their first difficult phone call, the day the National Law Enforcement Museum was dedicated. 👍 If you support law enforcement stories told with honesty and context, like, subscribe, and share. 🔔 Turn on notifications so you never miss an episode of Heroes Behind the Badge. #LawEnforcement, #TrueCrime, #FirstResponders, #PoliceStories, #HeroesBehindTheBadge, #NationalPoliceWeek, #PoliceMemorial, #CapitolPolice, #PoliceSurvivor, #CitizensBehindTheBadge

    28 min

  4. APR 7

    She Was Taken to the Wrong Hospital While Her Husband Died | Part 1

    On August 24, 1984, U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Chris Eney was shot and killed in a training exercise — accidentally, by a fellow officer and friend. When his wife Vivian got the call, she was told someone was coming to take her to him. They took her to the wrong hospital. By the time she reached the right one, Chris was gone. What followed was a cascade of institutional failures. No death benefits — the federal PSOB had been inadvertently written to exclude federal officers. Over 1,000 hours of her husband's unpaid comp time, gone. Everything in his name. Vivian even owed inheritance tax on assets that were hers. She took her 9 and 11-year-old daughters door-to-door on Capitol Hill and spent more than two years fighting Congress for what she was owed. This first part of a two-part conversation also covers COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors), how survivor community helped Vivian heal, and a quiet moment with her daughter that captures exactly what it means to carry grief forward. In Part 2: Vivian reveals how she shaped the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — and wrote the inscription on its wall that has moved thousands of officers to tears. 👍 If you support law enforcement stories told with honesty and context, like, subscribe, and share. 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don't miss Part 2 — Vivian's story isn't over yet. #LawEnforcement, #TrueCrime, #FirstResponders, #PoliceStories, #HeroesBehindTheBadge, #CapitolPolice, #LineOfDuty, #PoliceSurvivor, #NationalPoliceMemorial, #COPS

    26 min

  5. MAR 26

    Can You Spot a Serial Killer? BTK, Son of Sam, and What the FBI Found - Part 2

    In Part 1, Mindhunter co-author Mark Olshaker traced how FBI legend John Douglas unlocked the psychology of serial predators through audacious prison interviews and left us at the doorstep of the most baffling double life in American criminal history. Part 2 opens there: how does a church president, Boy Scout leader, and devoted family man spend decades as BTK - one of the most feared serial killers in the country - while everyone around him has no idea? In this Part 2 conversation with hosts Craig Floyd, Dennis Collins, and Bill Erfurth of Heroes Behind the Badge, Olshaker unpacks Dennis Rader's chilling compartmentalization, the "homicidal triad" warning signs that may identify a serial predator before they strike, and the psychological evolution of David Berkowitz from setting 1,000 fires to terrorizing New York City as the Son of Sam. He also draws a sharp line between serial killers - who expect to get away with it - and mass murderers, who don't. Bill Erfurth brings it to street level with a real serial killer arrest that ended at a Wendy's drive-through with a punchline no screenwriter would dare write. The episode closes on two of the hardest questions in the field: why are serial predators almost exclusively men, and what does the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case reveal about how these crimes almost always end? If you support law enforcement stories told with honesty and context, like, subscribe, and share. Subscribe so you never miss a future episode of Heroes Behind the Badge.

    35 min

  6. MAR 24

    Serial Killer Psychology Exposed: Inside the Real Mindhunter - Part 1

    Documentary filmmaker and Mindhunter co-author Mark Olshaker opens with one of the most chilling sequences in American criminal history: Ed Kemper - a 6-foot-8 serial predator who targeted hitchhiking co-eds to punish a mother who told him he'd never be loved - then drove to Nevada, called the Santa Cruz police from a payphone, and said, "It's me. I've done it. Come and get me." In this Part 1 conversation with hosts Craig Floyd, Dennis Collins, and Bill Erfurth of Heroes Behind Behind the Badge, Olshaker traces how two FBI agents armed with nothing but their badges started interviewing the worst serial predators in American history - and built a system that changed how killers are caught. He reveals what goes on inside the mind of a serial killer before, during, and after a crime — and how those prison interviews became the Emmy-nominated documentary Mind of a Serial Killer and the book that named the movement: Mindhunter. The conversation goes deep on Ed Kemper's displacement psychology, Sam Little's 90 confessed murders, and why FBI legend John Douglas once described Kemper as "rather likable." Olshaker also unpacks the crucial difference between MO and signature, and why understanding it is the key to profiling any serial predator. Part 1 closes at the doorstep of Dennis Rader's story. In Part 2, Olshaker goes deeper into the serial killer who hid behind a church pulpit, whether these predators can be identified before they strike, and the kidnapping case he says was never going to end well. If you support law enforcement stories told with honesty and context, like, subscribe, and share. Turn on notifications so you don't miss Part 2.

