SWAT Brothers

Chief Doug Kowalski of Prosper, Texas moved to Texas from the NYPD in 1977. He worked his way up the ranks to serve as a Deputy Chief of the Dallas Police Department. Kowalski later served as the Chief of Police of McKinney, Texas. It was there that he was instrumental in planning and designing a new Public Safety Headquarters. The building withstood a critical challenge when a lone gunman attacked the facility in 2010. He set his truck and trailer on fire. Then he proceeded to pump more than 163 rounds of .223 ammunition from his semi-automatic rifle into the headquarters. The gunman was killed but none of Kowalski's employees suffered an injury. In this episode of SWAT Brothers, Doug Kowalski talks about policing with Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired Dallas Police Lt. Bob Owens. Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Retired Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead was the first woman graduate in West Point history promoted to the rank of general in the U.S. Army. Halstead entered West Point in 1977 and was the second graduating class to include women. Halstead's book The First Person You Must Lead Is You details leadership principles derived from her 27-years of military service that are applicable to civilian organizations. Her combat experience included leading logistical support for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this episode of SWAT Brothers, General Halstead discusses her five simple leadership truths talks with Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired Dallas Police Lt. Bob Owens. Today, Halstead speaks and provides leadership consulting services through her firm Steadfast Leadership.  Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Former ICE Special Agent Victor Avila shared the deadly story of how he and his partner, Jaime Zapata, were ambushed by the Los Zetas Crime Cartel in Mexico. It is a harrowing story of courage and survival in the face of betrayal by the officials who sent him on an ill prepared dangerous mission. Zapata was murdered in the line of duty and Avila suffered life threatening bullet wounds.  Zapata explained how the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the murder convictions of Zapata's killers because it happened outside of the U.S.  Avila is leading the charge to get Congress to change the law in hopes that the Cartel's willl be re-sentenced to life in prison. In Part 2 of our interview, the El Paso native discusses how the Mexican cartels are reaping millions of dollars for human smuggling. Avila says the reinstatement of a “catch and release” policy has triggered a crisis as thousands of migrants surge toward the U.S. border.  The brutal violence by the cartels is spreading into the United States. Avila says the surge conceals among its ranks  “The violence that is occurring in Mexico has spilled over to our communities around our country Avila says the surge of economic migrants concals a lot of criminal illegal aliens, convicted sex offenders, and possibly others that are linked to terrorism. Victor talks with Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired Dallas Police Lt. Bob Owens. Follow SWATBrothers https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The Los Zetas drug cartel ambushed two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on a dangerous stretch of highway in 2011. Special Agent Victor Avila was severely wounded. His partner, Jaime Zapata, was killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, an investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel confirmed Avila's allegations that ICE officials had failed to properly train and support the agents for such dangerous missions. The agents had been dispatched from Mexico City to Monterrey to pick up supplies. Warnings had been issued by the U.S. Embassy that the stretch of Highway 57 was a no man's land controlled by the Los Zetas. The Zetas had apparently been tipped off and unleashed a barrage of bullets into their armored vehicle which could not stop the withering fire.  Avila, a native of El Paso has written a book about the incident titled Agent Under Fire - A Murder and a Manifesto. Victor Avila continues to seek justice for his partner's death. In this episode of SWAT Brothers, Avila sheds new light on the incident and reveals how the Mexican cartels had gained so much power that they literally control the country.  Victor talks with Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired Dallas Police Lt. Bob Owens. Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Red dot sights on handguns are designed to improve accuracy.  Slide mounted red dots can help a home defender shot the target quickly and effectively in a high-stress situation. Elite special ops units in the U.S. military commonly use red dot sights on their pistols. For shooters accustomed to Iron Sights, Red Dots take some getting adjusted to use. Jeff Etessam, a retired Duncanville, Texas SWAT officer and owner of Realistic Defense, teaches how to use the Red Dot sight in this episode of SWAT Brothers. He trains students on how to properly use the Pistol Mounted Red Dot in both a two-handed and single-handed grip. Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com.  We answer questions on the 3rd Friday of each month. Contact us there if you want to be a guest or recommend a guest or subject for an episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Jeff Etessam, a retired member of the Duncanville, Texas Police Department's SWAT Team, discusses the importance of training. Etessam spent ten years on midnight patrol. Then he became the training coordinator for twenty-two years. Duncanville SWAT, like most departments, was a part-time team. Patrol carried their gear with them and would come together as a team when called out. The sad fact is that most departments do not devote enough time and money to training. Etessam believes that the mindset of officers has changed from believing that law enforcement is a career to a job with a paycheck. He also weighs in with his concerns about policing in today's political climate and discusses the use of force.  Jeff Etessam now runs Realistic Defense a private firearms training company with the mission of “Train to Survive”. This is the first of a two-part interview by the cohosts of SWAT Brothers Robert Riggs and Bob Owens. Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com.  We answer questions on the 3rd Friday of each month. Contact us there if you want to be a guest or recommend a guest or subject for an episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Back in the late 1970s flames engulfed the South Bronx.  