The Squad Room Garrett Te Slaa

SWAT Officer Brandon Griffith was in the best shape of his life at 26 years old when he collapsed dead in his living room from a sudden cardiac arrest.  His wife started CPR while calling 911 and he was eventually shocked back to life with a defibrillator. 







In this episode you will learn: 









* Brandon’s description of what it was like to be shocked with an AED (he remembers the whole thing!).







* How he fought to come back to work, even with a defibrillator implanted in his chest. 







* Why Brandon believes it’s a moral imperative that law enforcement equip and train themselves to respond to cardiac events. 







* Brandon’s mindset about life and death after experiencing both!









The story is bananas and you’ve got to listen to how he describes feeling the shock. 







In the aftermath of his cardiac arrest, Brandon formed Griffith Blue Heart, a non-profit dedicated  to improving law enforcement’s ability to respond to cardiac arrests in the field. Brandon and his team help agencies raise funds, train employees, and create policies to deploy AEDs into the field. 







You can learn more about his organization at griffithblueheart.com.







If you’re looking for a little extra joy in your life, sign up for Tactical Tuesdays, a FREE weekly email where we bring you a few tactics, tips and strategies to help you succeed in the week ahead. It may be about a book I want to share, gear I’ve found useful, an inspiring quote, or anything else I think you’d like. To sign up for the Tactical Tuesdays email list, you can visit thesquadroom.net/tacticaltuesdays.







New leader’s are often left without support or an idea of how they can develop into their full potential. That’s why I created The Leader’s Workbook, a FREE resource for anyone who is, or wants to be, a leader in their agency and wants to learn how to expand their influence and contribution. You can get it here, absolutely free. 







Make sure to tag me on IG @thesquadroom so I can cheer you on and support you!







A special thanks to our sponsors for today’s episode.







Want to make it difficult for criminals to discover your home address? I use OfficerPrivacy and you should, too. Check out the special deal at OfficerPrivacy.com/thesquadroom where you’ll get two free months of monitoring and data removal plus a FREE Cell Phone Privacy Device when you sign up.







inTime is the leading schedule management system for public safety agencies. Their cloud-based system and app gives your agency control over overtime budgets, subpoena compliance, vacation requests and much more. Learn more at intime.com/thesquadroom. 

Micromanagers usually lack trust in their coworkers so they feel they need to obsessively watch over them. What’s missing, is that the micromanagers also lack trust in themselves, and all that behavior is an outward expression of an inner turmoil. 







In this episode, I share some quick insights into how you can avoid becoming the dreaded micromanager no one wants to work with. 







Sign up for Tactical Tuesdays, a FREE weekly email where we bring you a few tactics, tips and strategies to help you succeed in the week ahead. It may be about a book I want to share, gear I’ve found useful, an inspiring quote, or anything else I think you’d like. To sign up for the Tactical Tuesdays email list, you can visit thesquadroom.net/tacticaltuesdays.







Make sure to tag me on IG @thesquadroom so I can cheer you on and support you!

Ryan Allen, a successful K9 handler for his department, didn’t think much about the bee sting he got on the way home from the gym. What happened next turned this small thing into a nightmare of panic, grief, guilt and difficult decisions. 







Six months later, Ryan’s wife Whitney buried her young husband and was left to figure out how to parent two young boys by herself. 







In the aftermath of Ryan’s death, Whitney pursued her own healing and eventually decided to become a grief counselor, helping other widows deal with the massive loss. 







In this episode, Whitney shares ideas on how to find joy after loss, and how to navigate the feelings of guilt that come from being happy after someone is gone. She also shares strategies on how we can help our friends and partners when they’re faced with a sudden loss in the family. 







You can learn more about Whitney at whitneylynallen.com or on Instagram @whitneylynallen.







Her book, Running in Trauma Stilletos: A Raw Look at Grief and Life after Loss is available on Amazon. 