    28 min

  7. MAR 12

    The Nancy Guthrie Case: What Investigators Got Wrong - And the AI That Could Solve It - Pt 2

    What if the technology to solve cold cases already exists — and most law enforcement doesn't know how to use it? In Part 2 of this two-part conversation on Heroes Behind the Badge, Morgan Wright goes beyond the Guthrie case and reveals what's actually changing in cold case investigation. This episode is not about hope or hype. It's not about what AI might do someday. And it's not about replacing investigators. It's about what is already operational — and the uncomfortable gap between what law enforcement knows and what they could know if the right tools were in their hands. We talk about:How a six-month fugitive was located in 36 hours using only open-source dataWhy treating a case like a social media profile changes everythingHow AI-structured prompts are producing 15-page investigative reports in hoursWhy the reward in the Guthrie case may not be what breaks it openThe second-suspect question — and what the ring camera footage doesn't tell usThe $5.7 trillion annual cost of unsolved crime in AmericaHow ordinary citizens can contribute to active cases right now The conversation that started in Part 1 with first-principles analysis of the Guthrie case ends here with something bigger: a look at how the entire architecture of cold case investigation is being rebuilt — and how citizens are now part of that system. If you want to understand where investigative technology is actually headed, this is the episode. Learn More or Get Involvedhttps://CitizensBehindtheBadge.orghttps://openunsolved.org Listen to more episodes of Heroes Behind the Badge. Like, Subscribe, and Share to support the men and women who serve behind the badge.

    44 min

  8. MAR 10

    The Nancy Guthrie Case: What Investigators Got Wrong - And the AI That Could Solve It - Pt 1

    Was Nancy Guthrie abducted, or was it something else entirely? In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on Heroes Behind the Badge, we sit down with Morgan Wright, former state trooper, former detective, technical advisor to America's Most Wanted, and one of the most innovative investigative minds in law enforcement today. This episode is not about speculation. It's not about true crime sensationalism. And it's not about rehashing what you've already seen on the news. It's about what the evidence actually shows — and the uncomfortable conclusions that follow when you strip away the narrative and rebuild from the ground up. We talk about:Why the "burglary gone wrong" theory doesn't survive scrutinyThe critical 16-minute window that changes everythingWhat the blood trail and the end of the driveway tell investigatorsWhy the suspect on the ring camera was not acting like a burglarHow an 84-year-old woman with a pacemaker factors into the investigationThe crime scene handling mistakes that could haunt a future prosecutionWhat investigators may be hiding in plain sight This conversation goes beyond headlines. It applies first principles investigative methodology to one of the most talked-about disappearances in recent memory, and arrives at conclusions most people haven't been willing to say out loud. If you follow the Guthrie case, this episode will reframe everything you think you know. If you're in law enforcement, it offers a masterclass in how narratives can derail even the best investigators.

    26 min
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About

From the front lines to the final call, Heroes Behind the Badge brings you the untold stories of America's law enforcement community. Led by Craig Floyd, who spent 34 years working alongside police officers across the nation, alongside veteran facilitator Dennis Collins and law enforcement expert Bill Erfurth, this podcast cuts through misconceptions to reveal the true nature of modern policing. Our dynamic trio brings unique perspectives to each episode: Craig shares deep insights from his decades of experience and relationships within law enforcement, Dennis guides conversations with meticulous research and natural flow, and Bill adds engaging commentary that makes complex law enforcement topics accessible to all listeners. Each episode features in-depth conversations with law enforcement professionals, sharing their firsthand experiences, challenges, and triumphs. Drawing from extensive research and real-world experience, we explore the realities faced by the over 800,000 officers who serve and protect our communities every day. From dramatic accounts of crisis response to quiet moments of everyday heroism, our show illuminates the human stories behind the badge. We dive deep into the statistics, policies, and practices that shape modern law enforcement, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of what it truly means to serve in law enforcement today. Whether you're a law enforcement professional, a concerned citizen, or someone seeking to understand the complexities of modern policing, Heroes Behind the Badge provides the context, insights, and authentic perspectives you won't find anywhere else. Join us weekly as we honor those who dedicate their lives to keeping our communities safe, one story at a time. Presented by Citizens Behind the Badge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for law enforcement professionals across the United States. Join over 126,000 Americans who have already signed our Declaration of Support for law enforcement at behindbadge.org.

Information

  • Creator
    Citizens Behind the Badge
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    52
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Citizens Behind the Badge
  • Show Website
    Heroes Behind the Badge