The borough symbolized that New York City was a crime-ridden decaying urban war zone. 1976 saw the largest spike in reported felonies on record. The city was on the verge of bankruptcy. When then-Mayor Abe Beam asked Washington for a federal bailout, then-President Gerald Ford declared flatly to veto any legislation. The New York Daily News interpreted the President's message as, “Drop Dead.” In 1977 during game 2 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, a massive warehouse fire blazed in the background. A helicopter circling the stadium for game coverage repeatedly showed the building burning into the night. Everyone thought commentator Howard Cosell uttered, “Ladies and gentlemen the Bronx is Burning.”   Cosell did not say it but the audience collectively thought it. And “The Bronx is Burning” came to define New York City in 1977. Meanwhile, the Son of Sam, had been taunting police by leaving notes behind at the scene of his murders. It became known as the “Summer of Sam”. Serial killer David Berkowitz killed six people, wounded seven more leaving some of them crippled for life. And then the lights went out. An infamous power failure blacked out the city for two days. Mass rioting and looting erupted. By the time the power came on 1,700 stores had been looted and more than $150 million dollars worth of property had been destroyed. Retired New York City Police detective Travis Myers spent his career on the streets of the Bronx. After policing, Myers went into real estate, pubs, and restaurants. Travis and his sister Natasha have created a fictional detective named Tommy Keane in a series of true crime novels. Myers talks with SWAT Brothers about changes in policing and inspiration for his Tommy Keane detective novels.  Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. We answer questions on the 3rd Friday of each month. Contact us there if you want to be a guest or recommend a guest or subject for an episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Todd Bensman says the mass migration crisis on the southern border has overwhelmed the U.S. border patrol to the point where terrorists may be able to slip through.  In Texas, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) state troopers work the banks of the Rio Grande as illegal immigrants flood across. Operation Lone Star is attacking both human smuggling and narcotics trafficking on air, land, and water. In SWAT Brothers' previous episode, Jaeson Jones, a former member of DPS Homeland Security intelligence, took our listeners to the front lines of a war. Jones, who runs the Tripwires and Triggers website is an expert on the Mexican Cartels' sophisticated human smuggling operations.  Jones explained how the Cartels are making tens of millions of dollars on the backs of illegal immigrants as well as abusing them and outright killing some of them. The unfolding mass migration crisis raises concern that Islamic jihadists will infiltrate the border to commit terrorist acts. After 9/11 America mounted a secret and ongoing counterterrorism campaign at the southern border that has worked up until now. That's the subject of this SWAT Brothers episode. Since we recorded this episode, Governor Greg Abott has pledged a $250 million dollar down payment to build a wall across the Texas border with Mexico. Abbott says the wall is needed to stem the tide of illegal immigrants and drugs being smuggled into Texas by the Mexican Cartels. "In just the first four months of this year, just the Texas Department of Public Safety had an 800% increase in the amount of fentanyl they had apprehended," Abbott said. "They apprehended enough fentanyl to kill more than 21 million Americans."  In this episode of SWAT Brothers Robert Riggs and retired Dallas Police Lt Bob Owens talk to Bensman about his 13-year work of journalism titled America's Covert Border War. The Untold Story of The Nation's Battle To Prevent Jihadist Infiltration. In full disclosure, Todd and Robert Riggs, the cohost of the SWAT Brothers podcast worked together at the CBS station group. After Riggs came back from an embedded stint in Iraq in early 2003, Todd reported alongside Riggs as an investigative producer. The pair of reporters exposed the roots of Al-Qaeda and Hamas international terrorism activities from Texas to the United Kingdom and beyond. Bensman and Riggs are old-school journalists who go to the place where news is happening in order to accurately tell people what they learned. They were known among law enforcement as the journalists who knocked  on a lot of doors together and wore off the leather soles of their shoes tracking information in person. After journalism, Bensman joined the Texas Department of Public Safety as a counterterrorism analyst. And he earned a master's degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Security and Defense. Bensman makes regular trips to the Mexican side of the Texas border.  We start by asking Bensman to explain what he says is the cause of the current mass migration crisis. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Jaeson Jones leads a one-man crusade to get the federal government to designate the Mexican Cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.  He is laser-focused on the Cartel's human trafficking business. Jones' campaign has already prompted Texas Governor Greg Abbot to officially ask the Biden Administration to designate the Mexican Cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Jones is a retired Captain from the Texas Department of Public Safety's Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division.  He managed the daily operations of the Texas Rangers, Border Security Operations Center (BSOC).  He supervised Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations in several nations and managed Intelligence lead operations for the longest 24/7 border operation in Texas history, Operation Secure Texas.  Jones is a 24-year law enforcement veteran. He first served as a Deputy Sheriff and then spent the next 18-years with the Texas DPS where he started as a state trooper patrolling the Texas highways.  Jones worked in the Narcotics Division of the DPS which at the time was considered among law enforcement the most effective anti-drug unit in the United States. Since his retirement 4-years ago, Jones has been laser-focused on border security.  He publishes reports about the Mexican Cartels literally from the banks of the Rio Grande on this website Trip Wires and Triggers.  In this episode of SWAT Brothers, Jones gives an eye opening situation report about the Mexican Cartel's human smuggling activities. It is one you are not likely to hear in the mainstream media. Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. We answer questions on the 3rd Friday of each month. Contact us there if you want to be a guest or recommend a guest or subject for an episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