Sign up for Tactical Tuesdays, a FREE weekly email where we bring you a few tactics, tips and strategies to help you succeed in the week ahead. It may be about a book I want to share, gear I’ve found useful, an inspiring quote, or anything else I think you’d like. To sign up for the Tactical Tuesdays email list, you can visit thesquadroom.net/tacticaltuesdays.







Make sure to tag me on IG @thesquadroom so I can cheer you on and support you!







A special thanks to our sponsors for today’s episode.







Want to make it difficult for criminals to discover your home address? I use OfficerPrivacy and you should, too. Check out the special deal at OfficerPrivacy.com/thesquadroom where you’ll get two free months of monitoring and data removal plus a FREE Cell Phone Privacy Device when you sign up.inTime is the leading schedule management system for public safety agencies. Their cloud-based system and app gives your agency control over overtime budgets, subpoena compliance, vacation requests and much more. Learn more at intime.com/thesquadroom.

Have you just gotten promoted or looking to promote soon? This episode might save you a lot of heartache.







10 years ago this week I was promoted to sergeant. And then, just about a year ago I was promoted to lieutenant. In that time I’ve had some wins…and a whole lot of losses. I’ve also read a ton on leadership and been able to try out a lot of those academic theories in the real world. Then, I went back to academia and got my Master’s in Public Administration with an emphasis in Public Sector Leadership and Management. 







So suffice it to say, I’ve got some experience being a front line supervisor. 







And here’s the biggest tip I didn’t even include on the list…that being a front line supervisor is much easier than being a front line leader. 







When in doubt, be the leader. 







In this episode, I share 11 tips for new supervisors that I think are important for you to know. It’s not a complete list – that would take many episodes and perhaps I’ll do more if you like these. But, this is 11 issues that I commonly see. Some are mistakes I made, some are common problems, and some might help you think about your role a little differently. 







New leader’s are often left without support or an idea of how they can develop into their full potential. That’s why I created The Leader’s Workbook, a FREE resource for anyone who is, or wants to be, a leader in their agency and wants to learn how to expand their influence and contribution. You can get it here, absolutely free. 







Sign up for Tactical Tuesdays, a FREE weekly email where we bring you a few tactics, tips and strategies to help you succeed in the week ahead. It may be about a book I want to share, gear I’ve found useful, an inspiring quote, or anything else I think you’d like. To sign up for the Tactical Tuesdays email list, you can visit thesquadroom.net/tacticaltuesdays.







Make sure to tag me on IG @thesquadroom so I can cheer you on and support you!







A special thanks to our sponsors for today’s episode.







Want to make it difficult for criminals to discover your home address? I use OfficerPrivacy and you should, too. Check out the special deal at OfficerPrivacy.com/thesquadroom where you’ll get two free months of monitoring and data removal plus a FREE Cell Phone Privacy Device when you sign up.







inTime is the leading schedule management system for public safety agencies. Their cloud-based system and app gives your agency control over overtime budgets, subpoena compliance, vacation requests and much more. Learn more at intime.com/thesquadroom. 

In 2021 I was out on medical leave due to a back injury that had been misdiagnosed for years. What saved me from a potential career-ending surgery was a renewed practice of yoga. 







Despite its long tradition in warrior communities, there are a lot of misconceptions and objections to yoga in the first responder communities that seem largely driven by the idea that it’s too feminine for such a male-dominated career.







Can yoga make you a better cop? Absolutely, and it’s something you should really try if you haven’t already. In this episode, we explain why, and how. 







My guest today is Olivia Mead, founder of YogaShield and the non-profit Yoga For First Responders. Olivia’s program is culturally-informed for our community and she specializes in working with populations susceptible to PTSD. Her program is now taught at the Los Angeles fire and police departments, Chicago Police Department, Denver Public Safety, Kansas City Police Department, Indianapolis Fire Department, Detroit Police Department, Tempe Police Department, Wichita Police Department, Seattle Fire Department and Des Moines Police Department among several others. 







