I have been in Law Enforcement since 1978. I began my career at a local Sheriff’s Department as a Corrections Officer and quickly moved into the patrol division. During the 28 1/2 years I worked there, I worked in such diversified areas as Patrol, Investigations, Communications, and Administration. I served as a field training officer, range officer and as a S.W.A.T. officer and team leader.

I retired in 2006 and spent two years as the police chief in a small town in northwest Illinois. I have served as the Operations Manager for a security company in Lake County, Illinois.

I am currently semi-retired working a few days a week at a local police department. Additionally, I do private security and executive protection as well as teach concealed carry and firearms classes for both police and security officers.

Unlike others, my classes are taught from the perspective of a police officer. MY JOB is to teach my students not only the statutory requirements, but to introduce my students to the concepts of avoiding a violent confrontation if at all possible. If a confrontation cannot be avoided, my students are introduced to the methods of interacting with the police and the media, in order to safeguard their rights and the security of both themselves and their family.

WHAT MAKES ME AND MY TEAM PROFESSIONALS

 I was recently asked what makes my team a “Professional” as compared to other instructors. There are only three “minor” points that separate us from them.

TRAINING                               EXPERIENCE                                        ABILITY

Training: Almost all civilian instructors have taken some type of minimal course in firearms training that gives them the legal ability to teach the class. Unfortunately, this leaves them woefully unprepared for dealing with potential life and death situations in the real world. On the other hand, we have been to multiple firearms training classes for police officers. We have hundreds of hours of classroom training and well over a thousand hours of range instruction time. We teach everything from basic firearms training to advanced combat tactics.

Experience: Concealed Carry was enacted in Wisconsin in 2011 and in Illinois in 2013. Unless your civilian Instructor was doing something illegal, it is only possible for them to be carrying concealed for roughly 10 years. I have been carrying a firearm both on and off duty, in open and concealed carry since 1978.  That roughly translates to over 100,000 hours. I guarantee you will not find a civilian instructor anywhere with that much experience. My experience as a police officer also includes over 20 years as a field training officer. That means I have taught police officers how to do their jobs and how to protect themselves in life threatening situations. Good luck finding a civilian instructor (without military experience) that’s even been in that type of a life-threatening situation, much less has taught someone else how to survive one.

Ability: The ability to teach this type of course goes far beyond being able to read from a power point. (As we have seen many instructors do.) It includes the ability to help your students understand the laws and how they pertain to Concealed Carry. In a critical incident, the idea that “I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE LAW” or “I MADE A MISTAKE” can cost you everything, including your freedom. And unlike civilian instructors, we have an acute understanding of how to interact with the police and the press to protect you during the aftermath of a critical incident.