After a gunman killed five police officers and wounded eleven others during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas in 2016, Maurine Dickey was upset that officers were not wearing armored vests. Ms. Dickey, a former Dallas County Commissioner, and North Texas community leader established The Dickey Foundation to provide support for local first responders. The nonprofit foundation receives support from Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, the nation's largest barbeque chain. The foundation provides safety equipment to first responders with their “Invest In A Vest Program” and financial assistance to fire departments to purchase special washing machines to clean toxic substances off fire fighter's turnout coats. The family's original barbeque restaurant has been serving customers in Dallas for more than 80-years.  SWAT Brothers cohost, Retired Dallas Police Lt. Bob Owens, a 40-year veteran officer with 20 years in SWAT serves on The Dickey Foundation's Board. In this episode with investigative reporter Robert Riggs and Owens, the foundation's Executive Director, Betsy Orton, discusses how first responders can receive assistance to purchase safety equipment. Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. We answer questions on the 3rd Friday of each month. Contact us there if you want to be a guest or recommend a guest or subject for an episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

In the previous two episodes of SWAT Brothers, we chronicled the deadly events of the mass murders of five Dallas officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in July of 2016. The first three officers who were ambushed and killed had been ordered to leave their armored vest in the trunks of their patrol cars. Then police chief David Brown reportedly turned down the officer's request to wear an armored vest because city leaders were apparently sensitive to criticism that police departments were militarized. The gunman who had been kicked out of the Army for dishonorable conduct came armed with a vest and a powerful AK74 rifle. In this episode, retired Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens, a forty-year veteran on the force with 20 years of experience in SWAT breaks down the Russian-made AK74. Investigative reporter Robert Riggs brings to bear his previous experience as a staff member of the Joint Committee on Defense Production in Congress to talk about comparisons to the M16 and AR15. SWAT Brothers will also be posting a video about the AK74 to its True Crime Reporter YouTube Channel. Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. We answer questions on the 3rd Friday of each month. Contact us there if you want to be a guest or recommend a guest or subject for an episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

