The Hero Next Door

Proud American Studios
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  • True Crime

Veterans, law enforcement, first responders, and quiet patriots have carried burdens most of us never see. Our new Proud American Studios series, The Hero Next Door, sits down with these men and women to share the moments that changed everything.

Episodes

  1. Jun 25

    The Hero Next Door Ep. 8 - Sonya LaBosco, Executive Director, Air Marshal National Council

    Former Daytona Beach mounted police officer turned Federal Air Marshal, Sonya LaBosco, joins Nick Searcy and Dr. Darcy Leutzinger to share her frontline journey from local law enforcement through the post-9/11 air marshal expansion. LaBosco details how she exposed the government's Quiet Skies program, which placed law-abiding Americans on domestic terrorist watch lists after January 6th. She reveals the moment she alerted Tulsi Gabbard to unlawful surveillance and calls for full accountability of federal officials who violated citizens' First Amendment rights.

    53 min

  2. Jun 4

    The Hero Next Door Ep. 7: Tim Clemente, FBI Special Agent and SWAT Team Leader

    Tim Clemente knew he wanted to be a cop before he could spell the word. From the blood-soaked streets of St. Louis's Third District to the FBI's most classified counter-terrorism operations, his career reads like a national security briefing. In this episode, Tim sits down with Nick Searcy and Dr. Darcy Leutzinger to recount five homicides in a single shift, flipping a foreign head of state on day one at the Bureau, conducting espionage tradecraft by Friday, and responding to the Pentagon on September 11. This is what service looks like when the mission never stops.

    1h 11m

  3. Jun 4

    The Hero Next Door Ep. 6: Brian Sizemore, Founder, The LUCAS Foundation

    Brian Sizemore lost his son, Lucas, a young Atlanta Police officer, to suicide on January 9, 2024. There were no warning signs. Lucas was an all-American kid from Michigan who graduated from the Atlanta Police Academy, earned marksman status, and served in one of the city's toughest zones. In this episode, Brian shares Lucas's journey from deer camp to badge, the phone call no parent should receive, and how he channeled unimaginable grief into the Lucas Foundation, fighting to end law enforcement suicide nationwide.

    1h 29m

  4. Jun 4

    The Hero Next Door Ep. 5: Jim Etzin, Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services Coordinator at Oakland County Tactical Consortium

    Jim Etzin, Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services Coordinator at Oakland County Tactical Consortium, delivers a comprehensive operational briefing on active violence response in America. From the 1984 McDonald's massacre in San Ysidro to Columbine, Aurora, Pulse, and Uvalde, Etzin traces the paradigm shifts that changed how law enforcement answers these threats. He addresses solo officer entry, counter-ambush tactics, the concept of doomed captives, unified command, unconventional patient transport, and the four core priorities every responder must execute. Hosted by Darcy Leutzinger with co-host John Adams, exclusively on Proud American Studios.

    1h 4m

  5. Jun 4

    The Hero Next Door Ep. 4: Lieutenant Dan Colasanto, Garland, TX Police Department, SWAT Commander, and President of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association

    Lieutenant Dan Colasanto, Garland (Texas) Police Department SWAT Commander and President of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association, joins The Hero Next Door to talk mission focus under pressure, what the public gets wrong about SWAT, and how tactics and technology have changed. He also recounts being shot during a 1998 narcotics warrant and breaks down the 2015 Garland response that stopped an attempted terrorist attack.

    1h 7m

  6. Jun 4

    The Hero Next Door Ep. 3: Thomas Jackson, Former Police Chief of Ferguson, Missouri

    Former Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson walks through the real story of the Michael Brown shooting, the riots that followed, and how a manufactured “hands up, don’t shoot” narrative fueled nationwide unrest. He explains his decisions on the scene, FOIA, media pressure, social media, DOJ targeting, and the long-term toll on police, families, and communities.

    1h 3m

  7. Jun 4

    The Hero Next Door Ep. 2: Sheriff Bill Waybourn of Tarrant County, Texas

    Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn shares his journey from Jal, New Mexico to leading one of America’s largest sheriff’s offices, his Air Force service, becoming Texas’ youngest police chief, fighting fentanyl and cartel crime, shaping Texas laws like the Chris Kyle Bill, and building a world‑class training academy—all while raising 10 children, most of them adopted.

    1h 8m

  8. Jun 4

    The Hero Next Door Ep. 1: Sheila Stephens of The Valkyrie Initiative

    Former ATF special agent Sheila Stephens spent her career hunting violent criminals, infiltrating gangs, and running undercover operations across the country. But the injury that ended her time in the field nearly ended her life as well. In this powerful first episode of The Hero Next Door, Sheila sits down with host Dr. Darcy Leutzinger and the Proud American Studios team to talk about what really happens to the minds and hearts of those who serve on the front lines of law enforcement, the military, intelligence, and public safety. She shares how childhood trauma, years of undercover work, and a career‑ending injury led her to the brink of suicide—and how one unexpected phone call changed everything.

    57 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

Veterans, law enforcement, first responders, and quiet patriots have carried burdens most of us never see. Our new Proud American Studios series, The Hero Next Door, sits down with these men and women to share the moments that changed everything.

Information

  • Creator
    Proud American Studios
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Proud American Studios
  • Show Website
    The Hero Next Door