She has spoken at the International Association of Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association, FBI National Academy Associates, 1st Responder Conferences, International Association of Firefighters, EMS World, Iowa State Fire School, C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors), International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) National Convention and more.







New leader’s are often left without support or an idea of how they can develop into their full potential. That’s why I created The Leader’s Workbook, a FREE resource for anyone who is, or wants to be, a leader in their agency and wants to learn how to expand their influence and contribution. You can get it here, absolutely free. 







Feeling angry, anxious, frustrated, confused or unmotivated? A lot of us are these days. Because of this, I created a FREE 7-day challenge journal to help you gain clarity on what you want, improve relationships with the people that matter to you, and recharge your energy. It’s called The Good Wolf Journal and it’s absolutely free. You can download it here.   







Sign up for Tactical Tuesdays, a FREE weekly email where we bring you a few tactics, tips and strategies to help you succeed in the week ahead. It may be about a book I want to share, gear I’ve found useful, an inspiring quote, or anything else I think you’d like. To sign up for the Tactical Tuesdays email list, you can visit thesquadroom.net/tacticaltuesdays.







Make sure to tag me on IG @thesquadroom so I can cheer you on and support you!







A special thanks to our sponsors for today’s episode.







Want to make it difficult for criminals to discover your home address? I use OfficerPrivacy and you should, too. Check out the special deal at OfficerPrivacy.com/thesquadroom where you’ll get two free months of monitoring and data removal plus a FREE Cell Phone Privacy Device when you sign up.







inTime is the leading schedule management system for public safety agencies. Their cloud-based system and app gives your agency control over overtime budge...

Jason Piccolo is a newly retired federal agent and the host of The Protectors Podcast. Jason has nearly 30 years in service to his country as an agent, a U.S. Army infantry captain and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Jason is a frequent guest on Fox News and Court TV and he’s the author of Unwavering: A Border Agent’s Journey.







On this episode, we talk about his pending retirement, finding purpose in the later parts of your career and transitions that we go through in various parts of our lives. We also share info on how we got into the profession and what we hope to accomplish with our respective careers and platforms. 







You can follow him on socials @drjasonpiccolo







Jason is clearly a leader in the field and I appreciated his candor during our conversation. For many, it takes a long time to develop those leadership skills and it takes a lifetime of practicing them. New leaders are often left without support or an idea of how they can develop into their full potential. 







That’s why I created The Leader’s Workbook, a FREE resource for anyone who is, or wants to be, a leader in their agency and wants to learn how to expand their influence and contribution. You can get it here, absolutely free. 







Feeling angry, anxious, frustrated, confused or unmotivated? A lot of us are these days. Because of this, I created a FREE 7-day challenge journal to help you gain clarity on what you want, improve relationships with the people that matter to you, and recharge your energy. It’s called The Good Wolf Journal and it’s absolutely free. You can download it here.   







Sign up for Tactical Tuesdays, a FREE weekly email where we bring you a few tactics, tips and strategies to help you succeed in the week ahead. It may be about a book I want to share, gear I’ve found useful, an inspiring quote, or anything else I think you’d like. To sign up for the Tactical Tuesdays email list, you can visit thesquadroom.net/tacticaltuesdays.







Make sure to tag me on IG @thesquadroom so I can cheer you on and support you!







A special thanks to our sponsors for today’s episode.







Want to make it difficult for criminals to discover your home address? I use OfficerPrivacy and you should, too. Check out the special deal at OfficerPrivacy.com/thesquadroom where you’ll get two free months of monitoring and data removal plus a FREE Cell Phone Privacy Device when you sign up.







inTime is the leading schedule management system for public safety agencies. Their cloud-based system and app gives your agency control over overtime budgets, subpoena compliance, vacation requests and much more. Learn more at intime.com/thesquadroom. If you’re looking for the best fitting ballistic helmet that exceeds NIJ standards and won’t break the bank,