This is the second episode in our exclusive series about the mass murder of five police officers in Dallas on July 7, 2016. It was the deadliest day for law enforcement since 9-11. That's when a heavily armed gunman who was a dishonorable Army veteran took advantage of a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest to in effect assassinate five police officers and wounded 11 others.  Our previous episode featured the Dallas SWAT negotiator who talked to the gunman for four hours before a robot armed with a bomb was sent in to blow him up. In this episode, we feature reporter and author Jamie Thompson who has written the definitive book about the events of that tragic night and the aftermath. “Standoff - Race, Policing, and a Deadly Assault That Gripped The Nation” reconstructs the dialogue and viewpoints from hundreds of hours of interviews. The details of what happened that night are barely known to Dallas residents much less the nation at large. Our interview reveals that two of the murdered officers who wanted to wear armored vests were ordered to leave their safety equipment in the trunk of their patrol car.  The then leadership of the Dallas Police Department was more worried about criticism that police officers looked militarized than the well-being of its officers. Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. We answer questions on the 3rd Friday of each month. Contact us there if you want to be a guest or recommend a guest or subject for an episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

The ambush of Dallas police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in July of 2016 marked the deadliest and bloodiest day for American law enforcement since 9/11. BLM protesters had peacefully gathered in downtown Dallas and other cities across the nation in response to the police shootings of two black men, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. A few blocks from the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, an African American man who had been discharged from the U.S. Army for disgraceful conduct got out of his SUV ready for combat. Micah Johnson arrived with a calculated plan to kill police officers, preferably white officers.  Wearing tactical gear, a bullet-resistant vest, and armed with a high-powered assault rifle as well as handguns Johnson executed five officers and wounded eleven others.  A cell phone video by a witness on the balcony of a nearby hotel recorded Johnson shooting an officer for the city’s transit system, DART, in the back and then standing over the officer as he pumped eleven more rounds into the officer at point-blank range. Following a fierce running gun battle, officers cornered the shooter inside the downtown campus building of the El Centro Community College. Larry Gordon, a crisis hostage negotiator for the DALLAS SWAT team, spent four hours talking with the gunman who pledged to take his life and the lives of more officers. A robot armed with a bomb ended the standoff.  Larry Gordon shares the story of what happened on that tragic night in Dallas in this exclusive episode of SWAT Brothers.  Follow SWATBrothers Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SWATpodcast/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/swat_brothers_podcast/ SWAT Brothers is a trademarked and copyrighted news show produced by the True Crime Reporter™ podcast. It is hosted and written by Peabody Award-Winning Investigative Reporter Robert Riggs and Retired 40-year Dallas Police Lieutenant Bob Owens who served twenty years in Dallas SWAT. It is produced by Grace Woodward. Send SWAT Brothers your questions about firearms, equipment, training, or any other subjects to FastDrawFriday@gmail.com. We answer questions on the 3rd Friday of each month. Contact us there if you want to be a guest or recommend a guest or subject for an episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

SWAT Brothers and OwenRiggs Firearms Training has produced a video in conjunction with this episode. It can be viewed by clicking here on YouTube. Retired Lt. Robert Owens, a 40-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, discusses gun safety rules with investigative reporter Robert Riggs. In 2020, record numbers of people purchased their first-ever firearm. … Continue reading SWAT Brothers Talk Firearms Safety Rules For First Time Gun Buyers And Gun Owners →

When police confront dangerous situations that threaten life and public safety they call in a team of dedicated and specially trained elite officers called SWAT. Special Weapons and Tactics. These are their stories. The SWAT Brothers podcast features stories from veteran SWAT Team officers about standoffs and takedowns from their careers. Retired Dallas SWAT Commander … Continue reading Dallas SWAT Stories From Drug Raids, Barricaded Suspects, And Standoffs Episode 1 →